Ugh! Another early morning: 5 a.m. And I must be at the bottom of my depression cycle because I didn’t sleep much last night. When I can’t sleep, it’s usually ear worms. Last night (and still now), it was “Ruby” by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. At least it was a song I like. It isn’t always.
We got up early to get onto the first shuttle into the park. We drove through part of the park yesterday and were surprised by how packed the place was in the middle of a Monday in October. Getting ahead of the great unwashed seems like a good idea. (Perhaps that’s not the most appropriate turn of phrase. None of us is showering before our hike.)
We rented water-resistant and hiking shoes, neoprene socks, and waterproof bib-overalls/waders yesterday to keep us dry. We’re hiking the Narrows (well, part of it) today, which is almost entirely wading through the Virgin River. A part of me is regretting our choice; I’m afraid we’re going to be hot and miserable in our gear. At least the forecast is for sub-60s temperatures while we’re on the trail. Also, the National Park Service lists this hike as strenuous, so I’m a little worried about Mark. And I’m not in my best cardiovascular shape right now either. We’ll just plan to stop as often as we need to and turn back when we feel like we’re getting tired or in over our heads. No reason we have do to it all. I’m hoping we come back and do more another time.
I’ll report more after the hike and, I hope, post some nice pictures. I’m not taking my good camera for fear that I’ll fall in the river and ruin it, so I’ll be using my iPhone camera today. I’m also taking my ID in case they need to identify my body. (You’ll feel bad that you laughed at that if I die.)
…
Back from the hike. Kevin asked me if I liked it, and I didn’t give him an answer other than to say that I didn’t need to do another river hike. “Water-resistant” shoes are not the same thing as “water-proof” shoes; water still got in. The neoprene socks helped, but my feet were wet for four hours, and that river is cold. And because we were walking over wet, rounded rocks that varied in size from large potato to large suitcase, I had to be constantly looking down instead of up at the beauty.
The further in time I get from the hike, though, the easier it is to admit that I really did enjoy the adventure. My feet are warm and dry again, and we stopped often enough that I got some great pictures, albeit with my iPhone. And there were some great characters along the way, like the Polish couple who were totally under equipped for the hike. Neither had waterproof clothing or sturdy shoes. In fact, he was wearing sandals and shorts. It was 43 degrees when we started. Or the young guy in shorts that sped past us only to return ten minutes later admitting he was unprepared for what lay ahead. Or the pretty foolish couple, also under dressed, who brought their two under-ten-years-old daughters along. We hit one stretch of the river where the water was up to my belly button. In the center of the river, it would have been up to my neck. I hope they turned back before getting there. We chatted briefly with a number of other folks. Lots of European visitors. And it’s funny how it always happens that when total strangers encounter a hazard or challenge or crisis—like the aforementioned deep water—they bond, even if only temporarily, to help each other through.
I lost my balance several times, but I never fell. Kevin nearly fell (Oh shit! followed by flailing arms trying to hold himself by grabbing my arm), and I think Jeff fell, but he sat on a rock and didn’t go into the water. As worried as I was about Mark, he did really well. He rarely, if ever, faltered, and though the hike is described as strenuous, it never got our heart rates up. The only thing really strenuous was keeping you balance on round rocks while fighting the current.
And it was beautiful.
After the hike, we returned our gear then grabbed lunch at a restaurant right near the park entrance: Zion Canyon Brew Pub. Now, we’re back at our rental and in various states of cleanliness and relaxin and napping. We’re goin to go out later to walk through the town and hit some galleries. We may do an evening hike, but I’m insisting that this one be dry.