Pictures: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d Mkiii
Trail Details:
Distance: 16 Miles over 2 days.
Difficulty: Strenuous. Hiking through river over large rocks with backpacks.
Elevation Gain: Very little.
After an overnight drive from L.A. and a quick 2 hour stop in St. George for some sleep, we arrived at Zion Adventures where we planned on renting our gear. After warnings of extremely cold water, we weren't sure how much waterproof gear we needed, and everyone gave us a different opinion. In the end, we rented the walking stick for stability, and those without neoprene socks rented them along with the recommended water boots.
Strapping our gear to the van.
We boarded the shuttle with two other people around 10am. The van took about 1.5 hours to reach the trailhead at Chamberlain Ranch. Since we were planning on camping overnight, we weren't concerned about our late departure time. If we had planned on hiking the entire 16 miles in one day, we would have been in trouble.
The first 3 miles or so are a nice hike through Chamberlain Ranch alongside the river. We passed by the creepy abandoned cabin and a herd of cows that didn't seem to care much about us. This section of the hike doesn't give you much indication of how amazing it becomes later on.
The canyon walls begin to rise around us.
Once you get to the section of the trail that intersects with the river, there is no point that you will be dry (except for camp). The weather was perfect for us, so walking through the cold water was actually a pleasant experience. We decided to hold off on the neoprene socks. Our strategy was to keep them dry until day 2, which would involve hiking without the sun to warm us, making the added protection of the socks more valuable.
As we entered the first real canyon, we started to get a taste of what this hike is all about. The walls began to rise around us as we made our way down the river. So far, the water never rose above anyones ankles, and the sun was still high enough to light the walls of the canyon.
Unexpected fall colors.
We took a small detour up a short, dry slot canyon. Because of the flash-floods and difficult access, there's not a lot of wildlife in The Narrows. We did find this brightly colored grasshopper however, who seemed out of place amongst the red and brown colored rocks.
One huge surprise for us was the abundance of fall colors in the upper parts of the canyon. There were a few sections where we were hiking a short distance from the river, and it felt almost like we were hiking through a forest on the East Coast. There were less and less colored leaves as the trail progressed, and we realized that the people hiking from the bottom up would miss out on this amazing unique sight.
The deepest part of the canyon so far.
One of the strangest lizards I've ever seen.
As we neared our camp, we began to see more and more evidence of the flash flooding. Debris that is swept down-canyon gets caught up in the narrower parts of the river, building obstacles for us to climb over. It really helped us understand how powerful and dangerous these floods can be.
Starting to lose the sunlight.
The day was getting late and we were starting to feel the lack of sleep. After several false alarms, we finally made it to the 12 foot waterfall. This was a major landmark, and let us know that camp wasn't very far. Luckily, getting down the waterfall didn't mean taking the 12 foot plunge into the now very cold water. There is a side slot canyon that descends much more gradually.
The path around the waterfall.
The falls looking up-river.
We finally made it to camp #5 after a long day. We devoured a dinner of consisting of freeze-dried backpacking food, then settled in for a much needed 12 hour sleep.
Heading out around 7:30am.
The paths next to the river get fewer and fewer as you get further into the hike.
We started out early morning on day 2. It was much colder than the first day, and from the beginning we were in the river the majority of the time. It was always a relief to find a small path next to the river so we could relax a little and not have to concentrate on every footstep.
The rocks began to increase in size as we made it further down-river. We were constantly warned that it is a mistake to wear open-toed shoes. This is why.
This set of falls marked the end of the hike for the people coming up from the bottom. For us, it was a pleasant spot to take a small rest.
About halfway through day 2 we began to see the water levels start rising. The neoprene socks so far were keeping our feet relatively warm, but as it got deeper our shorts were beginning to dip into the cold river.
Most sections that were waist-deep or more had an alternative path so it was possible to avoid getting soaked. As the temperature warmed up, it was actually fun to wade through some of the deeper sections.
One of the biggest concerns going into this hike was the rocky terrain, and how slippery it could be. Thu and I brought our own water hiking shoes, and everyone else rented the canyoneering boots. Neither had any advantages with traction, but we found it was nice to have our own shoes because they were ventilated and didn't hold water inside. Either way, the rocks weren't as dangerously slippery as we had expected.
Around every corner was an amazing new view.
We didn't see much sunlight on day 2. There was a small spot right before the deepest part of the canyon where everyone seemed to congregate and warm up a little.
They call this section Wall Street.
Near the end, the river became wider and more turbulent. We crossed countless times and had to navigate over several tiny waterfalls and rapids that go in our way.
We exited the river and continued up a paved path for about a mile through crowds of people to the shuttle stop that would take us back to our car.
