A cold front – accompanied by daily precipitation – seems to be passing through the entire southwest. We knew that climbing would be a no-go for a few days, so we decided to hit up some of the notable national parks in southern Utah. Although we saw some pretty rough weather – including rain, snow, sleet, and below freezing temperatures – it was consistently in our favor when it mattered.
First up was Zion, where we weren’t going to miss the iconic Angel’s Landing hike. John has told me for years that it’s his favorite view and his favorite hike, but even with all that hype, I was not disappointed. The treacherous drops alongside steep, angled paths pushed my fear of heights to an exhilarating level. And although it rained both on the bus ride into and out of the park, it was rain-free and beautiful the entire time we were hiking.
John in front of the final – and very treacherous looking – part of the Angel’s Landing hike.
At the summit of Angel’s Landing.
The next day, we did a backcountry Zion hike called the Subway. While getting the required permit, the ranger spent 15 minutes trying to talk us out of the hike, citing weather, hypothermia, and flooding issues. She eventually said that if we did the hike, we at least needed to rent neoprene water shoes, and bring a litany of survivalist items. At the shoe rental place, they again actively tried to talk us out of the hike. After reading a number of stories about people dying on the hike, we started getting a little nervous. We figured we would see how it looked in the morning, and turn back if we didn’t feel comfortable.
In the end, the seven-mile hike was surprisingly easy, and only required about 200 meters of wading through shallow water. While the views were spectacular, we were a little disappointed that it wasn’t as adventurous as everyone set it up to be. In an effort to make it more interesting, we tried climbing up the side walls to get a better view. John placed some trad gear in a crack and hoisted himself up until the weak sandstone crumbled and a piece ripped out of the wall. Thankfully he had placed a second piece of protection to catch his fall. And in a stroke of luck, the weather was again on our side; we didn’t see any rain during the six hour hike, but within minutes of getting back to our van, it started to pour.
A small waterfall along the Subway hike.
Me in the final stretch of the subway hike.
Finally, we headed to Bryce Canyon and arrived in the middle of a snow flurry. However, once we got bundled up and set out for a hike, the snow abruptly stopped. In the end, we enjoyed the entire hike under beautiful, clear skies.
A view of Bryce canyon.
Now if only this cold front would pass so that we can get back to climbing…
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