Road Trip part two: Zion - Observation Point
When JK and I visited Zion National Park in September, we only had time to do a really short hike. This time we got permits for the Subway, supposedly one of the coolest hikes ever…unfortunately though, hiking the Subway requires walking through water almost the entire time, and the ranger we spoke to told us the water was 45 degrees - eeep! So we quickly abandoned that idea and decided to hike up to Observation Point instead.
The hike is 8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of over 2,100 feet, so needless to say it begins with a seemingly endless row of switchbacks out of the main canyon - luckily we got to do those in the shade, so we didn’t start dying just yet. The fun started once we were done with the switchbacks and entered the beautiful Echo Canyon:
The sun started toasting us just as we hit the white slickrock area, so we decided a potassium break was in order (we had to make up for a lot of sweating…) before hitting the next set of ruthless switchbacks:
We kept looking for rattlesnakes and other exotic wildlife our entire trip, but we had to make do with good, old-fashioned lizards. At least they’re really cute :)
I don’t know why I keep going to high places when I have such an insane fear of heights…or, ok, yes I do - it’s because you get views like this:
We had lunch on the cliff, then turned around and hiked back.
Zion is such and amazing place, I’m sure this won’t be our last trip - after all, we have to go back and hike the Subway some day (when the water is muchmuchmuch warmer). Anyway, we drove on and reached Arizona just in time to enjoy the sunset on the Glen Canyon Dam by Lake Powell:
Next stop: Page, Arizona.
If you’re interested in hiking in Zion, Joe’s Guide to Zion National Park is a fantastic resource - it has descriptions and photos of all the most popular trails in the park.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Well geez, I’m so jealous of all your wonderful travels. I too have an intense fear of heights and just seeing you sitting on the edge of that cliff in the pic gave me the willies. ;p
Love reading about your adventures, and I’m so glad you’re back blogging again! Great photos too. :)
May 15th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Såååå mange flotte bilder her i bloggen nå..for en opplevelse!! :D
May 16th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Man, I keep thinking, “I hope they brough tons of sunscreen!” You guys had some amazing weather for hiking, judging from the pictures! And I can’t beleive all the beautiful shots you’ve gotten. I’ve never been a hiker, but this is almost enough to convert me!
May 16th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
WOW! Your pics are absolutely fantastic. You must have had wonderful time. Over 2000 ft gain in what seemed like a hot day is quite a workout but so totaly worth it. Will look forward to seeing more pics from your trip.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
You look positively BUFF! :) Glad you guys had a good time - I always enjoy the photos from your trips! :)
May 17th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
What fabulous photos! I’ve been on pins and needs waiting for our annual Zion excursion to start (this coming Tuesday)…your recent posts have made it all the worse. :)
Jaime Lynne and I plan to actually hike a little more this year–we usually stay at the hotel and scrap while the boys canyon. I’m dying for a great hike!
May 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
WOW! for noen utrolig fantastisk flotte bilder! Ser ut som dere hadde en kanon tur!! :)
Heldigen!
May 28th, 2008 at 4:28 am
Hi there Ingunn, This is my first visit to your bog - found you via Melanie’s blog and I’m so glad that i did. I haven’t had time to read through your blog entries yet but I absolutely love your layouts. A beautiful, elegant look - clean and crisp - just how I like them. I hope you don;t mind if I drop by every now and then. Thanks, Leanne - australia
May 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Looks awesome! :) what an amazing, exciting life! :)
June 9th, 2008 at 5:41 am
wow sååå flotte bilder fra fjellene:) jeg kan tenke meg at du har storkost deg når du har tatt så flotte naturbilder:)