Vegas to Zion
My flight again to Dallas didn’t depart till midnight Sunday night time, so I questioned what I might do in a day that was comparatively shut (much like my go to to Antelope Canyon). I took out a map (which means my iPhone) and looked for nationwide parks in Utah. Hmmm….Zion is definitely not removed from Vegas. Flipping by way of some pictures, I noticed a gorgeous view time and again, titled one thing like “The Summit of Angel’s Touchdown”. Hmmmm….
I awoke early Sunday morning and made my strategy to McCarran Worldwide Airport to select up my rental from Sixt (nowadays I’d go along with Silvercar). I didn’t actually have any mountaineering gear with me and I’m truly not a lot of a hiker. I drove north of Vegas and began making my approach east into Utah. I knew I would wish a number of water and figured a hat would assist with solar safety, so I ended off at an outdoorish store and inquired a couple of hat. I advised the girl I used to be doing a day journey from Vegas to Angel’s Touchdown and he or she stopped and checked out me and mentioned, “You realize that’s a reasonably harmful hike, proper?” Emboldened by her confidence in me I confessed that I didn’t. She knowledgeable me that it’s a reasonably uncovered hike and that quite a few individuals die there yearly. “Should you’re not an skilled hiker, I wouldn’t suggest it.”
You all know me by now: problem accepted.
The start of the path
Beginning the hike
I ultimately made my approach into Zion Nationwide Park, loaded my digital camera bag up with 5L of water, hopped on the park shuttle, and arrived on the trailhead, which reiterated all the things that the girl had mentioned: Angel’s Touchdown is a strenuous hike with fast altitude acquire, uncovered cliff faces, and areas the place your solely handhold can be a sequence that’s caught into the mountain.
Realizing that this might truly be form of critical, I set off, my newly-purchased hat and scarf giving me consolation from the maniacal solar.
The primary a part of the path hugs the valley created by the Virgin River. It was flat, sandy, and fairly stress-free truthfully. Throughout me had been staggering geological formations and all over the place I regarded my eyes had been rewarded with unbelievable magnificence.
After which a slight ascent began. Should you look within the backside proper of the image beneath you’ll see a path. That’s the path that was subsequent to the river. The path snaked up the facet of the canyon and for about an hour I just about walked up switchback after switchback, regularly making my approach up the face of the canyon.
Wanting into the canyon
As you may see from the individuals within the image beneath (down the path on the suitable) these trails are steep.
The Path
After some time the path turns away from the principle canyon and goes across the again of what finally ends up being Angel’s Touchdown earlier than the precise altitude improve begins.
Wanting again in direction of the canyon
The Shade
When you flip away from the principle path there’s a short interval the place the complete path is within the shade and the temperature cools by about 20 levels (mercifully!). You’re nonetheless climbing however there are some flat stretches which had been a pleasant break for my calves. The entire time I used to be nonetheless shocked by the unbelievable surroundings.
The shaded path
A rock?
You’ll see within the image beneath that the path remains to be fairly extreme by way of the climb required. The temperature made it appear a bit simpler although.
Folks on the path
The complete time I used to be conserving a really shut eye on my water consumption. Though I’m not an skilled hiker I grew up within the Texas warmth taking part in all types of sports activities, so I’m very acquainted with warmth exhaustion and dehydration. I used to be truthfully feeling fairly good, however then I received to The Wiggles.
Wanting up at The Wiggles
The Wiggles are a collection of 21 fast switchbacks carved into the face of the mountain. My calves have by no means fairly felt like they did as soon as I began up The Wiggles, a relentless burn that I by no means even felt doing CrossFit. I lastly made it to the highest, after many breaks. Listed below are The Wiggles from the highest.
Wanting down at The Wiggles
Do I hold going or name it a day?
The hike to Angel’s Touchdown truly has two “elements”: the hike to Scout Lookout and the hike to Angel’s Touchdown. Scout Lookout is a plateau on the prime of The Wiggles and has some fairly superb views. Attending to Scout Lookout is comparatively secure, there aren’t any steep cliffs or something like that, simply plenty of elevation acquire. Should you’re afraid of heights however need a problem, the hike to Scout Lookout ought to be fantastic for you.
Scout Lookout can be when the harmful a part of the Angel’s Touchdown hike begins. I sat there this signal for a couple of minutes whereas I caught my breath.
Eek
That’s it, Angel’s Touchdown it’s
I didn’t come this far to show round. I wouldn’t name myself impervious to heights, however they don’t hassle me an excessive amount of, so I began placing one foot in entrance of the opposite because the panorama modified dramatically. Gone had been the carved and manicured trails, changed by rocky outcroppings and chains affixed to the mountainside.
Not the widest path is it?
I made it previous the primary collection of bumps with out ailing impact. Beneath you’ll see a man I encountered. Everytime you hit site visitors on the path you simply form of determine it out, as a result of many locations on the path aren’t broad sufficient for secure crossing.
The primary site visitors I encountered
Site visitors on the Path
Simply previous Scout Lookout are a collection of slender ridges, as slender as 3 ft (1 meter)!
