last day in Zion

“What can I start you with?” “I’ll have the meat lovers and hot tea.”

5/6/2014 8:16 am MeMe’s Café, Springdale

Thus begins another long blog entry, written whenever and posted whenever. The café does not have wifi, but ehhh I don’t really care. Now I know I can just hover outside the bar at the end of the day and get their internet. Today I am going to take on Angel’s Landing. One of the more strenuous hikes. I’m starting with a big breakfast, and I’m going to load up my watercolors and markers. No ink. Not for now.

Angel’s Landing and work on my Junior Ranger Badge.

6:59 pm Zion Canyon Brewpub

I wanted to use a power cord. And do the Internet thing because I’ll be driving again come tomorrow. Don’t want to leave Zion, but I could really spend a whole week here. But I must be on my way.

So in town showers at $5 for 5 minutes! That is such bull!

After a sizeable crepe breakfast, I drove up the scenic route again. Just wanted to let my tummy settle before I set out on a hike. There were several classic cars on the drive. Including cars with fins! My favorite. I didn’t get any photos of them, on account of driving my car when I saw the cars and that being a dangerous thing to do.

So I returned to my campsite, loaded up art supplies which I ended up not using, worked on my Junior Ranger packet. Once I completed as much of it as I could at my site, I walked to the visitor’s center and continued working on it. Then I headed up to The Grotto shuttle stop and began the trek to Angel’s Landing. It would be a 5 mile round trip, though really it’s 2.5 up then the same 2.5 down. And when I say up, oh it was UP. It was a gradual paved meander, which got more and more vertical, then it started switchbacking. I would look up and see people high up on the cliff walls and think “that’ll be me in 20 minutes”. And I’d keep going. There was a part where it was flat as the trail cut between two cliffs. And then the more intense switchbacks started to happen. One after another. Up, up, up. I was stopping regularly and catching my breath and drinking water. There was a dad with his two kids (aged 3-5ish) in a stroller! He was taking them DOWN from the TOP! He had his dad helping (with a rope tied around his waist). I told them they were hardcore.

The top isn’t actually the end. There is another .5 miles to Angel’s Landing. But that half mile is up a cliff with chains to hold on to. Nuh uh. I’m not Nathan. I wasn’t doing that. So I caught my breath. Took some photos. Rested. And then headed back down. Downhill is so nice. I took plenty of pictures and encouraged people to keep going. It was worth it. It was a hard trek up, but damn it was worth it.

I worked on my junior ranger book some more and took the shuttle the long way back (the rest of the loop, instead of the fast track). I returned to my tent. I put my feet up and rested a bit. Then I headed into Springdale to grab some eats and use their wifi. And now after about 2 hours, I think I’m ready to head back to my site and tuck in for the night.