Moab: Arches

    Today Sarah and I drove through poring rain the whole 4 hours to Moab all while worrying if we were going to get to ride some of the epic bike trails there.  When we arrived in Moab it was still pouring so the only thing to do was get some local beers and burgers.  When we stepped back outside the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.  Since most of our day consisted of the Drive to Moab we decided to check out what Arches National park had to offer.  We were able to see some really cool sites like Balanced Rock, Park Avenue, and the infamous Delicate Arch.  I really wanted a cool photo of Delicate Arch without any tourists in the frame so Sarah gave a few people the stink eye to help me achieve my goal.  It’s hard to describe how amazing the landscape is here. After seeing most of the arches in the park we were off to our campground, Devil’s Garden.  Devil’s Garden is located at the very end of the park.  There is only one way in and out of the park so it takes a while to get there but the views along the way are not to bad at all.  Our campsite was in the perfect spot and after we set up we watched the sunset over the amazing rock formations then hit the sack so we could get up early to ride SLICK ROCK BIKE TRAIL!

Park Avenue

Scotty jumping in Delicate Arch

Sarah jumping in Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

A little climbing and sight seeing

Squeezing Delicate Arch

Hiking on some slickrock

Hiking on some slickrock

Delicate Arch from Behind

Sarah being a tourist

Delicate Arch

Balance Rock

Pushing over Balance Rock

Sunset at Devils Garden Campground

Sunset at Devils Garden Campground

Escalante

    After a morning hiking in Bryce, we were headed to Escalante National Park. We had reserved our campsite at Escalante State Park Reservoir. Scotty wanted to go swimming but I did not allow it since they informed us they had some gross parasites in the water that gave you “swimmer’s itch”. No thanks! We then decided to hike to the Escalante “Natural Bridge”. We realized that average hikes are now going to seem boring after doing Angel’s Landing and The Narrows. We didn’t realize that the trial led you back and forth over a river where we had to keep taking our shoes off to wade across. That got old quick, so Scotty took one for the team and just gave me a piggy back ride across. Eventually we got to the bridge, which was pretty cool.

            That night I was stoked because we could actually have a campfire.  We bought way more firewood than we needed and had dinner, a bonfire, and s’mores. As we were going to bed we both realized that the fly was on backwards, so we actually could see directly up to the sky, which was kind of neat at the time…. until 2 am when we woke up to rain smacking us in the face. After we turned our sleeping bags around, we fell back asleep and had a soggy cleanup the next morning. It wasn’t the best case scenario, but all the people who we ran into that day were happy to have their first day of rain in 3 months. 

Bryce Canyon

    We were sad to leave Zion and see the last of it’s epic beauty, but we were on to our next destination: Bryce Canyon. On the way to Bryce we had no choice but to stop at the sign that read Shaved Iced. Little did we know that it was a family run farm operation to attract tourists to partake in every activity you could think of, including fishing and riding their homemade zip line. Sarah was quick to say no thank you and run back into the car. On our drive we noticed all of the effects of the Utah wildfires. We were both really excited to get to the Bryce Canyon Resort, but upon arrival we realized that in Southern Utah language “resort” loosely translates to “shithole”.  Even though it wasn’t what we had imagined, the air conditioning, bed, and warm shower was exactly what we needed. We went to dinner at the Bryce Canyon Lodge inside the park and had a delicious meal that was served to us and we didn’t even have to clean up the dishes afterwards.

            That night we grabbed or headlamps and went for a night hike to check out the sunset over Inspiration Point. The views were amazing. Since there was a wildfire in the distance, the smoke created an even more colorful sunset. Quickly after the sunset a full moon appeared over the canyon. It was fun being the last people up on the dark trail but also got a little scary for Sarah as I was taking pictures “too close to the edge”.

            The following morning we went for a hike through the lower portion of the canyon. The views from the bottom up were even better. It’s like being trapped in a giant sandcastle. You shouldn’t leave Bryce without seeing both perspectives. Overall Bryce was beautiful, but still hasn’t topped Zion. 

Zion: The Narrows

After renting our canyoneering gear the night before, we were all set for a day of hiking the Narrows. Zion Adventure Company has a great deal where you can rent a hiking stick, hardcore water shoes, and little sock booties for $21. When you put the shoes on, you feel as if you are an astronaut, but they are well worth it after a few hours of hiking in the water. Also, they are good about giving you some pointers and letting you know if it’s a good day to do the hike (and no flashflood warnings are present). We also made sure to use dry bags so that we could get our backpacks wet for the inevitable swims that we would encounter.

The Narrows isn’t like any hike we have done before… It is actually walking, wading and swimming through the Virgin River down an amazing 1,000 feet deep canyon that is only about 24 feet wide at some points. I have done this hike once before in October, but I was looking forward to seeing the differences in temperature, water level, and amount of people. It was even more beautiful than I had remembered. Zion was about 100 degrees that day, but in The Narrows it was much cooler which was nice to have a break from the sun. Along the way we were surrounded by hanging gardens, various colored sandstone rock walls, waterfalls, creepy narrow caves, and gorgeous green and blue water. Scotty’s favorite parts of the hike included: Lunchtime when he finally got to eat his PB & J sandwich and Gushers, exploring Orderville Canyon (a side slot canyon, where we had to climb a old log to get up and over a waterfall), and floating down the river on the way back. 

Zion: Angels Landing

    After an exhausting 2 days in Vegas we were relieved to set up in our quiet campground.  Here is a few things we have learned about Utah so far.  1. Campfires are not typically allowed this time of year, but that was ok with us as it stayed 100 degrees out till around 2am.  2. At 2am the temperature drops 40 degrees and the winds get ferocious.  3.  Apparently Utah is on mountain time and it doesn't get dark till 9pm.  4.  You will see some of the most beautiful views of your life here.

Today was our first full day in Zion so we decided to wake up early and tackle Angels Landing.  Sarah tried to do this hike before but wasn't able to finish the last half mile of the hike due to her inherited fear of heights.  The route to Angels Landing involves hiking up a series of steep switch backs which leads to narrow ridge where support chains are anchored intermittently for you to hang on to for dear life.  Round two was a success for Sarah as she stared at my boots and refused to look down or stop the whole way up.  The views at the top were well worth the 1500 ft of elevation gain it takes to get to the finish.


We finished the day with a swim in a nearby creek and  battle with the local squirrels. 

View of Angels Landing from the bottom

Switch Backs

Scotty climbing the chains to the summit

Sarah using her death grip on the chain

We made it to the top!!

Checking out the views