Zion Day 2--Hiking the Narrows

On National Geographic's list of America's Top 100 Adventures is to hike The Narrows at Zion. There are two ways to do it...from the "top" take the 16-mile hike that requires a permit or "from the bottom" and just venture up as far as you want to and go back to where you started. National Geographic is probably referencing the first approach since their list is fairly extreme and includes heli-skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, and paddling. But the second approach from the bottom is still incredible and that's the one we took.

National Geographic describes it beautifully. The canyon "winds voluptuously through the crimson sandstone, in some spots stretching 2,000 feet (610 meters) high and narrowing to 20 feet (6 meters). Lush hanging gardens spring from the walls, stately ponderosa pines grow in nooks, and the water can turn a shade of turquoise that perfectly contrasts with the cliffs’ deep terra-cotta hues. The hike isn’t necessarily a cakewalk, however: For more than half the time, hikers walk in the Virgin River, which can be waist-high, and negotiate cobbles as large and slippery as bowling balls."

We took the shuttle from its first stop (the Visitor's Center right by our campground) to its last stop, Temple of Sinawava--about a 45-minute ride. From there you walk the mile-long Riverside Walk, a paved walkway that goes alongside the Virgin River. At the end of Riverside Walk is a place where you can start your wading in the river.

I forgot to bring my new hiking poles. After about three steps in the water, I knew that was a mistake. Almost immediately, a nice young man walking towards me, who was obviously just finishing his journey through the narrows, offered me his walking stick. "You'll need it," he said. The nice young woman who was walking with him offered hers to Rodney. Oh goodness! He was so right! Did I ever use that walking stick!! A couple of times, I got to thinking that I probably would've bent my hiking poles and this big stick was a much better solution.

There is no set path to follow. You look at hikers ahead of you and decide if you want to go that same route or not. At least a third of the time, there was no choice but to wade in the water as the river went from canyon wall to canyon wall. But sometimes there was a little shore line to walk on and sometimes you crossed the river to get to another shore line on the other side.

After about an hour and a half, I could feel my energy draining and I knew no matter how far in we hiked, that was exactly how far we had to hike back out. So we found this nice rock and I soaked up sunshine and enjoyed the beauty of The Narrows while resting. Meanwhile, Rodney hiked further up the river, then came back and picked me up and we made the return trip together.

At the end of the trip, I was looking for someone to pass my hiking stick on to, but there weren't many people starting their adventure that late in the day. We did, however, at the end, see a collection of walking sticks leaning up against a ledge, so we put our sticks in the collection for tomorrow's adventurers.

Though paved and pretty level, I think the mile hike on dry land on Riverside Walk back to the shuttle was the hardest part of the trip LOL.

It was definitely a grand adventure to add to the bucket list. (Who knew to put it on there in the first place?) And now I can cross it off. Would I do it again? You betcha!