Zion day 3

There is quite a lot to cover today. We got the before 9 AM lottery award for the  Angels Landing hike. So, of course we started at 6. The approach trail to the chain climb is only 2 miles but it is very steep. There is supposed to be a ranger checking for permits at the beginning of the Angels Landing portion but we got up there before the ranger did, so we pressed on. If you are standing there looking up at the climb it seems improbable. Very steep, very exposed. We pressed on one step at a time and eventually made it to the top. There were many Chipmunks at the top. I unwrapped a granola bar as I sat down and was immediately attacked by several wanting a handout. They climbed up my arm and onto my shoulder. I, of course, didn't give them a crumb. The climb down was a little more congested with up climbers competing with down climbers for the chain. That's my second time on that hike and I'm pretty sure that will be my last. Tomorrow John and Jeanne head home and Jenny and I head to Kanab to get the MP out of storage. So far our plan has been aligning with reality. Really weird. More tomorrow from Kanab.

Zion day 2

We did a couple of hikes today. Our most significant hike was the approach trail to the Narrows of the Virgin River. The Virgin River Narrows hike is the most hiked route in the park. At the end of the one mile trail that we hiked the trail ends and in order to continue you have to walk upstream in the river. The river was clogged with people. We were not going to hike in the river anyway but seeing the mob wading upstream convinced us that we didn't want to be part of that group. I threw our names into a lottery for a chance to hike to Angels Landing tomorrow and bizarrely we won. The Angels Landing hike is one of the most iconic hikes in the country. John and I will get an early start tomorrow. I should have a few pics taken from the top in tomorrow's post. Tomorrow is the last full day of this 10 day adventure with John & Jeanne. It's been an action packed trip with good fellowship. More tomorrow.

Zion National Park

The drive was embarrassingly short to get here. We arrived something like 4 hours before check in. I've never stayed in the lodge here. There is a gate with a code that lets us into a part of the park where riff raff urchins aren't allowed. I had last years code. That was a source of some excitement. A shuttle bus driver, with a full passenger load behind us, was not impressed. We eventually got through the gate and had a good lunch in the lodge. To kill some time we booked a narrated 1 hour trolley tour up the canyon road. We eventually both got checked into our cozy cabins and are now waiting for our dinner reservation time to arrive. It was hot in the valley this afternoon but the cabins are air conditioned. Whoppee! More tomorrow.

Bryce day 3

Today we had a small dilemma. We have accumulated a weeks with of laundry but we  wanted to do some more exploring. Our solution was to split up. John and I did a 6 mile hike on the fairyland trail. (Jenny drove us to the trailhead and we hiked to the lodge) Jenny and Jeanne did a shorter hike to Mossy Cave and were able to find a laundromat outside the park. That plan was executed perfectly and we all met back here at 2:00. We are thinking pizza and beer this afternoon. It's Zion for 3 days starting tomorrow. Not sure what we'll do there. We tried and failed to get a slot for the Angels Landing hike and we absolutely won't do The Virgin River Narrows again. Twice is plenty. More tomorrow.

Bryce day 2

This is becoming a habit. It 10:30 and our day has just ended. Jenny, John & I did one of the classic Bryce Canyon hikes this morning. Jeanne is not comfortable with the 9000 foot elevation so she bowed out of the morning hike. We did a few things outside the park in the early afternoon and then drove 18 miles to the upper end of the park to see the small grove of Bristle Cone Pine trees that the park has. There was a nice hike to see those trees. We had just enough time to stop at the favorite place for viewing the sunset. Of course we are approaching the longest day of the year so sunset was close to 9:00. Socializing ensued and here we are 10:30. We are here one more day. More tomorrow.

Bryce Canyon

During the drive here we took a detour on a 30 mile dirt road to visit "Hells Backbone". It's kinda hard to explain so I won't do it but I have included some pictures. We are here for 3 nights and will begin our exploration tomorrow. We are at close to 9000 feet. There is no AC in any of the buildings but the typical high is in the 80s and the average low is in the 50s. More tomorrow.

Torrey day 4

Today's adventure was a long hike on the frying pan trail. The scenery was spectacular but the trail was brutal. We did it one way leaving one car at the take out and driving the other to the trailhead. We were on the trail for nearly 6 hours and saw no one else. Either everyone else knew something we didn't or we didn't know something we should of. Even though the hike was difficult, and we were happy when it ended, the experience will not be forgotten any time soon. It was an A+.