March 13, 2018 Utah

Day 5: Tuesday March 13, 2018:

It got very cold last night so when I woke up to close the windows, the Big Dipper seemed to just be sitting outside my window.  I put my shoes on around 4:30am and walked outside and the stars were everywhere…EVERYWHERE. 

We got up around 6:30 or 7 and fixed breakfast in the room since there is NOWHERE to eat around here.  We had cereal, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, sausage and bananas all, basically, while sitting on the floor of our room.  

Breakfast on the floor

Our room (note the "snoring room" through the door)

The boys played catch a little bit more in the “street” (the highway) and then we drove back into Great Basin to the visitor’s center, to return our snow shoes and begin our cave tour.  We went on the 90 minute Grand Palace cave tour and with the exception of an older couple from Wisconsin, we were the only people on the tour with Peggy, a volunteer from New Hampshire.  The tour was fascinating but honestly, about 30 minutes too long.  But it was the only one available at the time we needed it. 

Inside Lehman Cave

The "Shields" in the cave - very rare to other caves.

From there we hit the road for Zion, with a little difficulty in getting any kind of cell service.  Grant cramped up badly (constipated) and was struggling in the car for hours.  We stopped in the town of Milford, UT got gas and ate at a Subway.  But along the way we saw about five hawks and a bald eagle fly up into the air just off the side of the road.  Grant started to feel a little bit better after we got back on the road.   

I think it was around 3pm that we entered the Kolob Visitor Center (it’s in the NW corner of Zion and only offers a five mile road and some hikes.)  We went ahead and got the passbooks stamped and bought hat pins and magnets.  I’d read in my national parks book that the 5 mile drive can cause people to “audibly gasp” when they round the corner and we did.  At the end of the road was a lookout so we got out, took some pictures, then drove back out the entrance and continued south to the main entrance.  

The end of Kolob Canyon Road with two sets of kids.  Gotta love panoramic!

The little town of Virgin was loaded up with road construction so it took us a little while to enter the park but we finally pulled in around 4:20pm.  Because we are staying at the lodge, we got to enter in our vehicle and park.

On the drive in, we learned that it’s going to rain all day tomorrow so we checked in, moved our car to outside our cabin (we're staying in a cabin at the Lodge, not the Lodge itself), and didn’t even go inside.  We changed into our hiking clothes and immediately grabbed the north-bound shuttle to the Hidden Canyon and Weeping Rock trails.  We got on the trailhead at 5pm and took off on a 2.5 mile round trip “Strenuous” trail to Hidden Canyon.  I’d read that it was very challenging, like Angel’s Landing, but that very few people actually do the hike.  It was fun (and hard).  

Part way up the Hidden Canyon trail.

The kids (and I) got to experience hiking with chains and it was a little bit stressful.  But they both felt very accomplished.  And Grant eliminated his cramp by going "#3" in the middle of the canyon while I guarded the path forward and Nick guided the path back.  It was nasty but he’s felt great ever since. Our family motto for the day was, “We came, we saw, we chit”.  The “chit” was from a funny t-shirt we say in Moab that said:

Ho

Lee
Chit

Then we took the short hike to see Weeping Rock – pretty cool.

It was getting late but I wanted to grab a north bound shuttle so that we could see the farthest most northern point of the park today before the rain tomorrow so we grabbed a shuttle around 7pm.  But the voice (there are recorded narrators on the shuttles - just to clarify that it was the voice in my head) on the shuttle who was describing The Narrows, the most beautiful part of the park, caused me to almost not be able to stay on the shuttle.  It was a flat mile back to The Narrows and even though it was starting to get dark, I couldn't resist.  So after a small argument, everyone came along.  It was gorgeous.  We saw some deer along the way since it was that neat time of the evening. 

We got back to the end of the trail and it was beautiful – a river basically going through a very narrow slot canyon that opens up and becomes Zion Canyon. 

The Narrows (definitely want to come back during warmer weather and hike the river)

We had to hurry back to the shuttle so that we didn’t have to walk all the way back to the lodge but we made it in time (around 8pm) and finally checked into our cabin and it’s great. 

Nick got out the Jet Boil stove and we had another dinner in the room – the boys had chicken and rice and Ryan and I had beef stick and cheese – very fancy. 

We now have to get to bed because we’re trying to tackle Angel’s Landing tomorrow before the rain comes and it’s coming pretty early.  We’re trying to get on the shuttle by 7:15pm.  It’s beautiful here and so quiet.