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| Hiking | 4.00 Miles |
500 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.00 Miles | | | |
| 500 ft AEG | | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Day 5 - Hiking Day in Zion National Park
As much as I wanted to do Angel's Landing or the Narrows, it was a Saturday and that means you start at the Crack of Dawn and still run into hordes of people...Plus I wanted to be back in Camp late afternoon, since the Rendezvous Organizers were putting on a Dutch Oven Dinner that Evening...Hadn't been sleeping well on this Trip, due to not being able to shut the mind off at night, even though I was tired...Plus getting out of that warm Sleeping Bag into that chilly air before you even see a hint of Sun was very difficult.  It's much easier to get up that early when you've committed to doing something with other people...  When you're on your own...well... I also knew that no matter where I went in the Park, I would be in serious Camera mode, so it basically came down to doing something shorter... 
I did make a longer Loop out of this just to get a little more playtime and exercise in...Basically, I did every Trail between the Zion Lodge and the Grotto...Got off the Shuttle at the Zion Lodge, took the Grotto Trail to the Grotto, crossed the Bridge over the Virgin River, then took the Kayenta Trail back to the Emerald Pools...Hit the Middle Pool first, then found a use Trail going up the Hill towards the Upper Pool...Turns out, it doesn't do much, other than parallel the Official Trail up, so eventually I cut over and got on it and continued up to the Upper Pool. I did meet a new Friend on the "use" Trail though... 
Lots of People.... Found an out-of-way Rock and had a little Lunch, then went back down...Took a little side Trail and ended up on top of another one of the small Waterfalls going over the Edge into the Lower Pool area...It was starting to get very Windy and I got a Shower from the Water blowback...There is another Trail that continues on from there, but it was barricaded off, so I backtracked and got back on the Main Trail...They also had one of the Trails to the Lower Pool barricaded off as well, so I had to backtrack on the Kayenta to another Intersection and then down to the area above the Lower Pool. Looks like they're doing permanent Reroutes of these Trails.
Lots of Photo Ops...And then, the Wind brought in more Clouds making the Shadows dance across the immense Formations that blew you away at every turn....  I took a lot of Photos... After attempting to stalk a Rafter of Wild Turkeys in the brush below the Lower Pool, I continued on the Emerald Pools Trail down to the Bridge by the Zion Lodge...From there, I took a Riverside Trail that I had seen from the Kayenta Trail back to the Grotto...Nice Sandy Trail that follows the Banks of the Virgin River the whole way...More Photo Ops...
I took the Shuttle that headed deeper in, so I could familiarize myself with the rest of the Route...Saw some Rock Climbers at Big Bend climbing a sheer Rock Face...I think I'll stick with going down a Rope.... Caught a Glimpse of a Mule Deer along the Banks of the Virgin River and saw some more beautiful areas...Soooo much to see here...I know that I will be back...
Back at the Escape after a nice little Hike with Awesome Scenery! The Pools are great. The Middle Pool area is just Ok, but the Upper and Lower Pools were pretty cool! I could do this Hike again, maybe if I can catch it on a slower day with fewer people...
I'll let the Photos show you the Day...I certainly took enough of them...130 to be exact... Sooo, I guess throwing 36 at you guys isn't so bad...  |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Behunin Canyon |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Trickle to Light Flow at Trail Intersection. |
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Heaps Canyon |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Trickle to Light Flow from Upper Emerald Pool to Virgin River. | | _____________________
| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
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