Angels Landing

Angels Landing is a towering 5785 foot monolith gracing Zion National Park in Southern Utah.  The hike, with an 1488 foot elevation gain, up this narrow fin is one of the most thrilling in the National Park system.  

The trail up to Angels Landing starts at The Grotto.  Farther along, the trail begins to get steep.

The trail up this exposed ridge is steep and narrow with long drop offs sometimes on both sides.  The views, however, are spectacular!

looking back.  still near the beginning.

Looking up, there is spectacular beauty!

After hiking through Refrigerator Canyon, we begin the portion of the trail called Walter's Wiggles, a series of 21 tight switchbacks going straight up.  (Check out the links below to see photos.  One is starred.  Look quickly to see what this really looks like.)

looking up at the last few switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles  

(To get a sense of what this is really like, check out the links below!)

After making it to this point, we come to Scout's Lookout, a large flat area with restrooms.  Many people stop at this point because the next section is scary as you will see.  Here we stop to eat our sandwiches. 

Next up:  the chains!  The last half mile is across a narrow ridge with drop offs on either side.  Along most of this section, chains are anchored into the rock.

Don't look down!

There is a section about a quarter mile long of scrambling up rocks, holding on to the chain.  We made it!  The end of the hike!  NOT!  Look ahead and above--there's the last quarter mile!  up that fin!  (You can see part of this trail under the pine branch.)
Disclosure:  I stop at this point and take photos of the brave souls continuing on.  That would include my husband and our friend Pam.

See the narrowness and drop offs on either side?!

coming back down from the very top.

Actually, coming down was much easier and less scary than going up.  If I had known that, I may have continued on at least for a bit.

On our way back down now.

 

the end of the trail--the bridge over the Virgin River

LINKS:
Zion National Park Angel's Landing information

National Park Service virtual hike

Joe's Guide to the hike complete with topo map 

great trail photos --see Walter's Wiggles 2nd row 3rd from left

*great photo of Walter's Wiggles-- a must see!

another Zion POST with some links

good trail information

Walter's Wiggles were named after Walter Ruesch, the first superintendent of Zion National Park.  He oversaw the construction of the West Rim Trail as well as the trail up Angels Landing.  He wanted a trail that was functional yet melded into the landscape.

I'm so happy Ms Jenny has decided to do another round of Alphabe-Thursday! This is such a fun meme!  Thank you, Ms Jenny!  Come and join in the fun!  You will be charmed and even enlightened in a delightful way!  See more entries HERE. This week we are at the beginning of the alphabet with the letter "A."

I'm also participating in SkyWatch Friday, another fun meme with lovely photographs from all over the world!  SkyWatch Friday is hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.

photos by me © 2010

vacations!

Vacations are the shimmery gossamer threads of enchantment from which memories are woven.  After years gone by, how they shine in our hearts!  When I was  younger, it was summer vacations that I most remembered about my childhood family experiences.  To the beach we would go for a 2 week holiday.

little snippets of memories:

◊ the breeze blowing the curtains in my room as I lay in the twilight ready for sleep

◊ my Dad and I laughing as a wave we have been riding spills us upon the sand

◊ dinner at a restaurant on the boardwalk with little mints on the table 
◊  the wind blowing me off my feet 

LINKS:

Summertime....back in the day.... with photos from the past
hot fun in the summertime! with photos from the past

I still love the beach, and it makes the perfect wintertime getaway for me and my husband.  Often I get to celebrate my birthday and our wedding anniversary then.  (They are only several days apart in February.)  Once on my birthday, I was on a snorkeling trip in the Caribbean.  Nothing could be better.  To lie in the sand under the hot sun, swim in the cool water, and relax, ahh, just relax.  time to be still and just enjoy being alive.  

In the summertime, I like a more active vacation--one that involves exploring and hiking and seeing beautiful natural scenery.  When my kids were growing up we'd often take two week vacations "out West"--the western US, that is. 

some memorable times:

◊ hiking in the Grand Canyon--more than once (I have a dream to hike all the way to the bottom and back up again, of course!)  One time my husband helped rescue a guy who was struggling to make it back out.  But that's a whole other adventure!
◊ hiking in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado) with my husband and daughter.  We lost the trail coming back up from the bottom and made our own way which was rather steep for a while.  We had to pull ourselves up by grasping onto bushes.  (We later considered this fun and an adventure!)  There was a guy who came into our very secluded campsite at dusk and talked to us while we were starting to eat dinner.  This was very strange and we reported it as soon as he left.  We later believed he was a criminal that the police were hunting.  But that's another story.
◊ standing inside a giant redwood tree  (Seeing redwoods had been a dream of mine since I was 10 and a friend visited California)
◊ the stunning, electric, living blue water of Crater Lake
◊ the devastation caused by the fires in Yellowstone, the volcano of Mt. St. Helens

◊ seeing the incredible majesty of Glacier National Park
◊ the buttes, and other strange and wonderful desert land formations in Arizona and Utah
◊  seeing wildlife up close--elk, bears, moose
◊  snowball fights in Summer!
My dream vacation is visiting any of these most wondrous places and reveling in the beauty.  I have been most blessed to have seen such marvels.
This is for the etsybloggers' team carnival. 


photos by me © 2008-2010
GUIDE TO PHOTOS:
long ago
Prickly Pear, an uninhabited island near St. Maarten (coral reefs!)
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Glacier National Park