OK, this has been a long time coming......
I first have to say that my last couple of weeks in Sacramento were awesome, so thank you for everyone adding to that experience.
Sept 1st, I began my journey. Kevin so graciously made me dinner on Tuesday night and sent me on my way Wednesday morning. I still had a couple of things to pack and clean before I left, but made it out of the house and on the road by 9:30. I was heading to Lake Mead, right outside of Vegas as my first stop. Now going down the 99, is not very interesting. Overall it was a pretty uneventful drive. I somehow made it to Lake Mead and it was freaking 90 at 9:00 at night. There was no one at the camp ground and it was a little eerie and it was so hot I barely slept.
Sept 2nd.
Today I was headed to Zion National Park, it's about a four hour + drive from Lake Mead. Also it's not a very exciting one, however once you get out of Vegas, the speed limit is 75, so that made up for it. There wasn't a ton to see along the way, and again it was hot. Once you get out of St. George, you begin to see all the canyons and when you make the turn onto the road for Zion, it's pretty amazing as is entering the park itself. I got there around one and again was camping, this time it was for two nights. Amy had given me some good hikes that I should check out around the park, because there are a ton and time was limited. She told me about the slot canyons or the Narrows as they call them, where you hike in the the Virgin river through the canyon. I rented some shoes and a walking stick and grabbed the shuttle. It's pretty cool because they have a free shuttle that hits all the major spots in the park. So off I went into the Narrows. The hike begins with a paved path for about a mile along the river. Once you come to the end, is where the real hiking begins. As you get deeper into the Narrows, there are far fewer people. It was nice because the water felt good and it was surrounded by the canyons where the sun couldn't reach. I hiked about a total of two miles or so in and then headed back. Overall it was a good day.
Sept 3: I had another day in Zion, so I wanted to take advantage of another great hike to Angel's Landing. It was suppose to be another hot day, over 100, so I wanted to get an early start. This isn't a long hike, only 5 miles round trip, 2.5 up and 2.5 back. However, the first 2.5 are pretty much all uphill and a ton of switchbacks. Also there is a point at when you get close to the top, where you can continue to the landing or stay put. Basically you are hiking on a very narrow area, with cliffs on either side of you and only a chain to hold onto. When I got to that spot I met a couple of girls from L.A. and we trekked up to the landing. It was pretty amazing because it gives you a 360 view of Zion. We stayed up there for a bit and then headed back down the mountain. I went back to camp and then did another hike to the Emerald Pools. There are three pools in the canyons to hike to. They really aren't green or anything, but pretty cool because they are just small pools in the middle of these canyons. I ended my day, by treating myself to a delicious dinner of pasta and a local beer.
