The Narrows, Zion Canyon National Park

The Contis were up early this morning.  Reville sounded at 5:30 AM.  Our breakfast consisted of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, ordered last night for the very purpose of feeding us before our hike.  We were on the first park loop bus that pulled up to the Lodge and we got off at what is called The Temple of Sinawava.  Majestic peaks line the sides of the Virgin River.  You first hike the scenic Riverside Walk which is paved and about a mile and a half long.  When it finishes you walk down a short group of stairs and get in the water.

After that you walk.  Sometimes, for brief periods, you get to walk on rocks that aren't in water.  Mostly, you walk in water.  It varies in speed and depth.  The temperature of the water is 72 degrees today, which feels reasonably good, considering our air temperature is headed up to near 106 degrees if not higher.

Most of the hike the water was mid calf in depth.  Sometimes it made it up to within striking distance of your waist.  You can see Jan is sporting hiking poles which are a huge asset in a hike like this.  You can steady yourself when traversing the rapids.  My camera rode in a waterproof bag and I brought it out when I was on dry land or in a place in the water where my footing was very secure.

There are multiple advantages to an early start on this hike.  First, the air temperature overnight made it into the 60's.  So it's very comfortable.  Second, most people do not like getting up to catch a 6 AM bus.  Therefore, we weren't competing with a large crowd while hiking upstream.  When we returned and hiked out of the river and back onto the Riverside trail we were walking by dozens and dozens of people.  Third, the light in the Narrows is better for viewing and photographing.  Finally, the thunderstorms that are typical in July come late in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms can cause the water level of the Virgin to rise quite a bit and quite fast.

We did not complete the entire 9.4 mile hike, which takes the average person 8 hours.  However, we made it pretty deep into the Narrows.  We hiked upstream for 110 minutes and then turned back and headed downstream.  That made our total hiking time about 3 hours and change.  Then we did another 1 mile hike to the Lower and Middle Emerald Pools just for good measure.

Now we plan to shower and have lunch and stay out of the afternoon sun!