Our Story (85 Percent): Touring Majestic America: Part III

We arrived in Zion around noon and immediately tried to find a place for lunch. Not that this was significant or anything, but the first place we went into, the lady who worked there quickly advised us that, “we don’t open for lunch. Just breakfast and dinner, and breakfast is now over.” She was very curt in her greeting to us. When we walked out of her restaurant, Mia immediately vomited on the doorstep outside. It was hilarious. Of course, it was not intentional, but how ironic! We ended eating at a very quaint burger place. It reminded me of the restaurants at the Orange Circle in Orange County. It was a house that was turned into a restaurant. We had scones with the most delicious honey butter ever! In fact, when we returned home from vacation, I went online to buy us some of this. Unfortunately, they sell it only in bulk so it is our hope that will able to get a few jars while in Idaho later this month.

We were exhausted from the drive, the sun, and our morning hike so we spent our first day in Zion swimming at the pool and just relaxing in our hotel room. We ventured out later in the evening to get a pizza dinner at another quaint little place. It was an old Mormon church that got converted into a pizza place that ironically served beer. Zion is much bigger than Bryce, and it had much more dining options. We also looked through various brochures to decide which hike we were going to do the following day. I wanted to do Angels Landing, because Leroy spoke highly of it and said it was rated one of the top 5 hikes in the United States. However, upon reviewing the description, I realized the hike was not suitable for Brandon and Mia. We opted instead to do Narrows Bottom Up. There is the full Narrows hike, but again, it would not be appropriate with Brandon and Mia.

The Narrows Bottom Up hike started with a paved one-mile hike before you reach the Virgin River and begin literally hike in and along the Virgin River. Walking sticks are a must and sturdy water shoes are preferred. We rented these items to prepare for our hike along the Virgin River.

The Narrows

In terms of the actual hike, I loved hiking in Zion more than Bryce because I loved the Narrows. It was not a difficult hike cardiovascular wise, but it was challenging in terms of maneuvering through the river. You had to logistically figure out each step. The depths of the water could be from the middle of my calf to thigh height. There were actually some areas that you couldn’t even reach the bottom. I was surprised at how well Mia and Brandon did. They didn’t complain. The only time Brandon complained was when he had to take a poop. It was only 30 minutes into our hike and we could not believe it! He wanted to go back, but we were adamant that he drop his pants and take a dump. We found a small little crack in the Narrows, and we built a human wall. Brandon lamented that he couldn’t do it, but we insisted. He finally did and with the instant relief, he never complained again. (The funny thing is that both Lance and I went back to the poop site and took a photo. We are so much alike. I did this with Dylan on our own and so did Lance on his own initiative. Great sick minds think alike!) Mia would have continued if we did not make the decision to turn back. The water was deep for both of them, and at times, it was up to their shoulder. We hiked for over 5 hours, and I’m estimating we did between 7 -8 miles round trip. We were not fast because we were extremely cautious. It would have been all too easy to sprain an ankle. Lance, Mia and Brandon turned back before Dylan and I did. We told them we would meet them back where the paved trail and river met. Dylan and I ventured probably another mile before heading back.

very logistically challenging hike

The water was very deep for Mia

I love Mia's expression as she drenched her back against the waterfall.

Dylan and I were obviously much faster than Lance and the kids so though we continued further, we met up with them on the way back. What is a vacation without a little dangerous adventure?!! Shortly after meeting back up, it began to sprinkle lightly. We excitedly welcomed the light rain drops. It was fun! Well, the novelty began to tire quickly as the sprinkling turned into rain that turned into a HEAVY downpour that turned into HAIL!!! We all quickly tried to maneuver our way out of the Virgin River. The current became much stronger. The rain was so strong that I could barely see. It was scary. We finally reached the paved path which was a mile to the shuttle stop. It was once we reached the paved path that it began hailing. Mia screamed as the hail hit her. It hurt. Lance and her tried to seek shelter under a tree. Thunder began to strike hitting a tree branch on top of one of the rocks. The branch fell down onto the trail. We received plenty of warnings of the afternoon thunderstorms in both Bryce and Zion. We fortunately and safely made it back, but I can only imagine what would have happened if Dylan and I did not turn back when we did. We debated on continuing further and I’m so glad that we decided to turn back because otherwise, we would have been way deep in the Narrows, and this storm could have presented severe danger.

When we returned that evening to our hotel, we were just physically exhausted. The following morning, we did a simple 1-mile round trip hike to the Emerald Pools. It was beautiful. We wanted to hike further, but we were simply too tired. I want to return to Zion again to hike the Angels Landing. It will be on my bucket list.