Blazin' the Back Country Trails

I love traveling out West. I grew up going to New Mexico once a year to visit my grandparents. There is something about being in the mountains that I really enjoy. I feel at home. As a graduation present, I wanted to go backpacking with my dad. He is a back country expert and he picked two awesome

The Kaibab Forest

places to visit: the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.

On July 8, my dad and I embarked on our journey to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We left very early in the morning and flew into Las Vegas. Anytime you go out west you must always expect to drive through the middle of nowhere. My dad and I had an awesome little rental car a Chevrolet Spark which we nicknamed Sparky. We drove about four hours through some very sparse towns to make it to the North Rim.

Our rental car Sparky!

This view lasted for miles.

Once we entered the National Park grounds the view was astonishing. We rolled down the window to catch some fresh, mountain air.  One portion of the drive we passed a huge area affected by a forest fire.

We eventually made it to the Grand Canyon. The special thing about the North Rim is that it is more remote than the South Rim. Everything is shipped on semis through the same dusty road we drove on for miles to make it to the canyon. Most visitors stay in cabins during their stay. The cabins are authentic and small. I enjoyed it!

The scenery near the start of our hike.

On Wednesday, I went on one of my biggest hikes. We ventured to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The easiest part comes first, hiking down 3000 feet. It was a peaceful hike down winding trails. We left at 7:30 in the morning to avoid crowds and the heat. Our final destination was Roaring Springs, a spot where the Bright Angel creek flows near the bottom of the canyon. My dad and I made it there after about 3 hours and stopped to take in the view and eat some lunch. Squirrels are everywhere, even at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

This little guy kept pestering
 my dad for food.

Hikers are just like runners, they are friendly and easy to talk to. We met a couple from Fort Wayne when we were eating lunch and a family from Denmark. I had an IU shirt on and by the end of our journey we learned that six of the twenty people we passed went to IU!

The view from the bottom
of the canyon looking up.

After lunch, we started our hike back up at 11:10. It was starting to heat up and the high for the day was 100. It was no easy task hiking from 5200 feet back up to 8300 feet. One portion of the trail is a steep winding climb back and forth. My dad and I took many stops in the shade to cool off and have some water. One family we met at the bottom of the canyon was also on their way up and we kept passing each other. We didn't only pass them, but mules too! Twenty-seven mules went by and let me tell you they leave dust everywhere and poop all over the trails. It is a horrible smell! After what seemed like hours, we made it back to the top at 3:00. It was a long hike, but I loved every minute of it.

Our dinner!

That evening for dinner, my dad and I made freeze dried lasagna which is not as bad as it may sound. I actually enjoy the meals, especially with a view overlooking the Grand Canyon. After dinner, we were able to catch the sunset. It was definitely one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen.

I love how the clouds create a warm glow over the canyon.

I ran along the rim on a trail.

The next day, my dad and I packed to go off to Zion National Park, but not without a run. Every run I went on at the canyon was great! I even saw two Kaibab squirrels on one run, these cute little black squirrels with pointy ears.

I captured this photo from the car.

The drive to Zion took about 2 hours it was an easy drive down.  Zion park is full of towering reddish, white mountains. I was in awe of the beautiful rock structures. To make it into the actual park, one has to drive through a mile long tunnel that was constructed right through the mountains! It was crazy. When we arrived, our cabin was not quite ready so we decided to go on a little hike. We went on a path to the emerald pools, spots where the water collects to create little pools on the mountain side. 

Our cabin was gorgeous! I kept telling my dad I could live in it. I relaxed and read a little before we went to dinner. Around dusk, all of the deer in the park emerge to eat. The funny thing about these deer is that they eat in the center of the park undisturbed by the children walking up to them. Many people acted as if they have never seen a deer before and immediately started snapping photos. The deer didn't mind and kept on eating away.

On Friday, July 11, my dad and I were off to hike Angels Landing. I had been fearing this climb for a little while. The majority of the hike is no problem, a bit strenuous up steep sides, but nothing compared to the real hike. After climbing up 2 miles one makes it to a sandy spot. Many stop here and enjoy the view, but the thrill seekers venture up a climb that only has a chain to hold on to and a steep 1,000 foot drop on both sides. My dad has made the climb three times before. I started climbing on the path, but I shortly was overcome with a fear of heights. I didn't feel like falling off of a mountain that day. 

I felt like I was on top of the world! 

The mountain to the left is Angels Landing.
 One has to climb along the ridge that you see.

 Since we didn't climb all the way out to Angels Landing we decided to hike along this trail called the West Rim. My dad has never trekked along this path in all of his trips to Zion. I'm glad we went off the beaten path onto this trail. We didn't pass anyone. The path actually went up higher than Angels Landing and we were able to see some amazing views. In one area I felt like I was walking on the moon! After walking around for an hour we traversed across the mountain and ate lunch on a big rock. The hike back down seemed much longer than the way up especially with the hot sun! When we made it down I had some ice cream and sat in the grass under this big tree in the park.  That evening we went into a nearby town, Springdale, for dinner. 

This is what the whole
hike looked like.

There were many little holes
 in the walls full of rocks from floods.

The next day for our last hike we went to the Narrows Trail. It is called the Narrows because one hikes in the Virgin River below massive canyon walls. We started the hike early in the morning with only a few people near us. It is a challenge navigating in the water through rocks and the strong river current. I carried a hiking pole with me to avoid falling. It was really neat doing a different hike. A few times the water went up to my waist and I had to wade through the water. The fun part about the hike is that you have to pick the best way to walk through the rocks in the water. After 2 hours of hiking my dad and I had lunch in the sun on a rock above the water. The hike back was complete chaos. Everyone decided to hike the Narrows at the same time: noon. Throngs of people came wading towards us, many unprepared for the trek. I saw some ladies in dresses and others carrying purses. One piece of advice, when hiking in the water bring things that can get wet! 

Eventually, my dad and I made it out alive. I was so tired that I took a long nap and then we went into town for dinner again. We ate at this really good Mexican restaurant called the Bit and Spur. It was delicious! 

Sunday, was our last day out West. I woke up early and went on a long run through the park. It is always nice to run in a different venue. We had to drive to Las Vegas to catch our flight back home. Since we had a late flight, we had time to walk around Vegas. I have been there once, but I was 8. It sure is a crazy place to go! My dad had a great idea to watch the World Cup game, so we acted like we were very interested in the game and cheered along with the avid fans. 

I had a wonderful time backpacking with my dad. It is nice to take the time to go and enjoy nature and what the world has to offer. Life is a journey and one should never stop exploring. There is always something to see, so go out and explore! What is your favorite place to travel?