Utah

On friday May 14th I left Arizona and headed north to Utah. The plan for the weekend was to meet my dad and stepmom in Springdale, UT and visit Zion & Bryce National Parks. We spent a day and a half discovering the beauty of Zion Canyon. I have to credit my parents for hiking up hills, through rocks, and adjusting nicely to the higher elevation.


The highlight hike for me at this park was Angel's Landing. At times I have a fear of heights so the steep final 1/2 mile of this hike was particularly challenging. My focus was sharp as I avoided looking down at the 1,500 ft. drop to the canyon floor as much as possible. Pictured below are the final ascent to the top of Angel's Landing and the riveting look down to the canyon floor.



We made a day trip sunday to Bryce National Park. I'd seen pictures of Bryce Canyon but was amazed to walk up and see the hoodoos in person. A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin. Bryce Canyon is filled with these. After viewing the canyon from the rim we hiked down about to the Queen's Garden area giving us an up close and personal view of the unique rock formations.


It was great to have my dad and step mom join me for a few days. Hopefully my insistence they hike a little more and a little further won't deter them from a similar adventure in the future. We parted ways and I drove 5 1/2 hours east to Moab, UT. Moab is home to two more national parks and is well known as a top mountain biking destination. I camped for 4 nights at the quiet tent only Up The Creek campground just a few blocks from the main strip in Moab. The first day I dodged some rare afternoon thunderstorms to do some hiking in Arches National Park. To say this park is filled with amazing rock formations is an understatement. The highlight the first day was hiking up to Delicate Arch at sunset. There were 50 or 60 people up there taking photos and enjoying the setting sun sparkle on Delicate Arch.

The second day I hiked the Devil's Garden trail which took me past 8 different arches as well as several other interesting formations.

The last arch of the day was maybe the signature arch of the park, Landscape Arch. Landscape is the longest natural bridge or arch in the world and often seen on the weather channel.


I set aside thursday to rent a mountain bike and try riding the Slickrock Trail. This is one of two famous trails in Moab not suited for amateurs. I decided to try it anyway. The ride was completely different than anything I'd ever ridden before. The hard surface of the petrified sand dunes made for a strong grip but the uphills climbs were extremely difficult. The views of the snow capped mountains, Arches National Park, and Colorado River added great scenery to the ride. I was able to finish the loop but not without walking my bike up about 15 steep hills.

On the way out of town friday morning I stopped at Canyonlands National Park for a few hours. I would like to have devoted more time to this park but Arches and Slick Rock took precedence. I was able to squeeze in a few short hikes around the Island in the Sky section of the park which offered great views of the Colorado and Green rivers. All in all, Utah and the 4 national parks I visited were beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Flagstaff/Sedona, AZ

After completing the Grand Canyon hike I returned to Grand Canyon International Hostel in Flagstaff. This terrific hostel would be my home base for the week. After a good nights rest I ventured down highway 89A to beautiful Sedona. This scenic route gave me my first views of the incredible red rock formations that make Sedona famous. After picking up a an excellent hiking map at the visitors center I checked out a couple of trails the best of which was the rocky climb up to Cathedral Rock. Cathedral Rock is an impressive rock structure that affords great views of the surrounding rock formations and happens to be one of five vortex spots in the area.

I also hiked Airport Loop, Huckaby, and Boynton Canyon Vista. Part of the Huckaby trail ran right along the Oak Creek, a lush area with a variety of trees that doesn't feel at all like Arizona. There are so many good hiking trails in Sedona you really can't go wrong.


While I didn't have time to delve into the spiritual aspects of Sedona it's worth mentioning this town is the epicenter for all things "new age". I did make make time to spend an afternoon mountain biking some of the red rock trails around town. Many of the hiking trails in the area double as great rides for mountain bikers. The Bike'N'Bean set me up with a great bike and easy to read trail maps that had me enjoying riding on big rocks, little rocks, flat rocks, bumpy rocks, and everything inbetween.

The Grand Canyon

When I purchased my National Parks Pass last July I knew I'd be visiting Grand Canyon National Park approximately 10 months later. This weekend that 10 months later became now. The enjoyment of the trip to the Grand Canyon exceeded all other National Park visits I've made in the last year. It's difficult to put into words the awe and beauty experienced while hiking into the canyon.


I had a bit of good fortune planning my Grand Canyon visit when I lucked into a slot at Phantom Rance thanks to another persons cancellation and some persistent phone calls. Phantom Ranch is q backpackers resort at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. With my reservation in place I was able to hike 9.5 miles from the South Rim (7,000 ft.) down the Bright Angel trail to Phantom Ranch at 2,550 ft.


The hike started out relatively easy but by the half way point the temperature had reached the upper 80's and my legs were starting to get a little tired. I drank lots of water and and took a nice long break at Indian Garden, a midway oasis with lots of shade and water.


A couple more miles with more amazing views of the canyon and I reached the Colorado River. I hiked along the river for a couple of miles and then crossed a suspension bridge into the Phantom Ranch grounds. The hike down took about 6 hours and was well worth every step. I took it easy the rest of the day and got a good night sleep in one of the dorm houses. I took off back up the canyon at about 7 am. The first half of the hike up was pretty easy with cool morning temperatures and lots of shade. The 2nd half got a lot tougher as I moved into the higher elevations and the midday sun became more direct. I finally reached the top about 1 pm, making the trip up about the same as the trip down. I was tired, sore, and hungry but thankful for the work my legs did for me. I know I will sleep well tonight as I dream of my next trip to the Grand Canyon.

Springtime in California

The last 4 weeks have been spent visiting family and friends around California. I was able to spend time with my Mom, Stepdad, Aunt Sue, Nate, The Gilligan Family, Dad, Stepmom, Beni, Spence & Rita, Cousin Lisa, Jim, and Haley. One of the highlights was the opportunity to prepare and feed 1-year old Haley her breakfast. Collaborating with Lisa to make a mashed mixture of bananas, oats, and cinnamon was a lot easier than getting her to actually eat it.


Springtime in California means wildflowers and they could be seen in a variety of vibrant colors all over the state. None were more prominent than the wild mustard plant. In some places this wildflower is so thick it will make an entire hillside look yellow from a distance.


Much of my free time was spent biking and hiking as usual. I also took the time to photograph some San Francisco wall art as well as a beautiful duck.


Another highlight was hiking up Mt. Wilson with Jim and Sergio. This 14-mile hike took us up 5,700 ft. and left me with sore legs for two days. The best part occured about 3/4 of the way up when we broke through the cloud cover and could see above the clouds.


I'm grateful for all the time spent with family and friends but now it's time to hit the road for some more adventures. I'll leave friday, May 7th for Arizona, Utah, and Colorado before returning to Chicago around June 1st.