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zion national park

A Traverse (Day Hike) of Zion National Park

May 17, 2011 by Shelli

I had been to Zion National Park, in southwestern Utah, on two previous occasions — enough to establish itself as one of my favorite national parks. Its beauty is stunning.

In Hop Valley, about eight miles into an approximately 50-mile traverse hike.

Our approximately 50-mile traverse hike was the idea of Mike Lanza. He recently turned 50, and had conjured up this trek that would commemorate a mile for every one of his years. My friend, Jon Dorn, who took me on the epic Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim around this time last year, was kind enough to invite me along.

On Friday, I drove 10 hours from my hometown of Lander, WY, to a hotel near Hurricane, UT, located about 40 minutes from our adventure’s start. That evening I had dinner with four of the guys who would be on the trek. (I would be the only woman, hiking with seven men.) After dinner, I set my alarm to wake up — a mere three hours later. Turns out I got a full two hours of shut-eye. Wow.

The cast of characters on the hike hailed from six states, including California, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Massachusetts and Wyoming. Included: Mike Lanza, creator of TheBigOutside.com, author of an upcoming book about climate warming in our national parks, and northwest editor for Backpacker magazine; Jon Dorn, adventure athlete and editor-in-chief of Backpacker; Mark Fenton, a race walker and bike- and pedestrian-friendly community-building consultant; Carl Schueler, an Olympic race walker who works in land use planning; Todd Arndt, a family physician and competitive runner; David Ports, multi-sport adventurer and the USA YMCA Director; Mark Godley, an avid adventurer and a sales representative for a software startup; and finally, me, a consultant, writer and aspiring life and leadership coach.

In other words, the event would be well documented and widely published, fast-moving, pedestrian-friendly, a good use of the land, well-planned, provided with medical care (medicated, even, perhaps?) and effectively sold. And, if I could keep up, perhaps I could provide some championing and cheering.

By the way, in addition to all the logistics such an epic trek requires, as a group we also agreed not to eat each other no matter the circumstances. No cannibalism. Still, as the only girl on this trip, and knowing how desperate people doing these long adventures can become, I planned to make myself look as unsavory as possible.

We started from Lees Pass, in the Kolob Canyons region, on the LaVerkin Creek Trail. It was 52 degrees at the 3:15 a.m. start and we hiked under a dark, clear sky. For the first few miles, I couldn’t see anything other than the light from my headlamp that illuminated the path in front of me, and the streaming line of little lights from the others.

Once my eyes adjusted, I could sense the huge canyon walls we were walking under and through and I could see the outline of their ridges. They were impressive in size and made me feel like an ant. And we were an awful lot like ants — carrying our loads and moving quite briskly under the enormous canyon walls in a single-file line — with great purpose.

We covered the first six miles quickly and with ease.

After about seven miles we could hear roaring water. Mike commented, “Wow. LaVerkin is running strong.” I started to get nervous as we hiked and the creek’s roar became louder, and closer. I started negotiating in my head the other things he said instead of that the creek was running strong. But I couldn’t come up with any other logical words that rhymed so I remained wound up.

Crossing a high and swift LaVerkin Creek. This is at the end of the crossing. Look at my shorts to see how deep the water was in the middle. That's David Ports behind me. (Photo by Michael Lanza)

Sure enough the creek was running strong. I’ll say! The creek isn’t wide, but looked deep and swift. I was scared. As we all looked for a good place to cross, Mark (Fenton) decided to give it the first shot. I watched as he got half way across, and was under water to his waist and stopped just short of the other side. I’m not going to lie. For a moment there, I thought he might go down creek. He is a strong guy, and yet was fighting the current pretty good. Finally he stepped up to the other side’s bank, soaked, but safe.

I was scared. I have crossed many rivers, many much wider than this creek. But I had no experience crossing a creek or river as deep and swift as this.

