Today we went to Zion National Park, and it was spectacular. (The most glorious sight might have been the open parking spot at the Visitor Center, but the views of the canyon were pretty good as well.)
We didn't get an early start on the day (after a late bedtime last night), so we started our first hike around noon, from the last shuttle stop, Temple of Sinawava. We hiked along the Virgin River, slowly (about at the pace of a three-year-old who found friendly and curious squirrels every 30 feet.) At the end of the walk is the Narrows, where the canyon constricts enough that you have to hike in the water in order to go any further up.
Which was a great excuse for my kids to jump in the water. The water was clear and frigid, but with 90+ degree air temperatures, it was awesome to get our feet wet. Lillian and Maisy decided that it would also be awesome to get a lot more of themselves wet, and they dove in completely, and let themselves get swept downstream a couple of times (as shown in the video. Don't worry, we got them out of the river.)
I think the best compliment for the park was from Lillian, who started looking at real estate in the area, and said that she wanted to hike up the Narrows every day. That wouldn't be such a bad life.
We also attended a ranger-led talk, where Caraway got to be a Firefighter Ranger (fingers crossed her federal service start date will be today.)
We did a couple of more small hikes, to the Nature Center and back to the Visitor Center, which allowed us to view the vibrant, multicolored mountains hemming in the slot canyon. What a beautiful place.
We finished the day at our RV site with hot dogs, hamburgers, and s'mores, and an early night. More tomorrow!
We didn't get an early start on the day (after a late bedtime last night), so we started our first hike around noon, from the last shuttle stop, Temple of Sinawava. We hiked along the Virgin River, slowly (about at the pace of a three-year-old who found friendly and curious squirrels every 30 feet.) At the end of the walk is the Narrows, where the canyon constricts enough that you have to hike in the water in order to go any further up.
Which was a great excuse for my kids to jump in the water. The water was clear and frigid, but with 90+ degree air temperatures, it was awesome to get our feet wet. Lillian and Maisy decided that it would also be awesome to get a lot more of themselves wet, and they dove in completely, and let themselves get swept downstream a couple of times (as shown in the video. Don't worry, we got them out of the river.)
I think the best compliment for the park was from Lillian, who started looking at real estate in the area, and said that she wanted to hike up the Narrows every day. That wouldn't be such a bad life.
We also attended a ranger-led talk, where Caraway got to be a Firefighter Ranger (fingers crossed her federal service start date will be today.)
We did a couple of more small hikes, to the Nature Center and back to the Visitor Center, which allowed us to view the vibrant, multicolored mountains hemming in the slot canyon. What a beautiful place.
We finished the day at our RV site with hot dogs, hamburgers, and s'mores, and an early night. More tomorrow!
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