We rode our bikes the 1 ½ miles from the hotel to the entrance of Zion today. We then rode the 1 ½ mile Pa’rus Trail which follows the Virgin River to the Canyon Junction shuttle stop. We got on the shuttle and rode to the Zion Lodge stop which is the trailhead for the Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pool trails. We hiked these trails for a combined length of four miles. The emerald pools are the result of water seeping through cracks in the mountain and cascading down as waterfalls. The moss on the rocks gives the pools their green color. There were many large boulders in the area and hikers were climbing and resting on them taking in this setting. It was beautiful and we did not want to leave. We then returned to the Zion Lodge and had lunch on the outdoor patio while we planned the balance of our day. We decided to take another hike this time on the Angels Landing trail. This trail is described as strenuous and the description was accurate. The narrow and windy trail goes up 1488 feet and provides great views of the canyon. The hike was our most difficult to date with the last half mile to Angles Landing up the side of the mountain with chains serving as handholds for the narrow passage. We decided this section of the trail look too adventurous for us and elected to go an additional ¼ mile along the West Rim trail. The views were wonderful and all the effort of this hike was well worth it. The rock formations are beautiful with a mixture of red, green and white colors. We were surrounded by canyon walls during parts of the hike. To our amazement, there were two guys who were running up the trail. This could certainly be described as extreme training. Angles Landing is appropriately named as we felt closer to heaven. We returned to the stop and gather up our bikes for the ride back to our hotel. We stopped along the way to shop and browse at several stores. We ended up with dinner at one of the many restaurants.
Without a doubt, this was our most physically challenging day. So much for a relaxing day by the pool!!
We leave in the morning for Bryce Canyon National Park.
You can view pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/ZionNationalParkDay2?feat=directlink
More later . . .
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