October 25, 2013: Ride the shuttle – plot a course.
Unless you have
reservations at Zion Lodge, you cannot drive vehicles into Zion Canyon beyond Canyon
Junction. The shuttle system is excellent,
stopping at many major trailheads, viewpoints, and Zion Lodge. Once you have entry into the park ($25 for 7
days – or free if you have your Senior Pass) you can ride the bus as much as
you wish at no additional cost. Today we
catch the shuttle bus at the Visitor Center, ride it up through Zion Canyon to
the final stop at the Temple of Sinawava.
As we ride along, we listen to the recorded narrative of the park and plot
a course of action for our days in Zion National Park.
ONE MILLION TONS.
A few interesting facts
from the narrative caught my attention – this one in particular.
Approximately 1 million tons
of sediment is washed down Zion Canyon each year – 80% of that sediment is lost
during 15 – 20 days out of the year.
Imagine, ONE MILLION TONS! And
most of in only a few days. Absolutely
mind boggling!
Nature’s skyscrapers.
Since we’re at the Temple
of Sinawava, we take the opportunity to hike the 2 mile round trip Riverside
Walk deeper into the canyon. People pass
us right and left, never seeming to look up, but eyes straight ahead with the
determination of simply getting to their destination.
Not us! We cannot help but gaze skyward at the
towering cliffs that surround us like skyscrapers. We just stand and look upward in total
amazement.
I am truly baffled. It’s a beautiful trail, but for goodness sake
– look up people! They can’t hear my
thoughts and continue down the trail, eyes focused straight ahead. What’s the old saying, “You can lead a horse
to water, but …” We continue on.
A son and his Mum.
We visit briefly with this
gentleman and his mother, who is well into her 80’s. He pushes her wheelchair the entire 2 mile
trip in order for her to see the canyon again.
She says she’s been here
many times and enjoys each trip immensely.
As they approach each area with some special significance to them, the
son tells his mother a story of an ice climbing adventure he’s done in this
spot or says, “Mum, remember when we were here 10 years ago? Look how this feature has changed.”
The end of our hike is just the beginning for others.
We notice people “swishing”
by with black pants on, and others hauling an armload of garb with them. We don’t give it a second thought as we are
caught up in the magnificent views through the canyon.
We arrive at what we think
is the end of the trail only to find that it’s just the beginning for many
others. It’s the Narrows! All those folks in their swishy pants or
carrying heavy black garments with them are preparing to enter the Narrows
section of Zion Canyon. We had read
briefly about this hike at the Visitor Center before marking it off our list of
things we must do. Approximately 60% of
the hike is through water – either walking, wading, or swimming. The water is a cool (cold!) 47 degrees so dry
suits are required for the adventure.
There is no way to capture how beautiful and dramatic this canyon is.
Words and photos cannot
begin to describe what only the eye can see; therefore, I won’t even make an
attempt at words. The photos are
insignificant in comparison to standing in the canyon and experiencing Zion
first hand.
More stops along the shuttle route.
We make a couple more stops
as we descend out of the canyon. Zion
Lodge is a great place to relax, have an ice cream cone, and soak up some
sunshine. This majestic Cottonwood tree
stands in the lawn in front of the lodge.
Look how large it is
compared to the people standing next to it.
Back on the shuttle we ride
down to the Human History Museum. We
watch the film about Zion, wander through the art gallery and human history displays,
and head out the door. Rather than take
the shuttle, we opt for the ¾ mile hike in the sunshine back to our campground.
We finish our day with an evening at the Zion Roctoberfest.
Just beyond the Visitor
Center and over the park entry foot bridge, the Zion Roctoberfest celebration
is in full swing. We meander through the
shops and enjoy the activities – apparently a costume contest is underway.
As a chill sets in, we walk
back to South Campground in the dark – ready for a good night’s sleep in
preparation for our next day in Zion.
No comments:
Post a Comment