Managed to get a few hours sleep and got up at 4:30am to head out to Zion National Park. I’ve been dreaming of going to Zion to hike the Narrows for years and I can hardly believe I finally got to do it!
We had heard that the park was so busy that they were turning people away as early as 11am, so although we’re usually not “morning people” we made sure to get there early because we didn’t want to risk it. Even at 6:30am we had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get on the shuttle! I’m really glad we did the hike in the morning though because it ended up taking us 6 hours. By the time we got back it was super hot and there were tons of people heading out to start the hike. On the “early shift” there were a lot less people, so it was nice that it wasn’t as crowded.
The water was freezing at first; so bad that my feet hurt! But, eventually they either went numb or I got used to the temperature because it didn’t bother me anymore (the water actually began to feel great)! It was a little tricky navigating over all the rocks, especially through the currents. But, overall it was an amazing hike... I heard one kid say, “this is the funnest day ever!” and I couldn’t agree more.
After the hike we took the shuttle back to Zion Lodge where we bought cold drinks and ate our picnic lunch. Then I laid in the cool grass under the shade of a big tree looking up at those big mountains all around me. It was a little bit of heaven on earth!
Next we drove into the town of Springdale and popped in and out of the shops up and down the street until dinner time. I had heard that Oscar’s Cafe was the best place to eat and a few locals confirmed it was true, so we headed over there and it did not disappoint! I had a pork chili verde burrito based on the waitresses recommendation and it was delicious, but it was so big I could only eat a quarter of it. Jimbo, Dawn, and I shared one of their 32 oz Mexican cervezas. Then it was time to go home, shower and hit the sack... I’m sure we’ll be sleeping good tonight!
Thank you God for an amazing day and for fulfilling my heart’s desire to visit Zion and hike the Narrows!
