Zion - Part 2
Hi - Monday was a special day (10/5) - it was Carsten's birthday AND we hiked The Narrows. We have been looking forward to this for a while. I (Sheri) was nervous that we would somehow not be able to manage the logistics of doing this hike. Happily, it all worked out fine!
If you get a chance to come to Zion NP and feel up for a wet hike, I highly recommend this hike. We used Zion Guru to arrange our shuttle and rent neoprene socks, boots and hiking sticks. There were people on the hike without hiking sticks but I would have been face-down in the water several times if not for them... so, I would recommend them and the boots to keep your feet a little warmer and safer from toe-stubs.
Basically, the hike starts at the Temple of Sinawava, the last stop on the Zion shuttle (and the end of the road in the Park).The first mile is a nice paved sidewalk along the Virgin River. Once you reach the end of the trail you step into the river. From there you can walk about 8 miles one-way. We walked about 2.5 miles, had lunch and turned around to go back. The river of course is in a narrow canyon and the riverbed is uneven terrain and boulders. It was a super experience to hike in the water into such a canyon. This is the most popular hike in Zion and I can certainly see why!
We started at 9:00 in the morning and did not get back to the shuttle until 3:00. It was a long day - we were worn out by the end (16,000 steps). There are places where the water gets a little deep but it was never over our our hips. It was cold but nothing that was uncomfortable.
We rode the shuttle back to Zion Guru and found a place to have some ice cream!
Here are some pics!
A perfect place for lunch -
Today (10/6) we rented bicycles, specifically e-bikes, again from Zion Guru. E-bikes make bike riding much more fun! These bikes had a top speed of 20 mph! Cars are not allowed up the Scenic Road in Zion NP but there are Zion NP shuttles and private shuttles on the road. The rule for the Zion shuttle is that they will not pass a biker until the bike is stopped and the rider has one foot on the ground. So, you have to listen/watch for the shuttles behind you and stop accordingly. The commercial shuttles pass you but since they are much smaller vehicles it is fine.
We rode the bikes on Pa'Rus Trail up to Canyon Junction and from there up the Scenic Road to Temple of Sinawava (which is where the Narrows hike begins). We stopped along the way and took pictures and just enjoyed the park. It seemed much less crowded today ....
Some scenes from Zion:
The Three Patriarchs -
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