A last minute anniversary trip to Zion/Las Vegas in January. We’ve never been to Zion before, and with the Weeping Rock/Hidden Canyon trail closed, there were two obvious hikes to do. Sam preferred not to be out over night, so we staged out of our hotel in Springdale. Out of season, the park was not crowded at all. 

The Narrows bottom up hike was well worth the $55 per person equipment rental cost at Zion Adventure Company. A full drysuit, two pairs of neoprene socks, and canyon boots. Although this was the cleanest rental gear I’ve ever used, I hope to own my own drysuit by this time next year. There were plenty of open spots in the Sinawava parking lot at noon. We made it about halfway through Wall Street in about two and a half hours, with plenty of stops for photos. No crowds on this hike. By 4:20 we were back at the parking lot. The drysuits did their job, which is a tough one with Sam, as she has horrible extremity circulation. But even with the occasional waist-deep wading, she was never too cold.  I believe the Virgin was at 80cfs.

The next day we decided to head up to Angel’s Landing. It was Saturday, and thus quite a bit more crowded than yesterday’s hike. At the staging point for the final chain-assisted ascent, Sam reiterated her aversion to deadly elevation exposure and decided to wait for me to head up on my own. And by “on my own,” I mean along with the hundred or so other hikers who were on the chains at the same time as me. The route is long enough that it didn’t feel crowded though, and I flew past everyone who doggedly insisted on holding onto the line every step of the way. The top is a sight worth working for. I wouldn’t want to try it with summer crowds though. We had planned to continue up the West Rim Trail to the spring, but Angel’s Landing was enough adventure for me for the day, and Sam was happy to head back as well. 

Tomorrow we would head to Vegas to finish out the trip. After 13 years, I’m so happy to have this woman as my best friend. Thanks for everything, Sam.