Utah Recap

The four hour drive north through the Mojave ends with a long, straight descent into a different world. Las Vegas, its sleek glass and marble monoliths stretching toward the sky, beckons ahead. Throwaway imitations of the world’s great cities lie side-by-side along the Strip in an attempt at grandeur and elegance. Disneyland for the 21+ crowd. Onward through Sin City we drove, however, resisting the urge to stop and indulge. Because we knew we’d be back.

The last gambling oasis on the Arizona/Nevada state line is a small town called Mesquite, NV, home to a few casinos and a few golf courses. The Virgin River, a tributary of the mighty Colorado, runs through this town. Our route going forward would follow the river almost to its source, high above Zion Canyon. We took a quick break for gas and continued on into the dark desert. Only a few miles east of Mesquite, the highway enters the Virgin River Gorge, a deep canyon cut into sandstone cliffs by the Virgin River. Massive rock formations line the steep gorge as the road twists and turns high above the river. The new moon, however, ensured little visibility of any of this.

Soon enough, the lights of St. George appeared in the black, preceded shortly by a slightly underwhelming “Welcome to Utah” sign. At St. George, we cut across to the UT-9, a scenic route that heads directly through Zion National Park. The windy, two lane road guided us through the pitch black until we entered the town of Springdale, our first stop of the trip.

Springdale is actually located inside the canyon, it was just too dark for any of us to notice. When we got up in the morning, huge red sandstone cliffs stared down at us right outside of our hotel. After a rough, microwaved breakfast, we headed out to Zion National Park.

Our first stop was the Emerald Pools Trailhead. From here, three levels of pools are accessible via a system of hiking trails. The path starts with an easy uphill, along a wide, maintained trail. Parts of this trail were covered in ice and mud, making the easy incline a little sketchy. We ascended to the second emerald pool section, where water gathers before a final drop off a rock face into the lower pools. We took the trail to the third (and highest) pool, which is the real treat of the hike. The upper pool is nestled against the canyon walls, fed by a small crack in the rocks above, sending a fine, misty ribbon of water down below. Since the upper pool is pushed up against the rock wall, the area is shaded for most of the day. The cold allows for a healthy layering of ice where the water finally lands. The mist freezes on branches and rocks, forming small icicles on nearby tree branches. We took in the amazing view for a few minutes and followed the stream of water downhill to the lowest pools.

Our next stop was the Temple of Sinawava stop, at the far end of the canyon. This area, around the towering Angel’s Landing, is where the Virgin River enters Zion Canyon. As we walked further, we noticed the walls getting drastically closer together. The sheer cliff faces are immense, especially when looking straight up from beneath them. The paved Riverside Walk leads to the Narrows, following the river for a mile until the walls converge and the Narrows begin. With the water close to freezing and no sunlight, we had to stop, take in the view, and only imagine a summer trip into the Narrows.

From Sinawava, we took one final stop at Weeping Rock, which really is a huge, leaking rock formation. Water entering the rock from high above emerges below through small cracks, creating the illusion of rain. A short hike took us behind the falling drops, with perfect views of the lower canyon.

After a few hours back at the hotel, Brent and I decided to tackle one more quick hike. We walked through Springdale, into the park, and hooked up with the Watchman Trail, right near the park gates. We charged the trail, knowing we had limited time until the sun gave way to the night. The trail is a moderate incline, offering great looks at both the different sandstone formations that line the walls of Zion and the lower sections of Zion Canyon. About 30 minutes in, very close to the end of the trail, we hit a muddy stretch that just wasn’t worth slogging through. We took in the last sunset views of Springdale and the lower Zion area, then turned back.

We enjoyed a nice pizza dinner, complete with a cold pitcher of beer. Brewed locally too. Score.

The next morning we got up and had some breakfast at a local cafe. The breakfast burrito was kick-ass. We followed the UT-9 into the park, cutting across the eastern edge of the park. A series of switchbacks continues through a tunnel that cuts right through a cliff face. Emerging on the other side, about 1000 feet above Springdale, petrified sand dunes lay covered with snow. The scenic drive out the eastern gate exists on a much smaller scale, separated from the main Zion Canyon. Still, the snow and morning light on the rocks made the drive very nice.

