Wild Turkeys and Angels Landing- Zion

Prior to Bryce & Sedona we visited the Red Cliffs of Zion National Park. My first impression, other than awe at the beauty, was to compare it to Yosemite--in the aspect of the huge cliffs and views and a very compact valley (so much narrower than any of the valleys in the Canadian Rockies). The Paiute who lived in the valley until the Mormons settled there called it Mukuntuweap or something like "straight up land." This apparently was the name of the park originally but was changed to Zion, honouring the naming and settlement of the Mormons instead (I think it was briefly also the cumbersome Mukuntuweap-Zion).

However, what differs from Yosemite for Zion, other than the cliffs are red sandstone and not granite, is that for so many miles around and before the valley the land around it is the Sonoran Desert. Therefore a very sharp contrast to what we have driven in for 8 days. That morning we had left Las Vegas and driven through this stark landscape and stopped at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada (a very interesting place of red landscapes and ancient pictographs but so hot--35-38C?). Then we hit the land where the Virgin River flows and suddenly there were green shrubs and trees. The kids breathed out a sigh of relief and were so joyful at trees and water! (which reversed a few days later when we re-entered the desert and Corwyn declared "I can't be in the desert anymore--NO!"). It was lovely to see and the temperatures were much cooler. Grandma Eve had joined us in Vegas and Grandpa John arrived the next day in Zion by bus so we stayed outside the park up in the high Ponderosa Pine lands at a resort that had cabins and tenting so we had to drive 45mins in to the park each day. A sightseeing expedition not just a commute that involved seeing numbers of Bighorn sheep twice and getting to go through the 1.8km tunnel. Grandparents also meant the opportunity for the kids to play and do something a bit more low key while we went on a big hike! The first day with just Grandma we took our bikes and Grandma rented and we cycled the 2km pathway from the main visitor center and a portion of the closed off road. The great thing was that when the kids and Grandma got tired we put them on a shuttle (up to 3 bikes can go on front) and met them at our stops. That way Chris & I got to ride the whole 12 miles there and back (which was a fabulous downhill ride on the way back that included a thundershower and fork lightning!).

And yes, we saw a Wild Turkey that day. It is kind of mind boggling to see such a large mostly ground bird in North America. I wonder how common they are--the map shows them to be widespread across the central and eastern USA but such a large delicious looking bird (says the vegetarian) I can't imagine they are that common. Here are both kids with it as they would be jealous if I only posted the one pic.

The hike Chris & I summitted was to the peak of Angel's Landing. Named again by the Mormons, this peak was said to be so high and sheer that 'only angels could land on it.' It isn't really a super long hike--average strenous uphill hike that took us ~3hrs including lunch but it is a mental challenge especially. You first hike up to a nice viewpoint called Scouts landing and through a small canyon where Mexican Spotted Owls nest (there were signs telling us to be quiet there to avoid disturbing them). Then by permit only (Chris nabbed a $10 permit back in January) you hike a Angel's landing a ridge, most of it with a metal chain to hold on to for security. The parts that I had the most challenge with were right at the start where the rock sloped sidways for awhile and I clung in a tight grip to the chain. Chris had more difficulty with a section that was pretty narrow with extremely sheer drop offs on either side (right to the valley floor)--it is discombobulating being able to see down into the canyone on both sides in your peripheral view! But we managed it and there was enough space for a large number of us to sit at the top and enjoy lunch in a semi-relaxed state before heading down.

The interesting thing about hiking in the National Parks in the USA that we have encountered so far is the sheer number of people hiking with you. Even with the permit system that is limiting the # of hikers on this challenging precipice, there were still hundreds of others doing the hike with us. There were times we had to shrink into a side ledge and let 12 people pass us before we could proceed. And the unpermitted hike had a few hundred more--and this is a fairly strenuous hike! I've never encountered that kind of volume on a hike anywhere in Canada and usually if there is a crowd a few steps up a rocky trail and you're alone. Not here--here you realize that even if you are fit there are hundreds of others who are wanting to do exactly as you every day of the year in these parks. It's kind of awestrucking in its own way--beautiful parks and the human experience all in one.

If you were traveling and had to choose only one of Yosemite & Zion I'd say you could choose either--either will give you a similar sense of awe and wonder and opportunities to explore the park no matter how able you are. Zion has an even better road that is now blocked to traffic except shuttles and bicycles that goes up the valley for ~12 miles and Yosemite Valley is perhaps a bit wider with a few more opportunities (like big Redwood hikes) but overall either would be marvelous. Anyway we're in full swing into the 'canyons' part of our adventure with a few more big ones to explore next (The Grand...) and we're moving into a more human history aspect too with both ancient and current (Navajo Nation--the largest nation within the USA) up next. Can't wait!