Wonders of Zion

We awoke to a beautiful blue sky and the sun lighting the rocks outside our window. We have a spectacular view. The lawn slopes down from our room to the little private beach along the Virgin River. Along the sidewalks around the grounds are flower beds and little chairs set up for relaxing. It is a quiet and sweet little place. We ate our breakfast and packed our bags for a day in the park.

We walked the short distance from the Cliffrose Lodge to the park entrance and met with a line a people at the entry booth. They weren't in line to buy their passes but in line for the shuttle bus into the park. Since we had walked around the visitor's center last night and saw where the shuttles stopped we knew how long the line was - very, very, very long. We got in line around 9:15 and arrived at the trailhead at 10:40. The bus ride is said to take about 40 min which means we spent 45 minutes in line before we even got on the bus. Luckily everyone was very patient (even Scott). You could see the number of people who were serious hikers by their gear.

We took the bus to the far end and walked the Riverside Walk first. We weren't the only ones. It was a constant stream of

people. About half of them had rental gear and walking sticks for hiking The Narrows and the rest were just doing the Riverside Walk. The walk was easy; paved and fairly level along the Virgin River. At the end, Jeff and Ed put on their water shoes and went a short way in the river. It was knee high at the start but at the next crossing it was nearly waist high. They prudently decided to turn back. We all were curious about the hike and wished that we could do it but know that it wasn't for us. Even if we had rented the shoes, dry pants, and hiking stick, walking through knee high (and deeper) water over rounded river rocks would be too tough for us.

We did stop a couple places during our return walk to play in the water, skip rocks, and eat our lunch. We, wisely, chose Smuckers Uncrustables from the grocery store to pack. Easy lunch, no refrigeration necessary. It was nice getting off the trail for those few stops and away from the constant flow of people. The air was cool but

the sun warm; perfect weather.

Once we got back to the shuttle we took it only one stop and got off for a quick photo stop at Big Bend. We then rode it to the Weeping Wall and took the short walk to the wall itself. It was a steep and short walk to a beautiful undercut cave and water plants. Back on the bus we rode to the Zion Lodge where we found ice cream and a seat on the lawn under a large cottonwood tree.

Then it was on to the Emerald Pools. The first part of the walk is rated 'easy' to the lower pool so we knew that there would be lots of people. I think we were all disappointed with the overwhelming crowds of people on the trail. The first pool was under a very large undercut arch in the wall (another weeping wall). The trail went against the wall and through some of the water drips and then up and around to the middle and upper pools. We continued on and found that the crowds did, too. It was a long, hot upward slog to the upper pool. We were looking forward to a peaceful rest in the cool shade. We realized that wasn't going to happen as we arrived. People crowded around everywhere and, despite the 'no swimming' signs, kids were running around the bank of the pool and wading into the water. A few would actually paddle for a few moments before jumping back out. We watched one guy on a rock act like he was going to jump in, sure enough he did, like a belly-flop style cannonball. He later got a snorkel mask and went back in! Agh. We sat and tried to relax but it was impossible with all of the people misbehaving.

On our way back down we saw a side trail and the people coming toward us. They told us that it was a trail to the middle pool and that it was peaceful, no one was there. We thanked them and joked that they should tell no one else. It was only a minute's walk and yet we found a quiet little pool and no one around. Wow, it was wonderful. We sat in the shade and talked to a quartet of young people who also stopped to enjoy the quiet. It was probably our most favorite part of the hike, maybe even the day.

After hiking back to the lodge we took the shuttle to the entrance and walked to our room. We only stayed for a short time to cool down and then took the shuttle through Springdale to the rock shop. Ed wandered for at least 30 minutes before settling on two specimens. Dinner was pizza, and then back to the room to rest. They are playing all of the Harry Potter movies on one channel so we just watch whatever one happens to be playing. We happily sat and watched and rested. I think we were all worn out. My watch logged 6 miles of active walking exercise and 9 miles in total today. Time for bed.