I got some fresh air, sunbathed on some slick rock, saw amazing things and now I am happy :)
When we realized that Nick's birthday fell on a Saturday this year, we knew we had to take the weekend to go somewhere cool. We did just that: we chose Zion's National Park.
Zion's has been something I've always heard of, but never visited. (I think I may be the only person living in Utah that has never been, and it's pretty ridiculous.)
I only became outdoorsy when I started dating Nick. Before that, I was a total sissy and didn't like being outside- but now I've actually opened my eyes and realized how lucky I am to live in Utah. The mountains here are amazing, the hiking is grand, and camping is my new favorite hobby. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner!
Anyway,
Nick's brothers, Karl and Joel accompanied us for a hilariously fun road trip weekend. I'm so glad they were able to come! The car was packed full, and we ate WAY too much junkfood on the way down.
As we pulled into Zion's, I was in awe. Really, it is the most incredible thing I think I've ever seen. It totally beats all the major cities, and the only thing that I've seen (so far) to rival it in any way is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
I think, if God had a summer home, he'd pick Zion's. It's aptly named, for sure. It blew me away!
We settled in to our campsite, and decided to go explore Checkerboard Mesa. Afterward, we went exploring the little town of Springdale, and settled down to our campfire. Sunday, we had planned an epic hike- Angel's Landing.
Definitely the most epic thing I've done.
It wasn't the longest or hardest hike I'd been on, but definitely the coolest.
It takes you approximately 2.5 miles to the top of a towering rock formation, {this one actually}
Nick on the way up:
He even looks cute when I shoot him with a wide angle lens :)
but the craziest part is that the last .5 mile is along a ridge- a 5 foot wide path (with chains to hold on to) with 1,000 foot cliffs on either side. IT WAS NUTS! You have to use the chains to climb the path in a lot of parts too.
I didn't have a photo of the trail that I liked with me today, so I pulled this one off the internet:
It was most absolutely worth it too! The view is the most beautiful thing I've seen!
We made it!
I should have taken off my sunglasses.
Karl and Joel on top of Angel's Landing
Following that epic adventure {which really only took 4 hours}
We went to Weeping Rock and along the River Walk that takes you to the entrance to the Narrows
There was a waterfall
And a swamp
At the end of the river walk {and the entrance to the Narrows}, there was a beach where people had made trailmarkers...EVERYWHERE
Here's a few more photos, the rest and best photos {mostly Nick's, for he is infinitely better than me at landscape photography}, will make an appearance on Photo Adventure Thursday.
This is near Checkerboard Mesa, where we stopped to play:
This was along the road on the way back, the hole you see is a window cut out of rock- there is a mile-long tunnel that runs through this mountain!
These lil' guys were everywhere at the top of Angel's Landing. One climbed on my foot {while begging me for trail mix}
It was an amazing trip! I am very excited to post the rest of the photos!
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