Zion - trekking to Angels Landing at 5,240 feet

We were on our tour bus by 5.45am and then the National Park shuttle bus to take us to The Grotto for the beginning of our trek. Now to call this a hike or a trek. Peregrine did not grade this tour so our expectation was just a bus trip with stops for viewing the scenery. How wrong we were, or Peregrine was, a point we will make when we get home. This is a tour which should be graded moderate at least, but all things I have read and the national park indicate that Angels Landing is " a strenuous trek of 5 miles to be undertaken by experienced hikers" So based on Peregrines normal grading this would be classed as difficult. People have died falling from the narrow ledges!

Anyway we were in our way by 6.20am hoping to get on the trail before the crowds. The upper part requires scaling over long narrow ledges with one way traffic only in many places and our guide was anxious to get up and back before the crowds. The trail crossed over a bridge and followed the Virgin River for a short distance before starting the climb. The beginning is at 3000 feet altitude and will will get up to 5240 feet at the top. To begin the trail is cement based with small wash-aways but soon begins the switch backs that will lead us upwards. A switch back is where the trail goes up in one direction, makes a sharp often steeper turn and then heads in the opposite direction continuing the climb. We can see the peak which is Angels Landing and wonder how we can possibly get up there as from this angle looking up it is impossible to see the path.

I am beginning to puff and I am soon at the back, with Joanne along for support. The guide is up ahead and will stop to wait for us, then as soon as we get there the group takes off, so typically the slower Trekkers don't get a rest. We have an Irish couple with us and they soon give up and head back, and probably catch a shuttle bus back to the town - we never did find out what happened to them although they did turn up for dinner later, but no explanation.

By now the going is getting very tough. I try to look up at the sandstone cliffs/maintains above, the sunlight now causing changes to the colours of the rock faces. It is exhausting. We do have few minutes rest at a couple of locations, then we enter Refrigerator Alley - a long cool section thorough a narrow valley. The rangers have placed signs periodically from here upwards asking for Trekkers to be quiet so as not to disturb the wildlife and therefore the environment. I am puffing hard now and enjoy the short rests and try to keep hydrated. It is a lovely morning and the scenery is quite breath-taking and a feeling of solitude exists even though we are in a group there is still very few others up this far so early in the morning.

Our next test of legs is a section of about 20 minutes where we enter Walters Wriggles and part where the switchbacks become shorter and steeper - going upwards at a heart pumping rate, each corner coming in about 10-15 metres of shirt sharp straights and the turns. With these finished it back to the normal switchbacks and some sections where it is just straight up.... and up.

Finally we reach Scout Lookout at about 4200 feet. To is a slight plateau and a good rest point. From here Angels Landing is only half a mile away, but that will take us about one and a half hours over the treacherous drop offs for an elevation increase of just over 1000 feet! Another Irish man travelling by I self decides that the trail ahead is not for him so he elects to stay at Scout Lookout, and the rest of us proceed to the first chained area - a narrow section which has a chain for holding on to, bolted in to the side of the sandstone cliff - a narrow 500 mm pathway, and a drop of about 1000 feet to the valley floor on the other side - and of course it's going upward as well. Unfortunately the height distances required between steps were too great for Joanne's little legs and she elects to return to Scout Lookout - I felt so sad for her as she desperately wanted to do this. I continue on, regretting my decision almost immediately when I have to take control of my anxiety, shortness of breath and sense of helplessness with the situation I am in - up on a cliff face wanting to look down at the valley below and the fantastic scenery, but then thinking of the position I'm in. There is a chain for support in some places, but I others you have to use your "sure foot'ed ness" to scramble along a ridge line. We are still going up at an alarming rate which meant that the fear factor is also increasing with each puff of breath I take. With the long drop offs and the long narrow ridges, some with and some without chains, it's a very challenging last half mile which seems to go on for much longer, despite the guide telling us we are nearly there. The natural steps of the trail in some places then disappear and requires scrambling along cliff faces using hands to grip the sides of the sandstone and to lift your legs to the next natural foothold - and not look too closely at the valley floor directly 2000 feet below.

Finally, we come up over the top of the last sandstone face and we are there - the top of Angels Landing - 5240 feet up, with magnificent view towards Zion Village, the rive and winding road below. I all along a relatively flat ridge line (think the top of Bluff Knoll) to arrive slightly higher at the summit and open up a panoramic 360 degree view. Breathtaking. Stunning. Awe-inspiring. Magnificent, emotionally charged vista. Trying to capture this by camera is difficult, but I have tried. There were chipmunks and squirrels bounding around; there was a cooling breeze and the sun was beginning to show some warmth. I sat down and soaked it all in for about 30 minutes.

A few others had passed us and by now there were many others on their way up. It was time to do back down. Going down wasn't as difficult as I thought, but still required careful foot placement and was more slippery - there were a few spots of rain as thunderstorm clouds gathered further up the canyon. Going down required us giving way on the narrow and chained sections to groups coming up or forcing our right of way as it is only one way traffic.
My knees were aching and some of the long drops required my to sit on my bottom and slide down to the next natural foot-hold.

At last we rejoined Joanne and Fergal the Irishman at Scout Lookout. Joanne greeted me with a big hug and congratulations. I had a rush of adrenalin and cried with emotion in having accomplished something which I said to Joanne was the toughest, most challenging and most dangerous thing that I have ever done.

As a group we set off on the downward journey back to our starting point at The Grotto. We both took our time and stopped for photos. This time the trail was visible to us below as it snaked its way down the mountain. It was hard on my knees and consequently we were quite slow. So slow that we were the last to get back to The Grotto.

Photo is of me at the top of Angels Landing with the valley below.

We stopped at the visitors centre and then to Springdale and our hotel. It was definitely siesta time.

Later in the day we walked the quaint streets, admired the scenery towering around she town and then joined the group for dinner at 6pm - pizza for me and more bottomless sodas.

What a day - Zion, your stunning. So much to see and do in a wonderful Natural environment. Bruce Canyon tomorrow - can you beat this?