Zion National Park 
   
 
The rocks and sometimes twisted trees along the Taylor Creek.  The sand  was a pink or orange color.  Below is a composite photo of Double Arch Alcove, which was at the end of the trail.		 The guidebooks all label Zion National Park as "majestic", and we really can't come up with a better word. It's a beautiful park, and unlike the Grand Canyon or Bryce (where you look down into the canyon,) at Zion you're at the bottom of the canyon, looking up at the soaring walls. We started in the Kolob Canyons area, which is in the northwest corner of the park. These "finger canyons" look very different than the main part of the park. Our hike along the middle fork of Taylor Creek criss-crossed the creek many times, and led to Rainbow Arch. This is a relatively uncrowded area, and a peaceful hike. Scattered about were cottonwood leaves from the previous autumn...a whisper of grey leaf skeletons where the leaves lay on the ground, but the leaves that had fallen into the creek had decayed black as they floated along.  



We arrived early each morning for photo opps and for the cooler hiking weather. It's amazing how Zion can be busy and crowded at 2 PM, and virtually deserted in the early morning. Arriving before 7 AM, we met two other hobby photographers and a few early rising campers. At times, it felt like we were hiking on private property, as we had the trails to ourselves. And the deer and wild turkeys are out in the morning.

Our favorite hike was to Hidden Canyon.  We climbed over 800 feet along a sharp cliff face, where the trail was only a foot and a half wide in places, and a sheer drop to the bottom.  Pitons have been placed in the rock, with chains stretched along the most treacherous parts of the trail.  Some just saunter along, not even touching this safety rail.  Diane had a white knuckle grip on the chain, moving along hand-over-hand.

Hidden Canyon is narrow, and required some climbing and scrambing over rocks and scree.  Bob felt like it brought him back to his childhood--it was like play. The early morning light provided some interesting colors on the rocks---colors that were washed out on our way back as the sun lighted the canyon.

At right, the Virgin River flows through Zion Canyon. 

Below, Diane climbs into Hidden Canyon.

   

Below, Bob holding onto the chains as the trail ascends.
Morning at the Emerald Pools
  The Weeping Rock is a vertical garden of green, growing along an arched wall of stone and constantly dripping. Due to the geology, the porous rock is weeping rainwater that collected from the cliff above. This water has spent five hundred years percolating through the layers Navajo sandstone. Below is a close up of the wall.


Below is sunrise on the Canyon Overlook trail, on the east entrance of the park.

Our only disappointment on this trip: hiking the Virgin River Narrows is supposed to be a unique hike, as you are generally wading up river, between high canyon walls. However, due to the high and strong current this spring, the area was too dangerous and was closed to hiking. We hope to come back sometime in the in the autumn.

   Below: the entrance to The Narrows



Left: Diane looks up at the narrow waterfall at the Emerald Pools. Zion is a place that can make you feel very small.

Court of the Patriarchs   Many landmarks in Zion have biblical names or references. The Patriarchs are Abraham, Issac, and Jacob (the peak far in the background.) The peak at right in the foreground is Moroni, from the Book of Mormon.
 
The early morning view from the back of the museum. The left most plateau in this view is called the West Temple. The next plateau to the right is the Sundial. Just to the right of center is the Alter of Sacrifice.

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