Staring at maps became my hobby while planning this journey. On the cover of my road atlas was a picture of Angels Landing that I looked at daily. I had been obsessed with hiking it for awhile and it is partly responsible for me embarking on a long US road trip. I didn’t want to hike it alone so the very first step I took in planning the entire adventure was looking at when REI Adventures was running groups to Zion. After booking the trip, I spent the next several months planning everything else around it. REI Adventures never disappoints and it was everything I dreamed it would be and so much more. It was a five day adventure that covered both Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, for women only, staying at the REI Signature Camps. I met an amazing group of women that morning in Las Vegas and we were off to Zion to hike The Narrows. I was in awe at the color and how sheer the cliffs were. With walking sticks in hand we left the shuttle and wandered and waded up the Virgin River. It was slow going walking on the river rocks but provided plenty of time to soak up the amazing sights of the canyon.
We enjoyed a ride through the Zion Mt Carmel tunnel into the East side of the park and its beautiful checkerboard rock formations. Just outside the park was our amazing and private campsite. Not your typical tent camping with comfortable cots and camp hosts that spoiled us with amazing meals. There was nothing better than grabbing my coffee in the morning and sitting on my porch watching the sky.
It was finally time for the main event. The evening before our guides helped us mentally prepare for and understand what the hike was going to be like and answered all of our questions. I was so excited! We got an early start before the sun got things too hot and was happy that there wasn’t a crowd for the shuttle or the trailhead. It is a five mile hike round trip with 1,488 feet elevation gain (the height of the Willis/Sears Tower). Beginning in the valley it is a steep climb up switchbacks to get to the shade of Refrigerator Canyon. The best part is that you have the perfect excuse to stop and rest frequently because the views are amazing on the first portion. You then reach Walter’s Wiggles, which reminds me of Lombard Street in San Francisco; it consists of 21 switchbacks on top each other, taking you quickly up to Scout Lookout. It is here where you get your first look at the Hogsback, the narrow spine of the rock where you go down, up and over while white-knuckling chains to get to Angels Landing. It is a view to die for, a breath-taking 1,500 foot drop to the floor of the canyon as you climb along the narrow trail. We were so lucky to have our guides with us as it is two-way traffic and it is necessary to yell instructions to others on who needs to stop and who should go based on whether there is room to stand and allow for passing. I was too excited to be nervous. It felt so good to make it to the top. I was so proud of myself and I couldn’t help but think of how far I had come (literally and figuratively) on this journey, accomplishing things that I had only dreamed about. I’d done it, now how the heck do you get down?
I will rave for days about our REI guides. Armed with spray bottles to mist us, frequent laughter to keep us in good spirts, and words of encouragement that helped us do anything, they decided to raise the bar even higher when we got to the summit of Angles Landing. While we were busy at the top taking pictures and enjoying the views, they took a full watermelon (that they carried to the top in their pack), set up a picnic blanket and cut up the melon for us to enjoy. It was the best tasting watermelon ever and such an amazing treat that we shared with other hikers at the top. This is now the new standard that I judge people by, do they love me enough to carry a watermelon up a mountain for me.
Upon arrival at Bryce Canyon we exited the van, closed our eyes, and our guides walked us forward to the rim. When I opened my eyes the most amazing landscape was before me. I was so focused on Zion that I had overlooked Bryce in my planning and didn’t know what to expect. It is one of the most beautiful and amazing parks that I’ve been to. You can’t get anymore magical than hiking amongst the hoodoos along the Fairyland loop trail.
After a day of hiking we got settled into our new camp just outside of Bryce. We enjoyed afternoon yoga sessions to stretch at both camps but for our first afternoon at the Bryce REI Signature Camp we were treated to a bowl of hot water to soak our feet during happy hour. That evening after dinner, I sat on my porch with my Kindle and read until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I was rewarded with a view of the Milky Way and more stars than I had ever seen before. I could not have been any happier.
Day four gave us the opportunity to see yet another park with a visit to Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument. We hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls and enjoyed a swim on a hot summer day. It is a six mile hike out and back and not only rewards you with a waterfall but reminders of those that made the valley their home. The Fredmont people lived in the area from 700 to 1300 AD and on the bottom left of the cliff face you’ll find a pictograph (painting) of three red figures in headdresses holding hands. We were also able to spot a granary up in the cliffs which were used for storage.
The best part of life in a camper is that I enjoyed a cup of coffee and some amazing sunrises each morning all over the US. The sunrise I enjoyed while sipping coffee on our last morning was the best sunrise of the trip (I hope Cadillac Mountain can forgive me for saying that). We went to Sunset Point versus Sunrise Point to watch the sunrise over the hoodoos of Bryce. Life is good.
While the sun was still rising we enjoyed a hike amongst the hoodoos and then headed back to the camp for brunch.
We snuck in a last short hike on our way back to Vegas, stopping in the Kolob Canyons area on the west side of Zion. An amazing trip within an amazing journey. Thank you again REI Adventures. Group photos and the amazing photo of the tents at night were taken by others on the trip with me.
1 Comment
Carol · November 9, 2021 at 5:06 pm
I love this! Great job!! It brings back so many great memories!! Thanks for sharing!
Comments are closed.