This was another ideal day at Zion National Park...sunny and warm with beautiful ble skies...not many people here this time of the year. We arrived at the park and spent some time in the museum and visitors center before heading out to hike. We hiked up to the three Emerald Springs - the first section is paved and quite nice. The next two sections were pretty much uphill and rocky. Nice hike...the settings were very pretty but the pools themselves were nothing special.
From the third pool we took the turnoff to take the Grotto Trail and it was magnificent....the most scenic hike so far. Really nice views and a gentle hike. We caught the shuttle bus and took it to the end of the line...the end of Zion Canyon. So convenient with friendly drivers. We ate lunch and then walked up a nice path called the Riverside Trail along the Virgin River.
At the end of the trail you can get into the river and hike up the canyon in and by the river. Spur of the moment, we decided to try it. It is part of "canyoning" nowadays. We zipped off our pants to make them shorts, picked up a walking stick left by someone going before us, and took off into the river with our shoes on...no special equipment needed....tho many had rented "special equipment" (water shoes and poles - some even had special waiters on.)
Andy felt pretty confident right from the start. I was carrying the camera and got pretty nervous when on the river. It was deep in spots tho my shorts never got wet. The current was pretty strong in the rapids, some of the rocks were slippery, and there were sudden deep holes in places. Made for unsure footing.
The scenery in the canyon was beautiful and varied along the way. We think we walked about 1 1/2 miles up the river. About half a mile further the canyon gets very narrow - and is called the Narrows. You must have a permit from the park rangers to hike there. It can get quite dangerous. You are in the water most of the time...and it can get quite deep. Just last week we read about a man who died there last weekend in a flash flood.
You can get a little perspective on how high the canyon walls are in this picture....see the man in the river?
After we got going, we were hooked. We wanted to see what was around the next bend, so we would cross the river to the shore on the other side and keep going. When the land ran out, we would cross again...and again.
You can see how varied the canyon walls are in this picture...black, grey, gold, orange, and striped with tan and black. God is so surprising and creative!
Looking up from the bottom into the V of the canyon.
Isn't this wall unusual? I've never seen one like it before.
There were many bends and turns in the river, so the angle of the sun changed often and altered the shading and color in the canyon.
Pretty amazing, don't you think?
I never felt like I was in trouble or in danger personally....only worried about my camera. So on the way back, I put the camera in Andy's backpack and suddenly I felt more confident and enjoyed it more!
But, you can see WHY I wanted to take pictures!
Walking on the shore could be as difficult as walking in the deep and running water!
The water was pretty cold but our legs dried off pretty quickly between crossings.
In the end we were very glad we took the plunge and tried a new adventure!
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