Todd found a little wider, less deep channel and the rest of us opted to take his route. I confided in Jon and David, “I’m just letting you guys know that I’m out of my comfort zone. I’m scared. I don’t have experience crossing deep creeks or rivers.”

Gentlemen that they are, Jon and David offered to go in front of, and behind, me. They instructed me to plant my poles and focus on getting good footing. I found that it also helped for me to look across to the other side rather than down at the swift current. Crossing in between these two strong guys made it easier and before I knew it, I was standing on the other side, wet to the tops of my thighs, but safe all the same. It was exhilarating, not to mention, cold and invigorating.

Mike Lanza and Todd Arndt, doing some early-stage hiking.

Next up was the Hop Valley Trail. We hit the valley right at sunrise and the sights were amazing. We hiked on a sandy, wet trail amidst breathtaking beauty of towering red walls to our left and right. This stretch of the trail was challenging in that we had to cross a stream that was about ankle deep with no rocks to hop on, about 10 times. We crossed it so often that it didn’t make sense to de-shoe every time. As a result, my feet got quite wet and caked and filled with orange mud during this stretch.

Although this part of the hike was absolutely breathtaking in its beauty, I was concerned that my wet, muddy shoes might present problems for my blister-prone feet, and, by that point, we were not even 14 miles into the hike. This worry weighed on me because I fully intended to make the complete traverse and was intent on preserving my feet for as long as possible. So in the big scheme of things, this wasn’t an ideal start. We also lost the trail a couple of times, which cost us a little additional time and energy. But I’m not complaining; the scenery was too outstanding and the company too awesome.

After about mile 14, we arrived at the Hop Valley trailhead. There, Amy and Lisa, wife of (speedy) hiker Mark Fenton, greeted us with homemade wheat/cinnamon waffles, coffee, yummy homemade trail mix and other gourmet treats. Their smiling faces and cheering lifted my spirits, which had sunk a little out of concern for my wet feet.

Soon we were off again. It was 9 a.m., and it was heating up. We took the Connector and Wildcat Canyon trails to eventually meet up with the West Rim Trail. The four-mile Connector trail is just that — a means to connect to other trails. As we started down the trail I realized how hot the sun felt and that it was only 9 a.m. Not a super performer in high heat, I felt a little more worry set in. Fortunately by 10 a.m., gray clouds filled the sky. I was more thrilled to have cloud cover than concerned about precipitation. This cover persisted and provided significant relief from heat for several hours.

Standing along the West Rim of Zion.

It took quite a while to reach the West Rim Trail but we made up some time and had returned to a pretty swift hiking pace on the two trails that would get us there.

Soon after joining the Wildcat Canyon Trail, I parted company with Mike, Todd and David, who opted for a short side trip to Northgate Peaks. (Jon, Carl and Mark F were ahead on the same side trip) I opted to continue onward. My goal was to make the traverse, rather than hit a particular total distance in miles for the day and I remained focused on preserving my blister-prone feet for as long as possible, which for me, meant not adding any additional miles.

I hiked alone for just under six miles before reaching the West Rim Trail. I took my shoes off to soak my feet and cross Blue Creek. Because I was now ahead of the others, I took my time to sit on a rock and air-dry my feet, change socks again, and consume some high-energy calories, before continuing and shortly arriving to the West Rim Trail.

This was a big deal, getting to the West Rim Trail. I have heard many times from people, and in articles I’ve read, that Zion’s West Rim Trail is absolutely spectacular. In other words, I was about to enjoy some serious payoff for my efforts thus far. I couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss about West Rim was about.

I waited for a bit to see if any of the others would show up. About 10 minutes later I heard voices and greeted Mark, Carl and Jon. Together we found a shade tree, where they all removed shoes and took a short break. Because I had enjoyed the recent break at Blue Creek, and given my eagerness to see West Rim’s sights, I opted to continue. Jon said he’d wait up for David and Mike, and I was off.

Stellar views from the West Rim Trail.

