Fun at Zions National Park

Alongside our trip to Utah, Zion’s National Park was our next stop! We were camping at Brian Head Peak (11,307 feet high) for the night and heading to Zion’s next morning! The drive to the peak was exhilarating as we could see quite a sight!  It was our first camping and we were beyond excited!

We had stayed in cabin before but not in a tent so we were very much looking into doing this! My sister in law and her boyfriend had done this many times so we were assured that we were in safe hand 😉 As we drove to the Brian Head Peak, we could feel the chill of the wind and we knew it was going to be cold! We stopped by a few scenic overlooks to capture the beautiful scenic mountains and landscape! We also met this really nice guy who let us look at the burning sun via his telescope. It was miraculous!  He gave us some great facts on the galaxy and shared his experiences.

Anyways, talking about our camping night, the guys started structuring the tents while we ladies started prepping for grilling. I love grilled foods (best thing about summer) and my sis-in-law has magic in her hands; everything she prepares is so delicious  not sure if I thanked her but Thanks Ruchi for the mouthwatering food you fed us! Everything was so delish!

We spend the night enjoying some great food under the twinkling stars along the forest while the fire kept us warm. It was my husband’s birthday the next day so we stayed up till midnight, celebrated with cupcakes and hugs! Our first time sleeping inside a tent was somewhat an experience. It was so cold I had to bundle on all my clothing to stay warm and the fear of being out into the wilderness and unsure on what is out there was terrifying.  It was a rough night and I couldn’t sleep properly… I heard animal howling (No one else heard it so not sure what it was) so it wasn’t a peaceful night for me. But the sun rose quite early so I could get some good sleep early in the morning. I needed to get plenty of rest that night as we were heading to Angel’s Landing at Zion’s National Park and I needed to recharge myself! Camping was a great experience minus the cold and hearing the wolf like sound but I guess that is the fun of camping! Mr. Husband loved the experience and he says- he could do this more often! I am pretty sure I could but I just need to bring more blankets and ear plugs with We headed to Zion’s National Park earlier next morning and it was super busy at the park there. We fueled ourselves with some great Thai food on the way and were supercharged with some red bull! We had heard so much about Angel’s landing and we were much pumped for the hike. It is one of the famous and thrilling hikes in the park. The first 2 miles of the park are well maintained but the temperature and sun made it hard for us. Few canyons offered shade but the heat made it very challenging at time. We had to take multiple stops and kept ourselves as much hydrated as we could. As we got closer towards the top, the hike started getting strenuous. The trail got narrower and support chains were attached at some sections. The sheer cliff at high elevations and walking along the edge of those cliffs was SCARY! The chains and the rock were very hot but you had to hold on to it otherwise you could fall off the cliff. There were so many people climbing up and down and you had to wait for them to pass through since the trail was constricted.

Pictured below is the first few mile of the start towards the Angels’ Landing   The beautiful view from the first view point (Angels Landing) Pictured below

    That last 0.5 mile uphill hike

Finally after about 4 hours, we made to the first viewpoint. We still had about half mile to go to the top but the heat and fatigue just couldn’t let me continue. My hands were burning and my legs were shaking. I chose not to go that extra mile just because it was frightening to just look at the cliff. It was straight uphill and we had to hold on to those hot chains (literally) to get up there. I am someone who is scared of heights so I couldn’t go more. The view upfront was amazing but the view below was petrifying. I patted myself for getting almost to the top enjoyed the amazing view and rested for some time before we headed back.

This was definitely one of the most tiring and strenuous hike that I have ever done. And the heat and sun made it worse! I think fall would be the best time for this hike and someday I would want to go back again! We didn’t have time to explore more at the park but we left promising that we would be back for sure probably on cooler months! The Zion’s National park was a unique experience and I encourage people who love to explore to visit this place. It is quite an experience!

By the time we got back to the road, we were exhausted! We grabbed some awesome food and drinks at the town nearby and headed towards our next destination; Lake Powell.

Thank you for making it till here! I appreciate your feedback so please leave me comments!

Love,
Mash

Photos Captured by Sarobar Kasaju