I woke up for my second day at Zion National Park with an inexplicable amount of energy and surprising lack of soreness considering my impromptu three-hour, 1,500ft hike the day prior. Emboldened, I decided to explore more of the gems the park had to offer.
The hike to Hidden Canyon was similar to the one I'd made to Angel's Landing the day before. About 45 minutes of long switchbacks up the mountain followed by a few short switchbacks to a ridge overlooking the valley below. The ridge had a spectacular view of Angel's Landing, my pinnacle the day before, as well as excellent views up and down the whole canyon. The last third of the trail was the coolest part, essentially a path worn into rock that juts out from the sheer mountain face and bends in and out of the vertical ridges of the mountain. On one side was solid rock, on the other was an ominous drop to the bottom, and below me was a barely three foot wide path of rock becoming evermore slippery with the falling rain. I suddenly had a new favorite piece of gear, my Keen sandals with surprisingly superb rubber soles that provided excellent traction despite the rain.
I found Hidden Canyon at the end of the official trail, but a path through the narrow canyon continued on. As I made my way, I took in the scenery from the imposing canyon walls (no more than 10ft between the two sides) to the unique rock formations that dotted the walls. About a half mille in, I discovered a cool looking arch carved out of the rock that provided the perfect place to rest and have lunch before turning back.
About half way back down the trail, it split and continued up another mountain. I followed it for about a half hour, with fantastic views of Zion Canyon along the way. I reached a placed called Echo Canyon which was another narrow canyon, but this one had a rock outcropping covering most of it for about 300ft. Everything, obviously, echoed inside. It alos turned out to be one of the more picturesque locations I'd found...although there were plenty to choose from throughout the park.
Back down the moutain, I took the park shuttle to the literal end of the road to venture into The Narrows. The Narrows is one of the iconic trails of Zion National Park. The full trail is about 16 miles long, twisting through a tight canyon that sometimes narrows to as little as two feet wide. The trail is essentially the Virgin River itself as it winds through the canyon. You hike it by forging through the water to reach the next patch of land spaced out along the river. At least half the hike is spent in the water with many stretches sans land along the way.
As a day hiker, I started at the end of the trail and worked my way upstream along the river. The diehard backcountry types start 16 miles away and work their way downstream. I got a quick initiation since only way to start the trail upstream is to jump right into the river. Yikes!! FR-EEZ-ING! I later learned that the river temperature was a toasty 57F that day. Would've been nice to know that beforehand...shorts were NOT ideal gear for those conditions. The water went just above my knees and I soon lost feeling in both legs.
About 10 minutes into my trek, I came to a 10ft wide spot of the river where the next patch of land was 50ft away....and the river depth dropped to about 5ft. The hypothermia-inducing water rose to mid-chest and my body went temporarily numb as I shivered my way to the other side. Making it through, I hiked over a mile upstream, criss-crossing rapids, deceivingly strong currents and rocky riverbed as I sought out each parcel of land. But, the freezing temps and potential damage to my procreative abilty faded away with the mesmerizing scenery all around me. The Narrows was an array of astounding natural beauty with something awe-inspiring around virtually every corner. The hike put an exclamation point on my trip to Zion and left me hoping to return at the earliest opportunity.
SEE PICTURES: "Zion National Park - Day 2" in Photo Gallery