The West Rim Trail is long. It is 14.5 miles from its start to the Grotto Picnic Area, in Zion Canyon, situated on the park’s main road. For the first six or seven miles the trail is unspectacular, offering a great view of Wildcat Canyon, but not much else. It follows a pretty even grade until dropping into Potato Hollow. It wasn’t long, and speedy hikers/race walkers Mark and Carl showed up. I enjoyed hiking with them for a couple of miles, during which Todd also caught up.

Todd, approaching yet another epic vista along Zion's West Rim Trail.

We relieved our feet with a quick break, and a water re-supply in the non-scenic, burned (read: un-shaded) Potato Hollow area.

Carl and Mark jetted ahead from there, and Todd and I hiked together along the West Rim of Zion. We were both complaining, if only slightly, about the lackluster views for what was reported to be a trail known for stunning vistas.

As if on demand, everything changed. In front of us for the next several minutes was an unfolding, labyrinth of canyons. We were completely wowed. We stopped several times to just look at the jaw-dropping views before us. As if the views weren’t quite enough, there was an assortment of brand new flowers in bloom along the Rim trail. Absolutely stellar views.

From the West Rim are views of a labyrinth of canyons and unique formations.

After following the West Rim, the trail descends into and in and out of the unique and massive rock formations, for which Zion is famous. The geology of Zion includes nine formations that, combined, represent 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. Back then, warm, shallow seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments covered the area. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateau lifted the region 10,000 feet starting 13 million years ago.

Todd, on the West Rim Trail.

The North Fork of the Virgin River carved Zion Canyon, and during the later stages lava flows and cinder cones covered parts of the area. While hiking up, down and through these unique and massive cone-shaped formations, I couldn’t help but feel quite insignificant in the spectrum of time.

Starting our descent into Zion Canyon, still on the West Rim Trail.

At around mile 35, Jon caught up with Todd and I, and we consumed with much enthusiasm some Twizzlers (red licorice goodness) that were in Jon’s pack.

Massive rock everywhere as we descended the West Rim Trail en route to Angel's Landing.
Looking down into Zion Canyon and the Virgin River. (Note the climbers near bottom in the crack of the wall)

Shortly after, about 12.5 miles into the 14.5-mile West Rim Trail, we reached the spur for the noteworthy Angels Landing trail. Because I had hiked Angels Landing on a previous trip, I opted to sit this side trip out, while Jon and Todd, and Mark and his wife and daughter hiked to Angel’s Landing.

This photo shows the trail to Angels Landing, and Angels Landing itself.
Standing with the speedy hikers, Mark Fenton and Carl Schueler.
Our wonderful support crew, near Angels Landing, including Lisa and Skye Fenton and Amy.

After a good rest, I headed down the remaining two miles into Zion Canyon to the Grotto picnic area. There, Mark Godley greeted Todd, Jon and I with sandwiches and raisin and oatmeal cookies I had made. And let me tell you, this real food hit the spot.

Next up: a 2,500-foot climb up, and several more miles of hiking to meet up with the East Rim Trail, which would lead to the trek’s finish at the Park’s East Entrance. I think it was about 7:30 p.m. when we caught one of Zion’s free shuttle buses up the road to the Weeping Rock Trailhead. Remaining distance to the end of this walk in the park: 10.5 miles.

Once off the bus, Mark, Todd, Jon and I proceeded to climb several steep switchbacks before passing through the awesome and unique Echo canyon, and up, up, up before accessing the East Rim Trail. For a small bit, right before total darkness, we had a hard time remaining on the trail, which was marked by cairns on steep and uneven rock. We reached an elevation of about 6,500′.

Jon Dorn and Mark Godley pose for me as we start our ascent up the Observation Point Trail toward East Rim.
Looking into Zion Canyon from a couple miles up the Observation Point, en route to the East Rim Trail and the end.

