Zion Narrows April 20 2015

[John in NH]

I have always loved when people posted their out of New England reports and photos here so I figured I'd do the same. This past mid-April, I had the good fortune to visit the Southwest and have 8 hiking days. I missed a full year of "regular hiking" (march 2014-mar 2015) due to a significant injury that took forever to diagnose (if ever) or heal. Normal pain free walking impossible for most of that time. I was starting to feel like "real" hiking might never happen again. When I headed out West alone and not having done a hike of more than 6 miles in months the outcome of the trip was uncertain. Thankfully I was to be able to pull off 72 miles, 19,000 feet of gain, and lots of sunrise/sunset photography. I visited Grand Canyon and hiked South Kaibab to Skeleton Point, Hermit Trail, and then shocked myself by hiking rim to river to rim as a 17 mile out and back on the Bright Angel Trail as a day hike. I also visited and hiked in Grand Staircase Escalante, Red Canyon, Bryce, and Zion.

I was waiting until I got all my blog posts together, but life is making that impossible right now so I'll just start sharing stuff as I get it together. The first report I wrote was my last hike of the trip, the Zion Narrows in Utah. It's an awesome hike through a slot canyon with walls a couple thousand feet high and you get to (have to) walk directly in the river most of the way. Cool for a New Englander to experience!

Zion Narrows Report and Photos

 

[Stan]

Congratulations on your return to hiking shape. You've done an ambitious itinerary but this is the time of year to do it for several reasons. Thanks for the report. I, too, enjoy reports from afar for ideas and planning on future trips and these are areas we've enjoyed ... though not the rim to rim ...

 

[John in NH]

Thanks Stan! April was definitely a good time, though it can be hot already then. The day I went to the river and back a cold front had swept through and it was actually 27 degrees when I started (with icicles and frozen trickles) and never hotter than 68 at Indian Garden. 46 degrees at the rim at 3:30 pm when I finished.