Zion’s and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

Upon leaving Vegas, half rested and broke, we drove up route 15 for 3 hours to Zion National Park. We flashed the National Parks pass at the entrance for the last time on this trip. We went to the campsite and found a place just before it filled up for the night. After asking at the visitor’s center for a place to swim, we took the shuttle up the canyon to the end, hiked up the path and then climbed into the river. We walked up river for a while taking pictures of the sun setting beyond the cliffs of the canyon and watching rock climbers rappel down at then end of their day of climbing. As it started to get dark, we realized we lost an hour somewhere along the drive, entering the Mountain Time Zone without even knowing it. They should have signs for that or something.

We drove out of the park and into the nearby town to get some fixings for dinner. While attempting to purchase mac & cheese, bagels and 4 Pabst tall boys, I got harassed by the 16 year old, emo, cashier at the market. He claimed my ID, containing my picture of when I was 16, looked fake and not like me. After arguing, the girl on the other register looked at my ID and sold us the beer. Is PBR really worth that hassle? Doubtful.

We cooked a monster of a meal, sat by the fire and looked up at the stars all night. It was quite the romantic evening. We crawled into the tent with the intention of waking up early for a hike before the day got to hot, but plans quickly changed. At about 1 am the wind began to pick up to near hurricane force gusts. The ground at the campsite was too hard and dry to put tent stakes in and the addition of suitcases to the interior was a feeble attempt at holding down the fort. The wind would gust every few minutes, catching the side of the tent like a sail and lifting up the edge. Even 2 suitcases on that side couldn’t prevent the tent from flapping and moving and causing restless nights for both of the journeymen. At 7 when the alarm went off and we had barely slept a wink, we decided to postpone the hike for a few extra hours of sleep, as the wind was just dying down.

When we did awake the southern Utah heat was in full force as it was nearly 100 degrees already. Not discouraged, we had breakfast, made sandwiches and headed out for Angel’s Landing. The hike is a very challenging 5 mile round trip, gaining serious elevation and ending with half a mile of rock faces with chains to help the climb. We got to the top, and took in the incredible view of the entire canyon. Red sandstone at the bottom of the cliffs and white at the tops. At parts of the hike the path was 4 feet wide with over 1000ft drops on both sides! It was an incredible hike with great views, rivaling that of Half Dome. After descending and hopping in the river to cool off, we ate lunch and passed out on the lawn of the Zion lodge. We awoke an hour later to a high school group dancing around us in preparation for a show.

That night we got dinner in town and found a internet café that would let us sit outside, charge my computer and use our own internet. Count it! Around 1 am again the wind picked up, leaving us with little sleep and lots of frustration. I guess it was a bonus that our tent didn’t blow away this time. That morning we hit the road for a long driving to Dtown. Destination: Casa de Pearson.