By now, there was no more twilight so we had our headlamps on and despite the black sky, the almost-full moon lit up the ridgelines of what were very obviously massive walls and cliffs around us. I made a mental note to hike the East Rim Trail sometime in the daylight. I am pretty sure the sights are astounding.

At about six-and-a-half miles into our final stretch, we came across the stash of Gatorade that Mark G had earlier in the day cached for us. Grape Gatorade never tasted so good. With about four miles left, I told the others the news – that many of my previously-prospective blisters were now full-on open and/or torn actual problems, and that I was feeling the pain in my feet. I told them I was perfectly okay, but that they should go on ahead and that I was going to resort to listening to some music via my iPod to help me get the gumption necessary to finish this thing standing up.

I didn’t lie. My feet exploded with pain. Each step felt like I was walking on hot coals but with pins and needles also injected in between my toes, on my heels and on the balls of my feet. I’m not complaining; I’m used to blisters on my feet on these endurance hikes. And thankfully these didn’t pose problems until this point – four miles from the finish of a traverse hike across a national park. So, yes, I did choose to slow it down some, and to “dig deep” with the help of some inspirational music.

But, in the interest of full disclosure, it’s at this point of these hikes – the last few miles – that the experience becomes deeply spiritual for me. At this stage, it becomes for the first time clear that I will succeed in finishing. This makes me quite emotional. There are often tears. I shed them mostly in gratitude. I think of my husband, Jerry, and our three sons, and of their love and support. I think of my parents, and my sisters and brother and their families; of my extended family and the dear friendships and relationships that nourish and support me, and that make my life so rich. I think of the hard training I do so that I can participate in these unique endurance adventures when the opportunity comes along.

And, it is true, at this point, I’m physically exhausted, sleep deprived and due to the blisters on my feet, in serious pain. So, while I didn’t want to slow the boys down, and while I planned on being introverted as I listened to my iPod, I also wanted to be alone for the finish. The final stretch is quite personal for me.

The last four miles, which seemed more like ten miles, were surreal and beautiful. There was an almost-full moon that illuminated the sand and rocks that marked my trail, and made the slick rock to my left glow sharply white. Also worthy of noting is the fact that the final stretch drops some 2,000 feet through a Ponderosa forest. Once, a bat fluttered by my ear, and I could hear the sounds of night creatures stirring even over the soft playing of Beethoven and Enya in my ears. Stars were out as I marched, slow but deliberately, toward what would eventually be The End of this adventure.

With probably two miles remaining, I came to a water crossing. The guys were waiting there to see how I was doing and to let me know “there’s a huge gorge/waterfall to the right. Cross right near it.”

Wow. This sounded exciting. Sure enough, as I rock-hopped across, I looked to my right, down what was a rather significant gorge/waterfall. Suffice it to say you would not want to get disoriented or wobbly while catching a glimpse. (Turns out that this feature is Jolly Gulch.) And jolly, I was becoming, knowing I would soon be off my feet, and possibly even drinking a cold beer.

About an hour later, I was greeted by laughter and a bit of a tailgate party, complete with beers and bags of chips and, heck, even Twinkies, being offered by my fellow hikers, Mark, Jon and Todd. Yeehaw! While I skipped all the side trip hikes, I think with my gazillion, off-trail bathroom hikes, I may have closed in on 50 miles… 🙂 But if I didn’t, who cares?

Todd, Jon and I, with celebratory beers. (Mark G was also there but snapped this photo)

After this traverse, I have a more intimate connection with Zion National Park. I will be inspired for weeks and months – forever – by the sights that I saw, the acquaintances I made with all the guys on our trip and our support crew, and as a result of having accomplished a physically demanding pursuit.

When I learned I’d be the only girl on the hike, I was a little worried. Mind you, it’s not that this is that unusual for me to be hiking with mostly boys. After all, I’m outnumbered in a similar way at home, where my husband and I live with our three sons and our male puppy.

