I've spent the last year telling Jacob that we were definitely going somewhere for our fifth anniversary. It seems like every year something comes up and we end up having to spend our anniversary away from each other. With having a year to talk about it, you'd think we would planned something really cool. As it turned out we spent the evening before our vacation trying to figure out what we were going to do. I had two requirements: as few people as possible (my job has turned me into even more of an introvert than usual), and lots of warmth and sunshine. We finally settled on camping at Zion National Park.
Now, if I had planned a little better, I probably would have realized that wasn't such a good idea. Zion is not for the faint of heart - most of the really cool things to see there require some intense hiking and are not recommended for those who are afraid of heights. And I am very scared of heights. But I didn't plan ahead, and I'm glad because we had a marvelous time anyway.
One of the things that I loved and didn't expect is how bright and bold all of the colors are. Being desert, I thought everything would be pretty washed out. Not so! Bright green spring leaves, red sandstone, white sand, and clear blue skies - sometimes it was a little difficult to take it all in.
Zion is also completely full of surprises. We'd be hiking along and then all of a sudden there's a waterfall. Or a slot canyon. Or a cliff you're supposed to hike alongside. It definitely keeps you on your toes - sometimes very literally.
It's one of the most imaginative places I've ever seen. I can just picture God taking a big chunk of clay and forming these cliffs...
And puncturing this wall...
And adding some texture to this canyon...
And then adding a splash of white paint for emphasis.
We really enjoyed the hike to the Emerald Pools. The short hike to the Lower Pools takes you to a view of these three waterfalls...
...which you can also walk behind (to enjoy a deliciously cool sprinkle on what is otherwise a very hot environment).
From there you can continue hiking to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools and catch a glance of this beauty at the Upper Pool.
We also enjoyed the Riverside Walk, which we originally intended on doing only because it is the entrance to the Narrows, but it turned out that the Narrows were closed due to high water levels, so we just walked along the river and enjoyed it.
We also enjoyed the Grotto Trail, as well as Weeping Rock.
But by far, our favorite hike of the trip was to Hidden Canyon. We were pretty naive about it. We were at the base of another trail that we had just finished when we saw the trail head for Hidden Canyon and thought it sounded cool. And just like that, we started hiking. What we didn't realize until much later is when the trail sign said it was 1.0 miles, that was only to the opening to the Hidden Canyon - and to the end of the maintained trail. If you continue into the slotted canyon (which we did), you have to find your own way through it. It's intense.
Remember what I said earlier about there suddenly being a cliff you're supposed to walk alongside? That was on the way to Hidden Canyon. There's a chain along the cliff to hold on to, but it was terrifying nonetheless. I swear, the view looking down was a complete drop-off. Not that I looked that closely. I only got through that section by staring intently at my feet and the chain.
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| A tiny speck of a Jacob in the bottom left hand corner, looking up at the towering canyon walls. |
I actually sat down and starting sobbing at one point during the hike. I really, really don't like heights. But after recovering from that little break-down, we continued on, and I'm so glad. It was amazing.
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| Bright green moss-covered wall on one side of the canyon, bold red sandstone on the other, white sands covering the ground. |
A funny, unforeseen outcome of choosing a remote wilderness area to spend your anniversary in: it's really hard to get a picture of the two of you together. I was amazed when we made it to this natural stone arch, and would you believe it, there was a rock in the perfect place to prop my camera on for a photo.
Happy anniversary, my wonderful husband. Can't wait to see what the future brings.
