Angle's Landing

A well deserved break after Angels Landing



 

Oct 11 to 17 (Mon – Sun)

We relaxed on Monday, and I buzzed around on the scooter.  Ade laid back and relaxed.

On Tues Dave and Meg and Finley arrived.  We planned to hike the narrows tomorrow

When you are at Zion, it is almos a mystic experience.  The colorful beauty and immenseness of the surrounding cliffs  remind a person just how small we are.  First the area was an inland sea (700 million years ago); then the pressures inside the earth forced the whole area up about 10,000 ft; then the Zion river carved canyons 2,000 ft deep into the relatively soft sandstone layers.  The colored stratification (ranging from white to yellow to orange to red!) of the canyon walls never cease to capture and hold your attention as interest turns to amazement.

The hike up the Narrows starts with a free shuttle ride from your campsite or the town, to the end of the canyon (a distance of 8 or 9 miles).  Then you start a riverside walk for a mile and then you are forced to enter the rather cool waters of the Virgin River.  As you walk a mile or so up the river, the walls get much higher (up to 1,800 ft) and the channel gets narrower.  It is a somewhat tight feeling in places, but from time to time, the sun’s rays are able to shine between the walls, and the feeling is almost euphoric.

On Thursday,Meg and Dave did the hikes of Emerald Pools and Weeping rock.  At Weeping rock, the water bubbles out of a sandstone cliff.  There is so much water dripping out of the rock, that hundreds of hanging plants adorn the cliffs here.

Friday was our day for one of the more famous hikes in the park.  It is called Angels Landing. The full return hike is about 5 hours; it includes a scenic walk part way up the side of a cliff  where you finally inter a gap in the cliff.  After a bit of a tight walk between two cliffs, you enter 22 tight switch backs (Called Walters Wiggels) and eventually en d up on a plateau called Scouts landing.  Many people stop here, because what follows is is a narrow ridge that drops both side well over 1,000 ft, and at one point is only 3 ft wide!  The parks branch has installed quiet a number of chain handrails for those who might otherwise lose their balance, but the hike is definitely not for the slight of heart.

What amazed the 3 of us was that there were parents allowing children as yound as 3 years old to make this treacherous hike.  Meg and Dave were definitely shook up by the sight of so many people and children hiking this perilous trek.  They declined to go much more that 1/3 of the way along the “spine”, but I was determined to make it to the end.  However, once there, I could not believe the number of others who had made it.  Apparently it was one of the busiest days of the year because Angels Landing had been closed the previous 10 days due to maintenance.

At one point I was able to get a walk-by view of an enormous California Condor.  When it eventually flew, its wing span was about 7 ft!

The view from Angel’s Landing is truly breathless.  You get a 270 degree view of the valley below at about 1,800 ft.  It does seem a daunting hike, but once there, you do not want to leave.  This is my third time up to the location, but each time is just as satisfying as the first.

On Thursday,Meg and Dave did the hikes of Emerald Pools and Weeping rock.  At Weeping rock, the water bubbles out of a sandstone cliff.  There is so much water dripping out of the rock, that hundreds of hanging plants adorn the cliffs here.

Friday was our day for one of the more famous hikes in the park.  It is called Angels Landing. The full return hike is about 5 hours; it includes a scenic walk part way up the side of a cliff  where you finally inter a gap in the cliff.  After a bit of a tight walk between two cliffs, you enter 22 tight switch backs (Called Walters Wiggels) and eventually en d up on a plateau called Scouts landing.  Many people stop here, because what follows is is a narrow ridge that drops both side well over 1,000 ft, and at one point is only 3 ft wide!  The parks branch has installed quiet a number of chain handrails for those who might otherwise lose their balance, but the hike is definitely not for the slight of heart.

What amazed the 3 of us was that there were parents allowing children as yound as 3 years old to make this treacherous hike.  Meg and Dave were definitely shook up by the sight of so many people and children hiking this perilous trek.  They declined to go much more that 1/3 of the way along the "spine", but I was determined to make it to the end.  However, once there, I could not believe the number of others who had made it.  Apparently it was one of the busiest days of the year because Angels Landing had been closed the previous 10 days due to maintenance.

At one point I was able to get a walk-by view of an enormous California Condor.  When it eventually flew, its wing span was about 7 ft!