On the Straight and Narrows

Heading out of the Grand Canyon, Kaibab, and Arizona, in general, it's time to head a bit north to Utah and the fun that awaits at Zion National Park.

Getting there, though, means we had to travel on one of the more desolates roadways that eventually wrapped around the northern rim entrance to the Grand Canyon.  Literally, you can drive for 50-100 miles without seeing a building, another human being, a gas station, or anything resembling civilization.

On the way, we made a pitstop at Glen Canyon, which spans the Colorado River.

'Twas here were encountered a rather minor annoyance, but a nuisance nonethelesss.  Not sure how other folks feel about them, but there were a pair of gentleman flying a drone over the river.  I get that they're the latest fad, but the incessant buzzing and hovering in a place of such natural beauty seemed really intrusive for anyone else looking to take in the sights without the pesky buzzing.  With the millions of acres out there, couldn't they find their own secluded spot so as not to intrude on anyone else's experience?

Okay, that's my soapbox for this blog.

And did I mention it was a tad on the warm side, much like about 70% of this trip?

Later in the afternoon, we finally reached our destination, Zion National Park.  We chose to wait until the intense heat and sun subsided for a bit, and set off for a late afternoon trek through the Narrows

What are the Narrows you ask?

Straight from the National Park's own literature, the Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion.  This gorge boasts walls a thousand feet tall, and a river sometimes 20 to 30 feet wide.

To reach the Narrows, you have to take a shuttle bus to the furthest point in the canyon, the Temple of Sinawava, which in Native American language, means coyote.

From there, you have to hike one mile in on a paved trail to reach the entrance to the Narrows.

Where, once again, it's hugging time.

With that, it's time to begin our trek against the steady current of the Virgin River.

Obviously, footwear is a necessity, as the riverbed is covered with rocks of all sizes, footing, and depths.

It's especially inspiring when you hear that the Narrows are susceptible to flash flooding because so much of the surrounding area is bare rock that doesn't absorb water.  During storms, runoff is funneled rapidly into the narrows, and during a flash flood, the water lever rises almost instantly - within seconds or minutes.

It's always encouraging to hear that hikers have been stranded, injured and even killed by venturing into the flood prone canyons.  Thankfully, we were there at a time of year when the floods were unlikely, because you know, those 100+ degree temperatures day and the extended lack of rainfall.

She looked a bit tentative to start (maybe due to all those flash flood warnings?), but once she got her water wheels under her, there was no stopping Heather.

Andrew, unsurprisingly, wanted to venture into the caves and crevices that dot the canyon's walls.

Striking a pose

Throughout the river, you'll see small waterfalls cascading down off the cliffside.  So natch, Andrew needed to douse his locks.

Jack was a trooper, climbing and cavorting over the bigger rocks with ease, with the occasional help from the fallen log.

Breathtaking.  And the Canyon wasn't too shabby, either.

Mother and daughter, knee deep in it

If he could have, Andrew would have attempted to scale this wall.  Instead, he settled for just posing in front of it.

Victory!  Or just flat-out glee.

An Under Armour ad in the making 

A few more of those requisite poses with the spectacular backdrops

Hey look!  Another cave!  Andrew ventured in, hands clapping to ensure there were no bats in there to spoil his pose.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Zion Canyon's Mister August

Many of the folks we encountered on our hike had L.L. Bean official hiking sticks.

Dozens had ski poles.

I opted for Gandalf's staff.

Andrew even found a way to get a run in, along one of the sandy beaches that interrupt the river.

Don't even think about it, Andrew

Gaining a perspective on just how tall these walls are, Andrew catches a glance from the base

Finally, after about two miles heading upriver, it was time to head back down

Buses out of the Narrows stop running around 9 p.m., so we opted not to get stranded out there overnight, and headed downriver during dusk.

Not that it's a spot readily available to all, but trust me, when passing through the southern corner of Utah, or for that matter, anywhere in the tri-state region, Zion is one of those must-see stops that has to be experienced first-hand to believe.