We drove until the UT-9 meets with the UT-89, took it north, then headed east on UT-12. Endless fields of snow lined the highway through this section. Small towns flew past on our way to Bryce Canyon. Near the start of the UT-12, we passed through Red Canyon, a recreation area with rock spires resembling Big Thunder Mountain. Snow blanketed the area, a preview of what was to come at Bryce.

After checking in to our hotel near Ruby’s Inn, we drove the length of Bryce Canyon. The clear, cold air gave way to some amazing views. The anticipation built. The highest lookouts at Bryce were probably the main reason I wanted to take this trip. The views didn’t disappoint. Navajo Mountain, usually beyond visibility in the summer months, rose clearly more than 75 miles due southeast. From Rainbow and Yovimpa Point lookouts, more than 9000 feet up, we could see a vast, snow-covered landscape stretching for miles. The ability to sit at the end of a massive plateau, millions of years in the making, and stare for miles into a mostly untouched landscape is just one of those things. Words and pictures will never do it justice. I have never been able to see so many things, so far away, from one place. I sat for a few minutes taking it all in, then sat for a few more. Everything seems so trivial when millions of years of the Earth’s history sits right in front of you. It’s certainly humbling.
We tackled some of the lookouts on our way back out of the park, stopping at the Natural Bridge, Agua Canyon, Farview Point, and a few others. We also stopped to take a look at the major amphitheaters near the front of the park. The serene beauty of snow glistening atop the hoodoos is something you can’t forget.

Back in town, we fixed up a budget meal (as in microwave), and prepared to revisit the park lookouts to see the stars. We were lucky enough to be there a day off the new moon, so roads were pitch black. The first stop we made was the lookout at Sunset Point. The lookout rests at a point hanging over Bryce Amphitheater, although that really didn’t matter as we could barely see anything below the horizon. Up above, the sky took a milky hue, with billions of stars emitting light from the depths of space. I have never seen the Milky Way the way I saw it that night. It was thicker than I’d ever seen before. I was actually having trouble finding constellations because the sky looked completely different than at home; the endless blanket of stars blending together across the sky. Orion was no longer just three stars in a line, and I could actually imagine how ancient stargazers could find the shape of a warrior watching us from up there. The philosophical discussions we shared are too much to type here, but it was an amazing sight to behold.

How could we, as tiny humans on a tiny rock in one galaxy among billions, think we have anything figured out? To assign one God to all of it just seems arrogant...

We woke early the next day to pick up some snowshoes and take a hike down into Bryce Amphitheater. We settled on the Queen’s Garden trail of Sunrise Point, connecting to the Navajo Loop, taking us down into the hoodoo mazes and up Wall Street. The snow was extremely deep, and for the most part untouched off the paths. Snowshoes allow a whole new dimension to hiking; staying on the “trail” is subjective when there really isn’t much of anything resembling one. Big hills of snow were laid out in all directions, just begging for someone to see what the view was like on top. After a few hours of running around, we finally made our way back up the Wall Street section, a narrow space between massive hoodoos. What during the summer is a steep switchback trail is in the winter a giant wall of snow. The hike up was tiring, but you really can’t complain with giant metal spikes attached to the bottoms of your feet. We emerged at Sunset Point and trekked across the rim back to Sunrise Point.

We rolled out of the Bryce Canyon area at midday and headed back toward Vegas.

Hell of a trip...can’t wait to do it again.

mere thoughts

The buzz of a great superbowl is still affecting my ability to type...

Gearing up for a road trip through Utah once again, this time to see Zion and Bryce glisten in fresh snowfall. I'm infinitely excited to take the drive through these two amazing parks, to see what so few ever experience, to breathe some of the cleanest air around and to sit beneath a milky-white display of stars as far as the eye can see. The Earth the way it always has been, natural and beautiful. Water and air, freeze and thaw, on a time line in which we are mere hiccups - a grand display that the most arrogant among us could only hope to hope to achieve. I look forward to immersing myself in something so sadly foreign - what should be in front of us, always. A reminder of 'why?'. The only answer to our deepest questions and the realization that we are because we are, not because we're supposed to be. Because any force that would decline intervention in our desire to destroy so openly yet rationally...well I only hope that something (one?) like that just doesn't exist.