Folks on the Scary Ridge
So right here was the ridge that I named Scary Ridge. On the suitable is a 1500 foot drop. On the left is a 1200 foot drop. Eek!
Scary Ridge
The ridge behind me I stored pushing in direction of the summit. The chains had been safe and gave me consolation after I wanted them, however there have been only some occasions the place I felt utterly uncovered. The one actually scary time was after I bumped my tripod towards a rock fairly harshly, popping it unfastened from its clasp on my backpack. I watched in horror because it bounced in direction of the cliff face however fortunately it stopped earlier than going over the sting. I wasn’t involved about dropping the tripod I simply didn’t need it to hit anybody beneath.
The path continued up the ridge and I sensed I used to be nearing the summit.
Wanting over a small horseshoe bend within the river
After a number of extra inclines and some extra site visitors jams, I observed the panorama flattened out a bit and the chains went away.
Angel’s Touchdown
I MADE IT TO THE SUMMIT OF ANGEL’S LANDING!
I turned to my proper to see the view of the canyon and my breath was taken away. Granted, it was a strenuous hike so I used to be already respiration closely nevertheless it would’ve taken my breath away even when I wouldn’t have been.
I caught my breath and grabbed a seat on the summit. In fact I used to be going to take some footage however I didn’t need that to distract from me having fun with the second with my very own eyes. Only a quick drive from Vegas and a almost definitely ill-informed hike up a harmful path later I used to be in a spot that most individuals solely dream of seeing. It was merely magical.
I caught my breath and figured I’d as nicely take some footage, since I had lugged my stuff up the path.
Wanting into the Canyon
I walked over to the facet of the summit the place there was a comparatively flat space and it gave me a greater look down Zion Canyon.
Angel’s Touchdown
As I used to be sitting there I heard, of all issues, a harmonica. A lady was sitting atop a rock taking part in a harmonica fantastically. It was one thing that I’d usually take into account form of annoying at such a serene place, however she performed that harmonica so fantastically that it truly made the expertise even higher. I used to be capable of get an amazing shot of her with my zoom lens that captured the scene fairly nicely. I don’t know who she is, hopefully somebody is aware of her and factors her to this put up!
Harmonica Woman
The solar started to set and I knew that my time on the summit wanted to attract to an in depth fairly rapidly, as I didn’t wish to do the downhill portion of the hike at midnight. I satisfied myself to attend till the solar descended previous the mountain to the west so I might get one final shot. I’m so glad I waited, this panorama of the sundown is considered one of my all-time favourite footage!
Sundown at Angel’s Touchdown
Again down the path
Glad that I had taken sufficient footage I began my descent. The descent was a lot simpler, which stunned me, I assumed taking place the steep faces with the chains can be more durable however I suppose for some cause I used to be capable of see it higher? I dunno. I stored my digital camera out so I might see how the shadows modified the look of the panorama.
Leaving the Summit
I took one final look again at Zion Canyon from the Summit then began down the path house.
Zion Canyon
Like I mentioned, the shadows danced across the panorama and forged all the things in a extra saturated, tender gentle which helped me discover rather more element as an alternative of simply being blown away by the geological formations.
Beginning down the path
I ended briefly at Scout Outlook and observed a formation that jogged my memory of Horseshoe Bend, needed to get an image of it!
Zion’s Horseshoe Bend
Extra shadows
I made my approach again to the shadowed space from earlier within the hike and it was a lot darker. The canyon partitions nearly regarded like they’d been painted! I really like the patterns of nature.
Canyon Wall
As I emerged from the shadowed space I used to be capable of see the final bits of the fading daylight shine their gentle on the peaks of the mountains, it stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away but once more!
Mountain peaks
The moon rose over the mountaintops as Zion Canyon fell into the nightfall.
Nightfall at Zion
I used to be nearly again to the simpler a part of the path and I observed my tempo quickening. I ended for a final water break and observed the path carving out a gorgeous path by way of the canyon and the timber.
Angel’s Touchdown path
I put the lead out and made it again to the trailhead proper as a shuttle was coming by to select me up. I made it again to the doorway of Zion Nationwide Park and had a brief stroll to my rental by way of this cool little area.
Cool-looking gate
(For the photographers: I really like my Sony a7rII due to footage like this. I used to be too lazy to get my tripod out and pushed the ISO to 6400 and recovered like two stops of underexposure from this picture and it appears superb!)
Again to Dallas
I drove again to Las Vegas and caught my flight, smelling very a lot terrible I’m positive. On my approach out of Utah, although, I ended for one final image, the final little bit of daylight sneaking out over the horizon, a reminder that the day was nearly gone and would by no means be seen once more. I’m so grateful that I received to go to Zion Nationwide Park and Angel’s Touchdown that day. I take into account it a large blessing that I made it to the highest and again safely and I can’t wait to return to Zion to see the remainder of the hikes that I missed!
The final gentle of the day
[editor’s note: I also consider it a massive blessing that no police officers happened to see me driving back to Vegas! I was running late and had to…um…go above the speed limit juuuuuuust a bit]
