161) Out of the Deserts

Saturday Gabe and I ended up in the slots I was hoping for. We went to Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Indian Reservation. It is an extremely popular slot canyon, easily the most photographed and recognizable slot in the world. Even at this time of year it was busy and crowded inside, I cannot imagine what it must be like at peak season. (I will post the pictures of Antelope Canyon in a special post when I get home).



We spent the majority of the day at the slots, and then got dinner in town and ate with a couple we met in one of the slots. They are from Arizona and gave us some advice on places to go. It was a nice dinner with great company. That evening we were blessed with one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen. At its peak, the whole sky was colored from horizon to horizon with pinks, purples, oranges, peaches, yellows, blues and everything in between.




That night we made our way down to Zion NP and camped in one of the most crowded campgrounds I have been in. Again, I cannot imagine what this area must be like in peak season. So we got up early and headed for a point called Angels Landing. This is a popular and famous hike within Zion, and considered one of the most spectacular trails in the National Park system. It can be a hazardous hike, especially during storms, high winds and icey conditions. To be honest, it was one of the scariest hikes I have done.




I think this hike would be a little scary on a day with perfect conditions due to 1500 foot drop off’s and a very narrow trail. What made it really sketchy for Gabe and I was the high winds and ice. Most of the trail was covered with ice and held the penalty of a drop off the cliff if you slipped on that ice. The winds and extreme cold they brought made every thing that much worse. The only nice things were we got to see the view from the top, and we saw a paragrin falcon float by us.




Later that day we went on another short hike within the park, and then headed to the north section of the park, were we tried to make new plans for the evening. We wanted to spend the night somewhere between Zion and Salt Lake City, but the weather was getting worse as the day wore on, and the forecast called for a 16 degree night.




We decided to just head to our friend Ryan’s house. We all met and became friends on the climbing wall at college. So that evening after a beautiful sunset we got to Ryan’s house in between Provo and Salt Lake City.



Today we hope to get a hike in, and get organized before I fly out tomorrow.