A Pleasant and Casual Start, August 31st
Started off this afternoon at the Kolob entrance of Zion National Park. I had originally planned to begin the hike in St. George, UT, but due to summer fires, the trails accessing the Pine Valley Wilderness where closed. I had hopes they might re-open before my start date, but they did not. I think St. George is more logical start/end point than the official Hayduke route as the town is easily accessed from SLC or Las Vegas via daily airport shuttles for a potential thru-hiker.
Anyway, my friend Jerry and I cruised up to Lee's Pass Trailhead and headed down the well worn trail below streaked sandstone walls of Timber Mtn. to La Verkin Creek and Backcountry campsite 10 --- a nice flat spot shaded by some oak trees with a strong running spring close to camp. La Verkin Creek is running strong, but it is laden with clay-silt, so finding the spring was a welcome and refreshing surprise.
After throwing down my pack I headed down trail a few minutes to the junction with the trail to Kolob Arch. I guess Kolob Arch is the largest arch in the world. A quick .5 mile up and along the shaded waters of Kolob Creek brought me to a small clearing, where I was able to see the large sandstone span of the arch. Although certainly big, it was not nearly as dramatic as I had imagined.
I hung out for a few minutes appreciating the stillness of the afternoon, the smells of the desert, and the anticipation of the coming months, before retracing my route and heading back to camp for a casual evening in the backcountry.
I am a bit ashamed to admit that this will be my first night "in the woods" since returning from the Arizona Trail last November. I am not sure how I managed to allow that to happen, but it pains me to think that it did...especially now being aware of how relaxing it is to be where I am. I'd vow "never again" but I know that bold proclamation will be swept aside when I return to life and its general messiness.
Tomorrow I continue towards the main canyon of Zion NP via Hop Valley and the West Rim Trail. Jerry will be heading back to his van at Lee's Pass TH.
I have to say that I am pleased with my general attitude and outlook for this hike. Despite the nature of this route, and seeing how it is undoubtedly the most intimidating trip I've planned, I feel quite calm and clear headed about the coming months.
Brian
Along the West Rim, September 1st
I packed up and headed out of camp at ~7 AM, after wishing Jerry a safe hike back to the van, and him wishing me the same for the remainder of my trip. A quick descent to La Verkin Creek led to short climb out of the drainage and up to Hop Valley where I was greeted with a broad, grassy basin, and the morning "moos" of some of the locals. Unfortunately Hop Valley became significantly cow-burnt the further I progressed, and the locals began greeting me with synchronized `plops'... apparently signaling their general disdain with my presence. If I was not such a strong supporter of `Leave No Trace' I may have said my own hello.
Eventually I left the shady drainage and followed an abandoned 4WD RD, switchbacking up through the Oak and Ponderosa to the head of the valley. Expansive views to the S and W, and large fields of blooming flowers greeted me as I walked towards the Hop Valley TH in the full sun.
At the TH I hung a left and began following the Wildcat Trail which would eventually head Wildcat Creek and bring me to the junction with the West Rim Trail. Cresting a small rise, towers of red, orange, and cream sandstone lined the horizon. Aaaahhhh, Zion.
Continuing through fields of chest high grass and scrubby oak, I continued along enjoying the infrequent breeze and the opening landscape to the south of me.
Once through the meadows I headed into the shady covering of Ponderosa and the occasion crossing of slickrock. Climbing upward for a spell, I spooked a small pack of coyotes who gave me their customary glance of indifference and silently disappeared. Good to see some coyotes in UT...an infrequent event for me.
The rest of the day was pretty much just steady mileage through rolling once-burnt terrain...not too high on the aesthetic scale, but pleasant enough with the occasional big view and easy walking.
I arrived at my camp for the evening in mid-afternoon, earlier than I anticipated despite having ~22 miles to do, and stopping for an hour mid-day for a short siesta. All the important body parts for this trip felt great throughout the day despite no pre-trip training. Hopefully that is a trend that continues.
Camp tonight is at Potato Hollow, a nice enough camp with a nice breeze, strange sounds, and good water.
Brian
Zion National Park, September 2nd
I left Potato Hollow Camp at ~7 am and headed along the West Rim, climbing from the cool confines of the valley into the full sun of the rim. Undulating terrain through once-burnt forests was the norm for the morning, but expansive views south kept me entertained.
The landscape throughout Zion is certainly incredible, and I enjoyed experiencing it from the `top down' as opposed to the being in the bottom of the main canyon and looking up. I eventually worked my way down from the rim via a series of blasted switchbacks, dropping steadily into a small valley before climbing and then descending again to the junction with Angels Landing.
