ZION

For some reason, I lived in Utah for four years without ever learning to ski. 

Similarly, I lived in Utah for four years without ever going hiking in Zion. 

So, naturally, once I lived in the midwest, I flew back to where I used to live in Arizona to road trip up to Utah to go hiking in Zion. 

Better late than never, I suppose. 

It had been eight months since our Scottsdale Squad traveled to Ecuador, so another trip was in order. There were 15 of us total, and luckily, they were all people I'd known before moving. One friend remarked that it was a good thing they hadn't branched out and all collectively made new friends since I'd been gone. 2 people came down from SLC, one person came up from Tucson, 2 people meandered over from the family ward, and I flew in from Chicago. 

We first arrived late Thursday night, and actually ended up having to drive through the national park in order to get to the home our friend's parents owned where we were planning to stay for the weekend. Save for the headlights on our car, there were no artificial lights in the park and we were surrounded by the craggy cliffs rising sharply all around us, illuminated only by moonlight. The scene was utterly magnificent, and I rolled down the window, hanging outside of it, inviting the cool mountain air to aid in cementing this moment in my memory. 

The following morning, four of us who hadn't ever hiked Angel's Landing before set out to do so. We were warned that it would be crowded, but still significantly underestimated how many people would be on Zion's most popular trail. The hike itself wasn't too long, maybe 5 miles roundtrip, though fairly steep, slightly mitigated by switchbacks upon switchbacks, known by the cute moniker Walter's Wiggles. People often refer to Angel's Landing with the caveat, "you have to use a chain to hike up to the summit at the very end," as if hiking with a chain is a bad thing? Though I'm not particularly afraid of heights, ANY three-foot wide path with sheer 1500-foot drop offs on either side will be significantly improved by the addition of a handrail, but that's just me! 

After a full morning of hiking, we retired back to the house, swimming in the pool and reading out on the porch. The sun was high and hot, and on every side, our views were blessed by the red rock cliffs riding majestically around us. Like, the house was basically still in the park, let's be real. 

That afternoon, we all rallied for another hike, though it wasn't quite as picturesque as the first. Rather than hiking up to a lookout point, we started at the ridge of a small glen and hiked downwards. The terrain was rocky, infiltrated with prickly cacti, and the dirt soft and slippery enough that I ended up taking quite the tumble. We hiked down to a small stream and poked around for a bit, but it was more leisurely than strenuous. 

On our way home, we stopped at a cute cafe for dinner and then spent the evening outside, talking on the grass as the sun set or on the trampoline as the stars emerged. 

Saturday morning all but 2 of us went out to do the Hidden Canyon Hike which was, as the name implied, a hike to a hidden canyon. After a series of steep and unforgiving switchbacks, we found the canyon's entrance. Some of it was easily walkable, but at other times we were forced to scramble over fallen boulders and navigate up or down strategically placed tree trunks. 

Back at the house that afternoon, we grilled burgers and ate outside before taking another dip in the pool and then laying out on the patio to dry off and read. 

That evening we made a little stop in Grafton, the remnants of a sort of ghost town, though it was too small to be an actual town - an abandoned cemetery and a cluster of old buildings? 

The weathered houses had been reinforced since the turn of the century, but still boasted signs of exposure and history. Apparently some scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were shot at this house? 

Upon my request, we attempted to recreate the Abby Road album cover, but it instead turned out looking more like the evolution of man thanks to our entirely natural stances. 

Then that night, we stopped for pizza before heading back into the park to check out the Narrows. *Technically* we weren't supposed to be out hiking after dark, but there wasn't anyone around and no one stopped us. The pathway to the river was well-paved, wide, and easy to see, so we were able to navigate most of the trail only by moonlight, which left me feeling breathlessly romantic -- moon shadows! The river itself was quickly-moving, but it was so shallow that it didn't read as all that dangerous. It was a little precarious picking our way over the slick stones at night, but totally worth it. Once everyone was out in the center of the river, we turned off our head lamps and flashlights and looked up. It. Was. Incredible. The canyon walls loomed high over us, the sky visible as a bright strip between them, and it felt so miraculous and special to be experiencing nature so quiet and isolated in this way. As glorious as the red rocks looked during the day, I almost wondered if I preferred the park at dark with its stars and its shadows, no one but us for miles. 

All in all, our weekend in Zion was a quick trip with a seemingly even quicker turnaround, as some of us arose early Sunday morning but well before it was bright in order to head back to Phoenix. 

I didn't fly back to Chicago until the following day, but I jumped at the chance to have more time to spend with some of my Arizona friends and former co-workers while back in my home state just briefly. It was so good to catch up and to revisit my old stomping grounds, if slightly painful to feel that familiar pull back to the Sonoran Desert. For me, I'd always known that Chicago was just a temporary holding pattern, and it had never resonated with me with way Arizona had. Returning to #state48 left me feeling rejuvenated after being surrounded by those low rocky hills and ensconced in those fiery sunsets.

But also, revisiting my past life in Arizona can always a little bittersweet because, well, boys.