The Narrows

After lunch we met up with Erin and Patrick at the campground and got ready for the intense Narrows hike. We put on Chacos and quick drying cloths. We gathered our backpacks equipped with water bottles, energy packed foods, maps, and hiking sticks. As a group we hopped on the shuttle and rode it until the end of the line. The last stop of the shuttle is the beginning of the Narrows hike. The first portion is named the river walk. This is a neat and easy hike that is paved and follows as the name implies it follows the river. Where this mile long paved portion of the hike ends the official Narrows begins. There is no real trail; the river is the trail. We walked down from the pavement and got our feet wet. We began hiking in the river and the water was actually refreshing considering we have been in the heat of the desert for what seems like forever. The water was murky so I could not see the river bed this made walking tricky. We had to walk slowly because we had to watch our footing. The current was not super intense but there was definitely a current. Some of the river crossings were tricky and every once in a while a randomly placed rock or a dip would catch me off guard and it would feel like an unexpected step. The walking sticks made it a lot easier to maneuver, mostly because depending on where they hit in the stream indicated how deep the next step would be. The sticks also aided in balance, which was important, because if anyone has walked in a river they know the bed can be slippery, uneven and hard to pass. The canyon, which the Virgin River has carved, is remarkable at the even at the beginning of this hike and the views get even more phenomenal as you follow the river. It is a one way hike so the way into it we were walking into the current and there would occasional be breaks as we stepped in that would splash up and surprise us. At times the water level was up to Brad’s chest so you can imagine what I looked like. The canyon walls were smooth with streaked lines created by the force of the water. There were times when the walls were gray and even black, others where the walls were orange and red. There were moments where dripping water came directly from the canyon wall. This is caused by water seeping through the porous sandstone and then collecting once it hits a more solid rock layer. The water then travels along the rock shelf until it fins an outlet to the outside world. It looks like the rock is crying. As we traveled along there were beaches along the canyon walls. Whenever we could walk on these beaches or rock beds it was a nice break from walking upstream. There were parts where the wall looked swirly as the water had carved out sections. We all climbed up one interesting section and found a cave at the end. Although the cave was narrow it was large enough to sleep in and was really neat to climb up and all the sudden see something that you had no idea was up there from looking at it from below.

This is the cave which we climbed up to -

There was one particular bend in the river that was my personal favorite part of the hike. The canyon walls are pretty narrow at this point of the trail and they do a sharp turn to the left. The walls are mostly orange and red here with horizontal lines that look like those created when you run all your fingers in a wave like manner through sand. There are rapids generating a line of white caps along the stream and the rock overhangs the left side of the bend casting shadows. A large boulder breaks up the stream and water pulses from either side of this. As the bend opens up bright green trees grow on the left bank and hanging gardens grow from the weeping rocks. These hanging gardens are mostly ferns and vines. There were about a dozen of these leafy trees and a group of three large boulders. This would be a really nice place to spend the day and picnic or read. We stopped often to play on the beaches and the rocks along the way. A few hours in to the hike we came to a view that took our breath away. The Canyon drastically narrowed and this is the section that the hike is named for. The Canyon looks dark because the walls are so narrow and high that the sun is mostly blocked so the canyon floor is cast in shadows. Once we reached this point we sat and enjoyed it for a few minutes. Looking up to see how high the canyon walls really were was so intense.

Here we are as the Canyon Narrows -
This hike is so dangerous because of this. The canyon is formed from flowing river but the narrow nature of this part of the canyon makes it really apt to flash flooding. Flooding can be dangerous regardless where you are. In the Narrows this danger is multiplied because the water has no where to go except up. If you get caught in a flash flood it is likely that you could die in the Narrows. We were well aware of this and checked the weather just before we left. Luckily for us there were not any unexpected weather changes and the day was beautiful. Almost too warm but not where we were waist deep in water and in the shadows of a thousand plus feet canyon walls. The walk back was much easier than the hike in mostly because on the return journey the current was in our favor. We made it back in no time and the views were not at all boring the second time around. Looking at the Canyon from the opposite direction cast a new light on it. The Narrows on the way back is like an entirely new hike. Once we made it back to the where the canyon widens and a beach leads to a paved portion it was amazing to see the sunlight. I had not noticed how dark it was in the shadows of the canyon but I was surprised to see a blue-sky overhead with a bright sun. We saw some idiot feeding a squirrel and the animal jumped up to take it and nearly bit him. Then we hiked back to the shuttle and made friends with a couple from Holland on the way back. They were really nice and excited to be in America. The conversation was made interesting by the language barrier but Brad and I both enjoyed talking with them. Once back at the campsite we cooked dinner and enjoyed the company of friend for another night. The stars were out and from our site the big dipper was perfectly outlined by trees while we were looking at it.

The last day at Zion –
We at breakfast at the Zion Sol Café. We had the most delicious croissant with bacon egg and cheese, mmm mmm. From here we went to the Natural History Museum. We were hoping to hike Angels Landing but we did not have the time. There are only 24 hours in a day. Angels Landing looked like an awesome hike and the next time we make it to Zion we are definitely going to do this hike. We left by the east entrance allowing us to see this side of the drive on the way out. Zion is a really cool place although it is hot. I really liked that the scenery changes from desert to river to canyon to varying mountains depending on the section of the park you are in.