I had climbed out to Angels Landing before, so I skipped the temptation of a worthy side trip and continued down through `Walter's Wiggles' a series of 21 constructed switchbacks. This is always a fun spot to watch testosterone driven males sweat themselves into heat-stroke induced submission trying not to get passed by other such alpha-males on the way up. Meanwhile their wives/girlfriends/lovers pace themselves wisely and actual can talk during their ascent. Anyway I was on my way down so my own testosterone was in check, and my manhood was not threatened. I counted roughly 50 people on their way up to Angels Landing during my descent...fewer than I anticipated given the Holiday Weekend. Maybe, like lots of National Park goers, they were waiting until the hottest part of the day to start the hike.
After completing the descent from Angels Landing, I headed across the street to the transit stop and waited for the shuttle bus to arrive. I think shuttle busses are probably the best thing to happen (lately) to some of the Nat'l Parks --- particularly in Zion where the canyon tends to trap noise and amplify it, essentially feeling, smelling, and strangely looking like a downtown of a large city...although in this town the skyscrapers are sandstone and not steel and glass. Anyway, it is a helluva an improvement from days thankfully past.
Once to the Visitor Center I checked the weather for tomorrow and then headed to the PO for my re supply, a meal, and a shower at the Springdale RV Park.
Overhearing conversations at the restaurant, most locals were either griping about high gas prices keeping the typical stream of visitors at bay, or making fun of the Italian couple who were both on their cell phones talking in exuberant (as if there is any other way to speak Italian!) Italian. Strangely enough once their conversations were done, they left the restaurant without ordering anything. I guess they were either offended, did not like the looks of the menu, or just needed a temporary air-conditioned locale for an international call.
Personally I was happy to see that gas prices had risen --- although not supportive of the reasons why. We Americans are great innovators, but only when it seems to affect our pocketbooks. It would not surprise me if next week a car was available that got 70 mpg on just a single fart from a corporate energy executive. Once the people get a little grumpy, the corporations feel the pressure from their politic muppets. If We the People get lucky, some proper action takes place. If not, then we get fed a righteous proclamation of a companies `vision' and `precedent setting agenda' --- all the while those in control hope the publics sudden passion will be short-lived...which it generally is. Once the corporate and political marketers go to work, we get dumbed back down and back on track and happily waving the flag. Anyway, enough ranting. I'll move onto a different and hopefully shorter-lived rant...
After returning to the Park, I was a little disgruntled at having to pay to re-enter the Park. Originally the ranger at the Kolob Entrance said I'd be OK and the fees she collected at that time would cover me for 5 days. According to the ranger at Main Park Entrance I was undercharged $10. So after all was said and done, I paid out a total of $41 to be in the backcountry for 2 nights, and have a campsite for an evening in the park itself. As Abbey might say, welcome to Zion National Moneymint. Although I understand that the Park Service is severely underfunded, $41 seems steep for the services provided to this hiker...neglected maintenance on backcountry springs, overgrown and damaged trails, and a campsite I have yet to manage to get a single tarp stake driven into. I guess those issues are considered low priority since the majority of park visitors come in a car, may camp in a car, and see the park by car (shuttle now). Luckily my `issues' were soon forgotten once I took notice of the steady stream of pretty foreign tourists with sexy accents. Zion indeed.
Brian
Zion Rest Day, September 3rd
I took a rest day in Zion today...not due to fatigue, injury, or mental imbalance, just a forced day of relaxation. Normally on trips I just take a rest day when I think it is appropriate. This go-round I am attempting to schedule my days...bodily preventative maintenance.
Anyway, Zion is a great place to be, but not if you are forcing yourself to rest. I spent a good portion of my day in the Springdale library for computer access and skimming some chapters from some desert-oriented authors that I like. Pretty uneventful.
Eventually I stumbled back to camp to take a nap. No sooner than I had just dosed off, my camping neighbors returned from their morning 'o fun and promptly began reliving the experience --- girly screams and giggles included. Once that concluded, Dad thought it would be fun to catch up on all those sports scores he missed out during the morning and proceeded to open all the doors on his truck and tune into Fox Sports College Football. I was excited hear the announcers note that this weekend they'd be doubling their normal broadcast time from 7 to 14 hrs of coverage. I would have pushed my earplugs in deeper, but they were already inserted beyond the recommended depth, and I was concerned about puncturing my eardrums.
Shortly after my attempted nap, my friend Tom from SLC showed up and we sped off for an afternoon of canyoneering in Zion. Although I was unable to get the permit we wanted, we were able to mess around in a short canyon with plenty of manky water, an awkward rappel, and a dead floating rat --- all characteristics of a typical canyoneering experience worth a damn. It was a great way to spend the hot afternoon.
On a side note, if any of you have done some canyoneering in Zion, the Park Service is putting together a new management plan. Through OCT 7th, they are welcoming public input about the current permit system and recommendations for improvement. If you'd like more info about it, go to canyoneeringusa.com for the info.
Tom was nice enough to treat me dinner in Springdale, and he also brought a 2" thick inflatable mattress for me sleep on for a night...definately made the picnic table top more comfortable.
Brian
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