I didn’t want to slow the group down, or be a liability to anyone. I was honored to be invited and to be permitted to tag along with these accomplished adventurers. And, I wanted to successfully complete the traverse.

The men were all gentlemen and I am better for making their acquaintances. They, and the conversations I shared with them, enriched my experience.

VIDEOS:
HOP VALLEY VIDEO:

WEST RIM TRAIL VIDEOS (6):

EAST RIM TRAIL VIDEO:

Filed Under: Fitness, Life and Leadership, National Parks, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: east rim, traverse, utah hiking, west rim, zion national park

Angel’s Landing Hike in Zion National Park

April 24, 2009 by Shelli

Zion Trip, Pt. 2

Wow. I knew Angel’s Landing was exposed and that as a result of its heights and exposed nature it was to be an adventure.

Important Information.
Important Information.

We had been to Zion a few other times but as a family. Our sons are small so we had been (wisely) advised to stay away from Angel’s Landing… until the kids grow up.

But in early March, Kathy and I were going on a girlfriend adventure vacation and Angel’s Landing would be the “big star” on our itinerary, around which everything else revolved.

Holding on for dear life.
Holding on for dear life.

We got to the trailhead around 7 am to get an early start. We highly recommend that hikers start early. This way they’ll get to enjoy the views and the trail in solitude. I can’t imagine what it would be like hiking the narrow ridge to the top of Angel’s Landing if there was a line of hikers coming up and down. You don’t go hiking in a national park’s backcountry to be pressed and crowded. You can sleep in another time. (Or so we thought…)

We started up. It was pretty mild. A climbing and switchbacking trail to be sure, but nothing too tough to start. However, we had hiked to Observation Point the previous day which was 8 miles roundtrip and a gain/loss of 8,000 vertical feet. So we were “warmed up” anything this hike would throw at us.

Angel’s Landing is a 5 mile, roundtrip hike. For the first two miles, it’s a climbing trail but on a good trail that isn’t scary. Then, at two miles, the trail’s personality changes, big-time.

When we arrived at a narrow slick rock ridge that had chains/cables on which to hold, I thought to myself: “This must be where we get our money’s worth… This must be what all the fuss is about.” Even though I’d heard it was exposed and that small children shouldn’t go on the hike due to heights, for some reason I wasn’t mentally prepared for the reality.

Chains to hold onto.
Chains to hold onto.

I think it’s safe to say that Kathy, a flatlander from Omaha, was even more surprised than I was.

We ooohed and aahhhed and took in the views in all directions. I knew we hadn’t received the prize yet, but I think Kathy thought we had reached the end. Certainly the views were breathtaking and spectacular. The views at that point would have met my expectations in terms of scenery, no doubt.

But then when I was capturing some video I noticed that the cables/chains went all the way up, much further over a knife’s edge and to a precipice about a quarter mile away, yet.

The Prize – well worth the anxiety.
The Prize – well worth the anxiety.

Kathy’s response when I pointed out the cables that followed the very narrow steep ridge to the “top” was priceless. But she’s a trooper and we were off.


It was a thrilling adventure that left us anxious at times. The views at the top, and all the way up and down really, were striking and beyond words. The beauty was worth the hike, and all of the anxiety is stirred in us.
For an 8-minute clip of the “middle” of the Angel’s Landing Hike/Trail:

Filed Under: National Parks, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: adventure, angels landing, backcountry, backpacking, exposure, heights, hiking, national park, recreation, travel, utah, vacation, zion national park

Zion National Park or Bust

April 23, 2009 by Shelli

(Zion Trip, Pt. 1)
In early March, I met Kathy, from Omaha, in Vegas. Our destination was Zion National Park.

I was looking for an adventurous getaway where I could capture some video for the MyZionPark.com website we’re working on while getting some great hiking and sightseeing in. It would be a short adventure vacation.

