We had the chance to very last minute take a trip down to Zions and hike The Narrows. My uncle Craig and cousin Ciana were there for a week and got some spur of the moment permits. So I called up my friend Shelley and we hurriedly got some details with kids, crossguarding, carpools and piano lessons figured out and we left that afternoon to drive down with my dad! When I say last minute, I mean literally that morning we didn't know we were going then we left by 4:00 that afternoon. We felt very proud of ourselves that we could get that all coordinated! We got to camp that night around 8:30 and met up with Craig and Ciana who had a hot dinner waiting for us - bless them. We were scheduled to get up and be at the shuttle by 6:00 am the next morning so we scooted off to bed and planned to get up early and pack the next morning. We all got up and made it to the shuttle in time, ready with our packs, lunches, trekking poles, water bottles and maps. It was going to be a long and fun day of hiking!
We took the shuttle for about an hour and a half and got dropped off at Chamberlain Ranch at the top of the canyon. The hike down the narrows is a 16 mile hike that many do in two days. There are camp sites half way through and lots of people opt to do it that way. We were going for it all in one day and were going to make it!
It was a GORGEOUS hike through the canyon and in and out of the river. We were wet from the very beginning but it was a beautiful day and we didn't mind being in the water at all. The scenery was incredible and in some parts the walls of the canyon were taller than you could believe. We loved seeing all the cool niches in the canyon walls, lone trees growing up out of the rocks, the narrow walls something just wide enough for us the fit between and overall just the magnificence of it all. We told stories and laughed and joked and had the best time together.
About half way through Craig's knee really started to bother him and he was slowing down significantly. We were all "in a pickle" about what to do, knowing that we had to make it out of the canyon by dark and had another shuttle to catch to make it back down to our truck that was 10 miles farther down the canyon. We finally decided that Shelley and I would go ahead of the group and make it out of the canyon in time to catch the last shuttle. Then we could bring the truck back up and pick up the rest of the crew when they were done. We were all anticipating a long night ahead of all of us because Craig was struggling so much with his knee. Shelley and I hurried ahead and finished the last 6 or 7 miles pretty quickly. It was actually the most beautiful part of the hike and we took time to enjoy it along the way. There were some parts where the water was about chest high as we were wading through and it was cold water, but such a unique place! We made it out of the canyon just as it was getting dark and jumped on the shuttle. Surprisingly only about an hour later we got a call from Dad and Ciana who were also out of the canyon and on the last shuttle back to camp. I was shocked to hear that they made it out. Turns out that Craig couldn't make it out of the canyon and ended up camping overnight with another group of hikers at one of the camp sites. I think the night in the canyon was a cold one, but he was grateful that he could rest his leg and then finish the hike out the next morning. They had a team of people that hiked up and helped him out the next day and all was well. I think it all worked out for everyone that he stayed and the rest of us finished up the hike. Dad, Shelley and I left early the next morning to drive home and Ciana and Craig had a couple more days at Zion before they headed back home to California.
We had the best time! I am so glad that we got to do that. It's always a hike that I've wanted to do, but never had the chance. It is absolutely gorgeous and such a fun way to see the canyon and national park!
No comments:
Post a Comment