- Joined
- Oct 26, 2000
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- 6,104
My plans all got shot down this past week due to snow. Deep snow, pending snow, road and park closures because of snow... 'Course I made the trip when I did so there would be snow. Maybe I should be careful what I wish for, because I got more of it than I bargained for.
Flew in to Las Vegas last Tuesday, and drove to Springdale, UT outside of Zion National Park.
Wednesday, I took the trail at Weeping Rock at Zion that goes to Observation Point and Ys off toward the East Rim Trail, intending to see Deertrap Canyon and spend the night on Cable Mountain. The trail was invisible because it was buried in snow, so I was navigating by topo. Had on Yaktrax, but they were destroyed a few hours, and I spent half my time stopping to tie pieces of them together so I'd have some traction. As the trail headed up Echo Canyon, the snow got thigh deep, and I realized my overnighter at Cable Mountain wasn't going to happen, so I turned back.
Thursday, I got a backcountry permit for the Kolob section, then took the trail to Angel's Landing with rented Kahtoola MicroSpikes(awesome-Walter's Wiggles was covered with ice and packed snow, and I jogged down with a pack on) replacing the crappy Yaktrax. Had a late breakfast at Scout Lookout before heading to Kolob Canyons, and the La Verkin Creek Trail to see Kolob Arch and Beartrap Canyon. A storm hit right as I reached the trailhead, with a mix of snow, sleet, rain, and pea-sized hail.
Had also rented snowshoes, but was sinking almost a foot into the mushy snow, and the creek that the trail crisscrosses well over a dozen times was flooded, and the temps had to have dropped 20 degrees below what was forecast. After backtracking or skirting the creek banks several times to find places to cross, I finally gave up an just started walking through the water. 3 of the support straps and one of the rivets holding my rental snowshoes together broke. I do six miles of hills near my house in 1 1/2 hours. The La Verkin Creek Trail is an easy one, but on this day it took me 5 1/2 hours to go four miles.
I camped in a place clear of snow that was all mud. The supposed low of 32 would have been fine for me, but I ended up wearing everything but my raingear before the night was over. Softshell pants, TNF XTC long bottoms, Capilene 1 and Powerstretch fleece tops, a beanie on my head, Buff around my neck, and wool socks on my feet, and was still a little cold in the 40 degree sleeping bag that has kept me toasty below freezing with a t-shirt and boxer briefs.
Friday morning, concerned that runoff from the forecasted 60+ temps(that didn't materialize, it reached 41 by the time I left) would swell the creek further, and that I would never get back that evening before my permit expired, I headed back to the trailhead. The going was much easier, and the creek had gone back down to what I assume is normal. The low temps froze the top layers of snow, and made snowshoeing easy, so I made it before lunchtime, and returned to Springdale, UT to do laundry and clean all my muddy gear.
Saturday I drove to Cedar City, UT headed to Cedar Breaks National Monument...kind of a small version of Bryce Canyon. Closed due to snow.
Killed time, shopped, and visited a massage therapy school for a massage.
The forecast was now calling for a large storm that would dump lots of additional snow along the I-15 corridor, so I drove back to Las Vegas, NV.
Spent most of Sunday at Valley of Fire, which didn't have much in the way of hiking, but was awesome to see.
Finally, on Monday of this week, I visited Red Rock Canyon outside Vegas. Missed the turnoff to the trailhead I wanted on the one-way scenic route, and decided to check out Icebox Canyon before going back around. As I was leaving there, following the creekbed instead of the trail, and boulder-hopping my way down, I took a fall and messed up my left ankle. Luckily only a little over a mile from the trailhead, and I wrapped it with an ACE bandage, and kept my weight on my trekking poles and off my foot. Thought it was broken, but decided to wait until I got home, because my flight home was leaving Tuesday morning, and I had to get my rental car back first thing.
This may all sound like an ill-fated and disastrous trip, but I still had a great time. Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyons are indescribably beautiful, and after the storm at Kolob, the overcast skies diffused the sunlight in a way that made me feel like I was looking at paintings instead of real scenes of the cliffs. Valley of Fire was wild, with color schemes that were out of this world, and aside from the ankle thing, Red Rock was also a lot of fun, even though my time there got cut short.
There are other places I'd like to check out, but since this is the result after everything goes wrong, I think I'm up for another visit!
Hoping to go back in September, and do the Narrows dayhike and another trip to Angel's Landing the first day, then spend the rest of the week in Kolob, since I feel like I really missed out there
I did take a few pics...
