Zion National Park - The Narrows, October, 2003
After a business meeting in Las Vegas, I fled to Zion. My first
stop
was a day-hike up The Narrows. The whole Narrows trip involves a car
shuttle and a 15 mile death march or one night backpack. My route made
for a much easier but still very rewarding day-hike.
Hiking The Narrows can be problematic. Early in the year the
water level is far too high, not to mention friggin cold. In the
summer months, flash floods occur often enough, and with enough force, that
hikers are warned to make sure their life insurance is paid up. In the
fall, the water level is low enough that you can wade or walk, and flash
floods are less frequent. But the water is getting cold again.
It was okay in October - your feet just sort of get numb - but I wouldn't
want to go much later.
It's a mile up a paved walkway from the Temple of Sinawava to the
"trailhead". As you can see from the photos below, the word trailhead
is a bit misleading since much of the time you are wading up the river.
Once you get the hang of it, it's actually kind of fun.
This is a stunning trip. The kind of trip that just leaves you
emotionally drained. This canyon has been formed over thousands of
years by the Virgin River. At points it is 1000 feet up from the river
bottom.
Most day-hikers go as far as Orderville canyon, which joins from the
east (point 2). I went another half mile or so up the canyon into a
section called "the narrows).
Photography here is a real challenge - there is just not a lot of
light, and what light there is tends to have a strong color. But I
like some of the shots I got.
7 miles, minimal elevation change, but lots of water walking.
