Utah Camping Trip: Day 1 - Flagstaff, AZ => Virgin, Utah
Daily Highlights:
Woke up at 4:45am to catch my flight
While waiting for the second leg of my flight, the engine spontaneously combusted, and we had to wait an additional three hours for them to find another plane
Finally flew into Flagstaff, met up with Connor, switched from his VW van into the rental car, got Hawaiian BBQ, and then started to gather supplies
We went to Target to snag food for the week
We went to Walmart to get propane canisters for cooking
THEN WE HIT THE ROAD
Drove 5 hours to our campsite located right outside of Zion National Park
We arrived at 9pm in the fading daylight, drove aimlessly around to find a camping spot, and then started to set up camp
Once camp was made, we swiftly made a gourmet camping dinner of Hobo Stew
For the uninitiated - this is ground beef, potatoes, onions, peppers, and seasoning all tightly wrapped into a bed of tinfoil - *spoiler alert* - it’s delicious
I ate it perched on a rock because I foolishly did not think to bring a chair
Also there was minimal light pollution, so for dessert we got to gaze at a sea of stars glittering in the night sky
Utah Camping Trip: Day 2 - Zion National Park - Angels Landing Hike
Daily Highlights:
I naturally woke up at the crack of dawn, putzed around the camp ground in the early hours, and got to the see the morning sun light up the canyon
We had a breakfast scramble in a cast iron skillet
Almost everything cooked in a cast iron skillet outdoors will taste delicious
We made the forty minute drive into town, overpaid for parking, and then made our way into the park
You cannot actually drive into the park to visit the main parts, but are required to take a shuttle so there is minimal driving in the park
While getting out tickets, we found out The Narrows was closed for the day and it was going to be 105 degrees. We were originally going to do this hike first, but decided to make an audible and hike Angels Landing.
While waiting in line for the shuttle, we found out the reason The Narrows Trail was closed is that there was a search and rescue for a lost hiker.
We started the Angels Landing hike, made it up the mountain through the miles of switchbacks, and were greeted by a sea of people (the line looked like one for a marvel movie premiere)
We waited in line for two hours in the sizzling sun to climb the chains to get to the peak of Angels Landing
During this two hour climb up the mountain, the trail was packed with people going both ways over very small patches of trail. There were frequent traffic jams and hostage negotiations used to get to the top.
Once we finally got to the top, we rested in the baking sun and enjoyed the view
The way back down was so much easier and less crowded
Once we were at the bottom of the mountain and finished hiking 6+ hours in the high heat, we jumped into a river, and stayed there for what felt like a solid hour.
Once we were out of the park, we decided to venture into the conveniently placed Zion Brewery. It’s located about 6 feet from the entrance to the park.
We drank a few pitchers of deliciously cold, well-earned beer and enjoyed sitting down in the shade.
After Zion Brewery, we lazily drove back to the campsite and then immediately fell asleep. It was a good day.
Somewhere towards the front of the line to hike Angels Landing.
Top of Angels Landing - the backside view
Top of Angels Landing - the frontside view
Utah Camping Trip: Day 3 - Zion National Park - The Narrows Trail
Daily Highlights:
I woke up early with the sun again and got to see the morning sun light up the canyon
We had a breakfast scramble in a cast iron skillet again (fan favorite)
We drove to the park in the morning to hike along the Scenic Overlook Trail in the lower temperatures of the early morning (this was very easy)
We drove through the park to a parking spot, walked a leisurely mile, and then, BOOM, we were there.
We then parked the car in a parking spot very far away (it was close to being in another town), hiked our way to the shuttle entrance, and started to make our way to The Narrows
Hiked for 6+ hours through the The Narrows Trail that was filled with slot canyons and large gorges all while you are walking through various depths of water ranging ankle deep to chest deep to ten feet deep
Once we were finished wading in the river and dry enough, we made our way back to Zion Brewery to have some more beer and malaise in the shade
We then made the forty minute drive back to the campground and had a dinner of two cans of chili and bread
While we were working through our dinner, two guys riding horses and sporting cowboy hats wandered into our campsite
We quickly learned that these were two sons of the owner of the ranch we were staying on and they wanted to see our reservations.
One of the sons pulled out a smartphone and checked that our reservation was valid. We proceed asking them questions about the horses, growing up on a ranch, and what other jobs they get stuck with on the ranch. The graciously answered our questions and then trotted off to the other campsites. We are not in California anymore.
The top of the scenic overlook trail, viewing over the valley below.