Zion National Park in Utah. From the east side and main canyon:
Flew in to Las Vegas last Tuesday, and drove to Springdale, UT outside of Zion National Park.
Wednesday, I took the trail at Weeping Rock at Zion that goes to Observation Point and Ys off toward the East Rim Trail, intending to see Deertrap Canyon and spend the night on Cable Mountain. The trail was invisible because it was buried in snow, so I was navigating by topo. Had on Yaktrax, but they were destroyed a few hours, and I spent half my time stopping to tie pieces of them together so I'd have some traction. As the trail headed up Echo Canyon, the snow got thigh deep, and I realized my overnighter at Cable Mountain wasn't going to happen, so I turned back.
Thursday, I got a backcountry permit for the Kolob section, then took the trail to Angel's Landing with rented Kahtoola MicroSpikes(awesome-Walter's Wiggles was covered with ice and packed snow, and I jogged down with a pack on) replacing the crappy Yaktrax. Had a late breakfast at Scout Lookout before heading to Kolob Canyons, and the La Verkin Creek Trail to see Kolob Arch and Beartrap Canyon. A storm hit right as I reached the trailhead, with a mix of snow, sleet, rain, and pea-sized hail.
Had also rented snowshoes, but was sinking almost a foot into the mushy snow, and the creek that the trail crisscrosses well over a dozen times was flooded, and the temps had to have dropped 20 degrees below what was forecast. After backtracking or skirting the creek banks several times to find places to cross, I finally gave up an just started walking through the water. 3 of the support straps and one of the rivets holding my rental snowshoes together broke. I do six miles of hills near my house in 1 1/2 hours. The La Verkin Creek Trail is an easy one, but on this day it took me 5 1/2 hours to go four miles.
I camped in a place clear of snow that was all mud. The supposed low of 32 would have been fine for me, but I ended up wearing everything but my raingear before the night was over. Softshell pants, TNF XTC long bottoms, Capilene 1 and Powerstretch fleece tops, a beanie on my head, Buff around my neck, and wool socks on my feet, and was still a little cold in the 40 degree sleeping bag that has kept me toasty below freezing with a t-shirt and boxer briefs.
Friday morning, concerned that runoff from the forecasted 60+ temps(that didn't materialize, it reached 41 by the time I left) would swell the creek further, and that I would never get back that evening before my permit expired, I headed back to the trailhead. The going was much easier, and the creek had gone back down to what I assume is normal. The low temps froze the top layers of snow, and made snowshoeing easy, so I made it before lunchtime, and returned to Springdale, UT to do laundry and clean all my muddy gear.
Saturday I drove to Cedar City, UT headed to Cedar Breaks National Monument...kind of a small version of Bryce Canyon. Closed due to snow.
Killed time, shopped, and visited a massage therapy school for a massage.
The forecast was now calling for a large storm that would dump lots of additional snow along the I-15 corridor, so I drove back to Las Vegas, NV.
Spent most of Sunday at Valley of Fire, which didn't have much in the way of hiking, but was awesome to see.
Finally, on Monday of this week, I visited Red Rock Canyon outside Vegas. Missed the turnoff to the trailhead I wanted on the one-way scenic route, and decided to check out Icebox Canyon before going back around. As I was leaving there, following the creekbed instead of the trail, and boulder-hopping my way down, I took a fall and messed up my left ankle. Luckily only a little over a mile from the trailhead, and I wrapped it with an ACE bandage, and kept my weight on my trekking poles and off my foot. Thought it was broken, but decided to wait until I got home, because my flight home was leaving Tuesday morning, and I had to get my rental car back first thing.
This may all sound like an ill-fated and disastrous trip, but I still had a great time. Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyons are indescribably beautiful, and after the storm at Kolob, the overcast skies diffused the sunlight in a way that made me feel like I was looking at paintings instead of real scenes of the cliffs. Valley of Fire was wild, with color schemes that were out of this world, and aside from the ankle thing, Red Rock was also a lot of fun, even though my time there got cut short.
There are other places I'd like to check out, but since this is the result after everything goes wrong, I think I'm up for another visit!
Hoping to go back in September, and do the Narrows dayhike and another trip to Angel's Landing the first day, then spend the rest of the week in Kolob, since I feel like I really missed out there
I did take a few pics...
Zion National Park in Utah. From the east side and main canyon:
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