Hiking, photography, and more hiking

Made it out to Utah just fine on Wednesday. After I got in, I hit the road for the 4 hour drive to Zion National Park. I've been to Zion before, about two years ago, but this time it was a lot different. First off, I got to finally hike the Angel's Landing trail. It was closed last time due to inclement weather.

Angel's Landing is a huge rock formation that sits in the middle of Zion Canyon. It's a tough 2.5 mile, 1600' climb up to the top, but the views are worth it. Along the way you also hike up a series of switchbacks called Walter's Wiggles. These switchbacks zig-zag you up the side of the canyon and gain elevation pretty quickly. My legs were burning when I finally got up them.

Yesterday I took some photographs in the morning and after a bite of breakfast, headed out to climb up to Observation Point. This was another hike I wanted to do, but couldn't. It was a tough hike, just as Angel's Landing was. It climbs roughly 2100' above the canyon floor over four miles. The views were incredible and have to be the best in the park. If you manage a visit to Zion, definitely hit that trail.

After that, it was back in the car to head to Page, AZ. It was a nice drive over here through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I also got to see Lake Powell and Glen Canyon along the way. The scenery here is outstanding.

Today it's off to Bryce Canyon National Park, back in Utah. I'll be driving through another section of Grand Staircase-Escalante, on what's supposed to be a very scenic drive, Cottonwood Canyon Rd. I can't wait!