Road Trip--Zion National Park

I didn't get to bed until about midnight last night. At about 6:00 this morning, I briefly considered getting up and getting to the park on the first shuttle at 6:45. But my relief from not having a pesky Siamese demanding breakfast and play made me roll over and go back to blissful sleep until 8:45. I roused myself up and went down the road to an organic apple orchard that also offered coffee. I got a couple of very tasty apples and coffee, sat down at the park bench outside and enjoyed breakfast. It was already getting hot so I knew I was in for a hot day. I went back to the hotel, checked out, got ice and water in my tea jar, and got myself together take the shuttle to the park. As I walked out of the hotel plaza, I noticed the flags and the incredible view ahead of me. I thought, this is what America is about, these broad paint strokes of nature that indicate the vast potential that each of us can harness the energy from.
Once at the park, I decided to go ahead and purchase the annual park pass. By the time I get back to California I would already have paid for the pass and it might, just might encourage me to go to a few more parks in the upcoming calendar year.
I made my way to the As park shuttle, got on and got off at the second stop which promised a river walk. But it seems that I went the wrong way because I found myself down at the river with not much of a trail.

I even went into the water thinking maybe if I rounded the bend in the water, I would find the trail. But after the bend, there wasn't a visible trail. I was game enough to continue in the water but decided that I didn't really want to go hiking in the water alone. As my mother's daughter I had pictures of me slipping on the rocks, banging my head and getting myself in a fix knowing that she would never forgive me for getting myself in such a fix. So I turned around and hiked out of the water. Up on the bank I had to tromp through sand, some of which hitchhiked in my socks and later rubbed my ankle raw a bit in the back. Grrrr.

I hopped back on the shuttle to the next stop which was the Patriarch's Plaza--Ok, so it wasn't Plaza but that's all that I can pull to mind at the moment. I hiked up about 50 feet to the view point which was amazing.
The next stop was the lodge and the Emerald Pool Trail. I headed across the lodge lawn to reach the trail head. The trail was well marked and fairly easy to hike. At 11:30 it was well over 100 and the brief shade along the way was extremely welcome.

Eventually I made it to the refreshingly cool Emerald Pool located about about 100 feet below, a misting waterfall poured down the overhanging rock above the trail and into the pool. Rather than turn around I decided to hike on down to the Grotto Trail head about another mile or so along the path. It continued to get hotter as I went along but I was enjoying the walk. I had time to ponder.

On my walk, I thought about the Camino to Santiago and I realized what I would hope to get from as I became aware that I believed that I was doing at the moment the reason we came down out of the trees and became upright--to locomote-to move across inhospitable terrain in search for the more hospitable. I felt a sense of oneness with myself and all that was around me, my body was doing what it had evolved over the millinia to do. I felt complete listening to the sloshing of my ice water in my back pack and the riotous bleating of the tree frogs. Yes, this is why I want to walk 500 miles and why I think the Camino has become increasingly popular in the last few decades. I think that people feel the need to reduce themselves to the essentials of movement, food, water and shelter--the things of the body and not the mind--to regain perspective. It is the mind that wants more and more often to the detriment of the body when the mind is allowed to run without check and society today isn't doing a lot of check the wants and desires of the mind these days. Yes, I was a bloody philosopher today. I reached the end of the trail with the next section called Scout's Look Out and then on up to Angel's Flight which was tagged with enough warnings of impending death that I knew that Scout's Lookout would be the end of my hiking for the day. I headed down the trail which began to climb in elevation. I realized I felt that the heat had wrapped me up as it it were the walls of a cocoon. I got up a steep section and had to stop to let my heart rate slow down. I began to realize that I would have to turn around soon because this body of mine in this heat was not up to much more. A breeze began to blow and I made it about 1/4 of a mile further along. I rounded a bend and realized that the next part of the trail was even steeper. I had to turn around. I didn't have enough water to go any further and if I tried I might actually get myself in distress. It was 1:30 and I needed more water and lunch. I headed back down, caught the shuttle back to the lodge where I had some much needed water and a salad before going back into Springdale to get my car.
I relaxed for a bit in Springdale but about 3:45 I went back into Zion to go on the Bryce Canyon an 86 mile, 3 hour trip.

I started up the road and quickly realized that it just the type of road I find terrifying. Steep drops, switch backs and no guard rails. Ok, I told myself, you can do this, slow and easy that's all you need to do.

I got out at a turn out, looked at the sheer cliff face, noticed the cut out above and the sound of cars. Ah, that's the tunnel up there, that is where I will be soon. At the tunnel we had to wait about 8 minutes for the oversized traffic in the opposite direction to get through. About 10 cars were lined up behind me and the one car ahead of me when a van comes barreling up on the wrong side of the road. The ranger stopped he and said "Hey buddy what do you think you are doing?" I didn't hear his answer but she said, "Well, you can't go any further unless you want a head on, pull in up there and stay there until I say you can go." Geez, there is always someone, right?
After the tunnel, the switchbacks and curves continued for about another 7 miles and then the road evened out into my favorite type of highway--rolling and scenic. What gorgeous verdant landscape. I also noticed that the temperature was also dropping the closer to Bryce that I got. By the time, I got to Bryce it was 65 degrees and sprinkling. What a relief. I checked into the Best Western, called Mom to let her know I hadn't done myself in and went across the street to have dinner. When I came out into the almost twilight I looked up to find a rainbow. Then on closer inspection I realized that it was actually a double rainbow. Life is good.