Little Zion hike...nothing to write home about ;)

When I first pulled into Zion last night I was all jazzed up that I could get a camp site right in the park - surely this would help me to get a jump-start on the next day's activity. Turns out I could only get a spot next to a few families with 8-9 kids. Seemed great until I wanted to sack out (they were up late and then early!) I suppose being tired added to the challenge of the hike.

I had read about the Angels Landing hike on the Internet http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-angels-landing-trail.htm beforehand, and it sounded fine. I did almost yack due to the mental strain (see pics!) - especially in instances where I had to go back and recompose a shot with the camera a few times to get it right!!!

...So in a nutshell the hike coupled with the sleep deprivation left me jonesin' for a nice tranquil place to crash that night. I got pretty close to Nevada - there was a KOA (pretty predictable thus far along the way) in Cedar City, which would give me easy access to Nevada the following day. Let me tell you, I lasted about 20 mins in the campground before I had to bail. It was right next to a busy 4 lane highway. The person at the check in desk assured me that it would calm down by about 8:30 or 9...what a crock! Anyways I ended up leaving and finding something further west (of course the new campsite turned out to be on the opposite side of the noise spectrum...can't there be a nice middle ground?!) The Honeycomb Rocks (http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/recreation/campgrounds/honeycombrocks.html) park was 10 miles out in the middle of nowhere down unimproved dirt and rock roads. I was the only person out there in the pitch black (scenic with the stars, yes, but also you tend to feel a bit vulnerable with potential animals and stuff!) Even though it was pretty late after I set up the tent, I drove the 10 miles back to a tiny gas station to ask them if it was safe out there (like if I'm the only one out there, do I have to worry about bandits or anything) - they couldn't even comprehend the concept!! They did however tell me a nice story about how they hated NJ because one time they drove through it with their diarrhea-stricken kid and no one would let them use their facilities. Needless to say, another light sleep. Loves it!

Pics:

I should have known better when I set up camp in Zion...check out that massive tent right next to me!! It easily accommodated all 8-10 kids + parents!!! Note to self - see big tent, avoid like plague...

I knew I was in for a treat when I saw a bunch of these signs on my hike...

You have to hike for a couple of miles or so until you get to the "life chains". At first, I was all brassy and thought it would be a cake walk. I'm wondering why they're even there!

It started to get a little more dangerous...don't fall man!

...And then even more extreme...that's a 1,200 foot drop off the ledge you walk on. Not a place for heights haters (I think I'm middle of the road...not loving it but can push through!)

Nice views on the way up...

Here's a huge sheer drop off to my left...as you can see, didn't really want to let go of the chains for the shot. Unfortunately, I had to take this shot 3 times to get the proper exposure etc. Felt great to crawl around on the ledge!!!

That's the top that you eventually end up on...

I made it!!

Oh yeah, there was a really tame 'munker up there that came right up to me...he was probably looking to nab a little nibble or something, and I'm sure many folks accommodated in the past!

The rocks were really cool - massive geologic forces at work to generate this kind of stuff...

Check out the sweet blooming prickly pear. My favorite kind of cactus - these things rock.

Oh yeah, so on the way out of Zion there was a campsite - for a split second I contemplated crashing there for the night. But what's the white truck all about...is there going to be some kind of construction or something that will yet again impede the beauty rest??

...oh - even worse - think I'll skip this puppy ;)