My husband, Jerry, and I and our sons had been to Zion a couple of times. We had done some serious hiking even with our kiddos, including the 8-mile, steep Observation Point hike. But that had been about 5 years ago and I was eager to do it again, and this time with a digital camera and Flip Video in tow.

Most exciting was our plan to hike Angel’s Landing. On my previous trips with our kiddos, Angels Landing had not been an option. But, since I first learned about it, it beckoned. It’s been like an itch that needs scratched.

Kathy is a chiropractor and is married to my cousin, Jody Kloewer. They have three kids. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding in 1990, and Jerry was a groomsman. That’s how Jerry and I met, so Jody and Kathy hold an extra-special place in our hearts.

Kathy, my partner in crime.
Kathy, my partner in crime.

Kathy is in great shape, is a real trooper, loves nature and photography as much as I do – and very important, she has an easygoing (great) personality. I knew if she accepted the invitation to join me, it would be a fantastic trip. Also, did I mention she’s a chiropractor? That can come in handy on a hard-charging hiking trip.

Getting our rental car.
Getting our rental car.

So, we met in Vegas, rented our yellow Corvette and off we went toward Zion.

In a few hours we were pulling into the Desert Pearl Inn, our home for the next four nights. Desert Pearl Inn has loads of raving reviews on the internet, and many people claimed it’s the best place to stay while visiting Zion. By the looks of it, I was sold and we booked our stay.

Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.
Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.

Normally I’m only interested in a clean roof over my head, especially on these hiking adventures where not much time is spent in the hotel and all I need is a bed to plop on and a shower to clean the grime off. But this time, since we’d be hiking hard, I figured we’d splurge a little. What the heck, we’d be deserving of nice accommodations.

Some people, including myself before this trip, would say that a hotel can’t really be a reason to visit a place. Until this trip, I agreed. But Desert Pearl Inn made me change my mind. Desert Pearl Inn is situated under the shadows of the towering Watchmen red rock cliff and its back yard is cut by the Virgin River. Our room had a balcony with deck and we had the luxury of the sounds of a babbling brook in the background thanks to slightly-opened windows during sleep after a long day on the trails. But that’s not all. We had a kitchen, a wide screen television, big comfy beds, wood floors, great earthy and rustic interior design, and even a – get this – bidet.

Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.
Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.

A bidet you ask? Well, being a small town girl from Wyoming, I definitely didn’t know what it was. It looked like a mini-me version of the toilet, but it had a faucet. Hhmm. But after Kathy told me how it’s pronounced (It’s French and it’s pronoucned bee-dey), I sensed whatever it was, it was special and it was a luxury to have one. Suffice it to say it’s not a small sink for your kids…

If you’re visiting Zion National Park or the other national park wonders accessed by southwestern Utah, Desert Pearl Inn offers truly a wonderful retreat after a day of exploring nature’s wonders.

Filed Under: National Parks, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: adventure, angels landing, backcountry, backpacking, exposure, heights, hiking, national park, recreation, travel, utah, vacation, zion national park

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About Shelli

Hi. My name is Shelli Johnson. I live on the frontier in Lander, Wyoming. I’m a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, certified life/leadership coach, wellness coach, keynote presenter and inspired speaker, leadership development facilitator, personal development strategist, writer and adventure guide. This blog mostly includes stories about adventures and travel, but other passions are reading/books, technology, fitness, nutrition, and national parks, so you’ll find a wide range of articles here. I am founder of Yellowstone Journal and YellowstonePark.com, and NationalParkTrips.com, which was my first business. My current company, Epic Life Inc., is in its 7th year, and going gangbusters. If you’re interested in learning more about my current work, I hope you’ll jump over there and learn more about that. I have a more personal blog, more directly related to life and living and leadership, at YourEpicLife.com/blog. I’d love it if you’d also check out that collection of my writings. Thank you for stopping by! Finally, if you’d like to connect with me directly, please email me if you’d like to connect.

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