Cedar City Trip 6-4-07: Zion National Park

On the morning of the 4th, we geared up as quickly as we could and then headed out to the Kolob Canyon entrance of Zion NP. Once at the visitor center, I was able to get Vince an "America-the-Beautiful" access pass that the park service offers to people with disabilities. Now, squirt can travel to any national park in the US and get in for free. On top of that, the pass is good for life! We were jazzed. "Ranger Rita," the ranger who helped us fill out the paperwork, was really nice to Vince. She asked him to write his name on the card and gave him a sticker before we left.
We were on the trail at about 0830. It started with a reeeeally long staircase down to the creek bed. No, it's not bad at first. But I knew that we'd have to climb that sucker when we came back!






The weather was terrific on the way out. As the trail crossed the stream over a dozen times throughout the route, Vince really had a chance to learn how to find rocks sturdy enough to step on. It took the whole trip out to get him not to splash through the water. But once we were heading back, he had stream crossing down pat.




As the trail approached the narrower canyons, we were treated to this view of Paria Point. No kidding, it is a sheer stone wall 7,802 feet high. It's impressive from here, but looking at it up close boggles the mind.





One of the coolest features we found on the trail was an overhanging rock that stretched over the path. It was a great place to take a break.






There are two circa 1800s farmhouses on the trail. This is a shot of Squirt at the Larson homestead just outside the canyon mouth.







Once inside the canyon, we took a couple of breaks to take in the scenery. Here, Mike inspects a tributary for a way to access the high wall in the background.






Just before reaching our destination, we ran into two of the park's archaeologists who were cataloging damage done to the second homestead, Fife's Cabin. They mentioned that they were going to apply for grant money to help the park preserve the sites. I wish them plenty of luck! But as you can see, Kimosabe was eager to get back on the move.



Double Arch Alcove was amazing. It is a bowl carved out of the mountain that was made by water seeping through the sandstone and eroding it over millions of years.






As with our hiking tradition, we took this time to eat lunch and gather our strength for the trip back. PB&J all around!







Munch, munch, munch!








The acoustics in the alcove really peaked Vince's interest. During our rest, he chirped and whooped frequently to hear the resulting echo.






These are some shots from the alcove looking back down the trail.
What did I tell you? Beautiful!









Yeah, we had fun during our lunchbreak. But eventually, the time came for us to go. I had Mike take this shot of Vince and I in hopes that he'll remember the trip when he sees it later.






The trip back was damn hot. The heat however, wasn't enough to stop Squirt from enjoying his favorite creekside pastime...rock tossing!
Thankfully, we reapplied sunscreen enough to keep ourselves from getting sunburn.




At about 1:00 pm, we finally returned to the trailhead. The hike was just over five miles. Vince's second longest.







From there, we drove up to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint to take in the whole expanse of the area. Sadly, it is impossible for this picture to capture the majesty of this scenery. People have to really see this for themselves. It is indescribable.





So what's a kid to do after hiking 5+ miles in the dust and hot sun? Vince had it all planned out.