It's Big Trip Time! Part 10 - From the River to the Pools

How about checking out that sweet Part 9 action?  You know you'll dig it!

But why couldn't it be prettier?

After we finished up our hike on the Riverside Walk in Zion National Park, we hopped back aboard the shuttle bus and took it on the return trip down canyon, disembarking at the Grotto stop.  Before we started our hike, we found a convenient picnic table in the shade and enjoyed some snacks, which we'd brought in our packs with us.

This "ad" was in the shuttle bus,

and it cracked me up.

Mmm, Lay's potato chips and Trader Joe's turkey jerkey!

Cute little cabin over there

In researching the different hiking routes available to us, we figured the Kayenta Trail looked like a good option for our second stroll of the day.  It was rated as moderate, had a decent but not insurmountable climb (150 feet), and ran for just one mile before it linked into the Pools trails, which also looked interesting.  It would also take us from the Grotto stop to the Zion Lodge stop, so we could avoid riding the shuttle bus between the two locations (the shuttle bus was great, but if you can hike it, why not do so).

As we crossed the main road, we noticed a massive line of people, all waiting in front of the bridge to cross the Virgin River.  In speaking with the Ranger located there, those folks were queuing up for their change to hike Angels Landing, one of the more popular trails in the park.  We've heard about Angels Landing in the past; while it has amazing views, the reason it has those views is you're hiking along this skinny little ridge that runs right atop a ridge crest with crazy steep drops on either side.  Hard pass.  Even the NPS brochure has this to say: "Long drop-offs.  Not for young children or anyone fearful of heights."  Double hard pass.

Thankfully, since we weren't hiking the "Fall to Your Death, Instagram Influencer" trail, we scuttled right across the bridge and started our climb up Kayenta.  Must of the climbing happened near the beginning of the hike, so we had some great views right away.

The afore mentioned bridge.

You can see the queue of people for Angels Landing

stringing off to the left.

When we started our hike (around 11am),

the wait was around an hour,

just to start the hike.

A group of folks ahead of us,

hitting some climb-y bits

As you can see, this trail was directly in the sun

for most of the hike.

The temperature topped out in the mid-90s

on this day, so it was getting a bit toasty.

After doing our mile on Kayenta, we transitioned onto the Middle/Upper Pool trails.  The Emerald Pools are natural and stream-fed, and they're kept full by runoff from more elevated parts of the park.

Getting close to the Pools.

Can you see the small waterfalls in this shot?

How about we do a close up?

And another!

The intrepid photographer at work

Although we enjoyed the shade in the Pools area, it was onward - and downward - to finish our hike!

Indeed!  The NPS brochure listed these drop-offs

as "moderate" (about 1000 feet to the canyon floor),

so what they meant by

"long" drop-offs on Angels Landing

was truly terrifying to contemplate.

A deer cooling off in the river below.

Looking for someone to kick.

Getting closer to terra firma again

The bridge to cross back over the river near the Zion Lodge

We finished up the hike without issue, crossed the road, and found a shady spot of grass in front of the Zion Lodge to rest for a bit.  As we did, we made a friend:

"Hey, you guys got any snacks?"

Pfft.  Of course we do!

On the grass in front of the Lodge

After a quick run to the restroom, we got in line to finish our shuttle bus ride back down to the Visitor's Center and main pedestrian entrance to the park.

Our ride wasn't long, and before we knew it, we were waving goodbye to Zion National Park.  Overall, while Zion was beautiful, it was probably our least favorite of the NPs we visited; it was getting crowded while we were there, and it was on the warm side, too.  Also, while there's no doubt the scenery is gorgeous, we have formations like these near-ish to us in the Grand Canyon; the surroundings in Arches, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton were all completely new to us, so they were a bit more exciting on this particular trip.  It's still a must visit, but we don't know that we need to come back in the very near future.

We exited the park, grabbing a few pints at the Zion Canyon Brew Pub (verdict: pretty good), and stopping at Hoodoos General Store for the makings of a charcuterie board.  In another 30 minutes, we'd reclaimed the truck and made it back to Arlene, and we enjoyed sitting outside in the shade, noshing on our cheese and crackers.  After taking showers, the heat drove us inside for a while, where we read books and hung out in the AC.  

The main vent in the camper,

illuminated by the sun.

I call this shot,

"Sauron's angry b-hole."

Quality content, people, I know.

Eventually, the outside temps cooled off enough for us to take a few strolls around the Zion River Resort and once again, enjoy sitting next to Arlene and tasting some adult beverages.

The Virgin River

Chris took this shot from on top of the berm,

and thankfully, did not get eaten by a snake.

Yum!  Courtesy of Ryan and Tara.

Since we'd done some hiking, we were more than ready for a larger dinner, so we fired up the Camp Chef and made steak and baked potatoes, along with a salad.

Manning the Camp Chef

while wearing his Camp Chef shirt.

Corporate synergy at its best!

We relaxed outside a bit longer, but we hit the hay before too long; we were heading home tomorrow, and we wanted a good night's sleep for our return trip!  In the next blog, it's time to go home!

Later!

Amy