Happy New Year, everyone! It’s been a year since I started my blog and although there were many times when it fell off the face of the Internet, I am still here to keep it going! As proof of how much I’ve been slacking, these pictures are actually from my October SW trip. Enough about my inability to stay on track, let’s talk Zion!
The drive through Arizona and Utah was absolutely breathtaking. Being from California, I’m used to hundreds of miles of predictable farmlands on I-5. We arrived at the South Campground at around 8 pm on a Wednesday night and to our surprise, all of the campsites were taken. I guess October is a very popular month for tourists looking to avoid the summer crowds. We were lucky enough to book the last campsite at Quality Inn, which had a campground (and showers!) nearby and proceeded to the park the next morning stalking the campgrounds for an open site.
I was not very impressed by South Campground. Really, it felt like patches of dirt for you tent and random trees to provide shade but we didn’t go there to just stay inside of our tent. On Day 1, we hiked the Emerald Pools trail, which was mostly empty, but still felt like a good exercise. We still had some time after for more activities and decided to the river walk leading to the Narrows. We didn’t get very far, but it sure felt like forever wading through the river! The sun was slowly disappearing and the water was starting to get colder, so we made our way back to our tent.
The following morning came the moment we’ve been waiting for. To me, it was more like the moment I was absolutely dreading: Angels Landing. Still, I didn’t want to go through Zion without experiencing one of America’s “most thrilling hikes,” but I was also so nervous. It was probably not the best idea to read about the people who have died while hiking Angels Landing, but I told myself I needed to give it a try. I could always turn back right?! To my surprise, it was not as scary as I thought it would be. Maybe all that “preparation” helped after all. The worst part was definitely the hike down. I thought I wouldn’t make it! After our little adventure we drove to our final destination: Las Vegas! That night’s buffet was definitely worth it and well earned!
Hike to Emerald Pools:
River Walk to the Narrows:
Off to Angels Landing!
ana in california 