Zion National Park ~ Front Country

 

So after our 4 night cross park hike, we drove to St. George Utah,

and bought me new shoes, and loaded up on groceries.

After spending the night next to the river in a free “campground” we made

our way to the main entrance of Zion.

I wanted to do the “tourist” version of Zion also.

So we parked at the visitors center and jumped on their free shuttle.

 

 

We stopped first at the Zion Human History Museum.

It talked of the Native Americans, and then the White settlers that came through.

(What an AMAZING place to have a homestead!)

I can’t help but dream about what an area used to look like 100, 200 or 300 years ago.

What did it look like before White man got here?

My heart and soul wants to see it as it was when the Native Americans lived here.

I want to be immersed in it before there were roads, buildings, signs and cars.

We have become so separated from nature that now even when we take our

vacations in “nature” we have to be able to drive right into the middle of it.

We often have paved paths, and signs warning us what a treacherous  place this nature is!

(signs warning of this, and stay off of that, and of course don’t do that!)

My mind, body and soul get wrapped up in being bombarded by the current

human impact, but I try to often transport myself to a place where

all I absorb is the nature that is left in between the deep grooves of society’s fingerprint.

 

 

 

 

 

The Virgin River is the shaping force of the Valley.

And what an amazing scene it has sculpted.

The Valley walls are amazing, the red rock hovers above you at every turn!

 

 

Next stop was Emerald Pools.

We hiked up to the Lower and Middle Pools.

This is the waterfall that falls from the middle to lower pools.

It makes a lovely spattering sound.

Even with the developed trails to these sites, and the immense amount of traffic they

get each year, you can still feel natures raw beauty.  

 

 

We had no plan of what we wanted to do when we arrived in the Valley,

so we were simply moving toward what ever drew our attention.

What better place to go for inspiration than Angels Landing?

This was the beginning of my new path.

To let my mind, body and soul fly free!

So we started our climb.

The beginning of the trail is cut into the side of the steep red rock.

Beautiful craftsmanship went into cutting red rock into perfect squares and stacking

them as walls to keep the trail on the side of the hill.

Even some blasting so that the trail could snake even deeper into the side of the hill.

We got to the top of the first climb.

Several people were sitting at this point, some simply resting before moving on,

others with a weary look on their face as they looked up the trail,

resignation tattooed upon their features.

 

 

Without a pause we moved up the next part of the trail.

As you can see from the above picture it snaked along a knifes edge.

I loved to watch each person walking this part of it.

Some moved along with no effort, truely enjoying the journey along this unique trail.

Others inched and crawled along, but they were doing it!

I celebrated each step for them, because they were pushing through that fear to make it to where

the Angels dwell!

I felt good along my journey, fear that would have been there in the past,

perhaps even a week before were melting away.

Once in a while I would look down to see the ground next to me plummeting to the valley

floor, and a wave of fear would pass through me.

But I embraced it and would take a moment to stop and study the sheer drop next to me.

I marveled at the immense beauty of the place I was,

the unique formation that was this fin we were climbing out, and wondering

how the river shaped it.

 

 

All along the journey I was truely humbled.

How is it, for how small we are, how miniscule of a being,

we have managed to take over the earth?

We have explored almost every corner of this earth, and managed to manipulate most of it into

a “Resource” to be used.

How have we become so separated from our dear mother?

Even many of those that took this beautiful pilgrimage to the aptly named Angels Landing

took only a moment or two to look around, and then turned right back around.

I do understand that sometimes it is the journey that is the greatest undertaking for a person.

But how could one not spend hours, days, weeks on top just admiring the wonder of each nuance

in front of you?

I felt that our mere 2 hours on top was no where enough time to actually absorb what

was surrounding me.

I could have spent months up there and still not have seen, heard, smell or feel everything.

 

 

Here is one without me blocking the beautiful view. We were out on a fin that had this kind of view 

almost all the way around us. It is just spectacular! 

 

 

Almost everywhere you went on Angels Landing you were standing at the edge

of a cliff face. I really do not know how this fin was shaped the way it was.

I am endlessly fascinated by how nature shapes her landscape.

A true Artist!

 

 

While we were sitting on top of Angels Landing we saw many different people come up.

Some would stop for a little bit,

others would snap a couple pictures, catch their breath, and head back.

A lady and man sat near us for a little bit, and at one point she said

“Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a zipline from up here?”

Wow, what a way down that would be!

 

 

After an amazing sitting with the Angels

(and a few begging chipmunks)

We started our journey back to the bottom.

We did a couple more stops along the shuttle route, enjoying the rest of the Tourist

experience. And then made our way back to the car.

The evening light is truely magical on that red rock!

Zion entertained us for about a week.

The next day we  explored around Springdale (I looked around the shops like a good tourist)

And then drove through the park one last time on our route toward Bryce Canyon National Park.