The path narrowed and I clutched the chains along the path until my knuckles turned white.
To my right was a sheer drop of about 1,000 feet.
To my left was a sheer drop of about 1,000 feet.
And ahead of me was a steep climb to the top of Angel’s Landing, which overlooks Zion Canyon in southwestern Utah.
Not gonna lie, I was terrified.
But I took a deep breath and took the next step forward. And the next. And the next. There was nothing that was going to stop me from summiting on this beautiful, clear morning.
It was on like Donkey Kong!
Zion Canyon–An Unlikely Tale of a Determined River
Zion National Park is centered on (though not exclusive to) Zion Canyon, which was carved out over eons by the Virgin River.
This is best appreciated by the view from Angel’s Landing, where you can see the difference between the mighty canyon and the relatively tiny river that created it.
Humans first settled Zion Canyon around 12,000 years ago, as this proved to be an ideal area to hunt for game and gather plant food (and, of course, was a great source of fresh water).
As people adopted agriculture, farming Anasazi inhabited this area, then they were eventually replaced by Paiute indians, and finally European descendants settled in the latter 1800s.
Today, it is a national park, and contains a vast array of geological formations (from rivers to cliffs), plants (from pine trees to cacti), and animals (from mule deer to peregrine falcon).
How Cooking Leads to Adventure
As I mentioned last week, learning how to cook is more than just a goofy hobby for foodies, irrelevant in the day of drive-thrus and microwave dinners.
Instead, it helps improve your physical health and fitness, which provides you with a tremendous store of energy that you can use to build the kind of life you want to live.
And one of the things we crave most is adventure.
I visited Zion National Park earlier this summer with my wife in search of such an adventure. This park is located in southwestern Utah, and contains some of the most awe-inspiring natural beauty and strenuous hiking you can imagine.
Since we only had a long weekend to enjoy there, we couldn’t cover the entire park (that would take a week, if not more), so instead we focused on the two traditional “highlights” of the park:
- The Zion Narrows Hike–a 16-mile long hike through a slot canyon created by the Virgin River.
- The Angel’s Landing Trail–a short, strenuous, and terrifying climb up 1,500 feet to the summit of Angel’s Landing, which provides amazing views of the entire canyon. (And the setting for the introduction of this article.)
A Journey Down The Narrows, an Adventure Up Angel’s Landing
The narrows are best hiked over two days and started from Chamberlain’s Ranch, 1,400 feet above where the trail eventually ends at the Temple of Sinawava.
The hike begins as you follow a shallow stream through flat fields and forests, but over the course of several hours, the canyon begins to rise around you.
By halfway through the first day, you are completely hemmed in by sheer cliffs. You find your campsites tucked away wherever they can fit.
On the second day, things get a little more rough.
By this point, several other rivers have fed into the Virgin Narrows, and you are wading through water that is deeper and flowing stronger. There were even a few spots where we had to loosen our backpacks and swim across!
But the scenery is incredible.
The further along you hike, the lower the elevation becomes, and the higher the walls around you rise up.
The 2-day hike ends with the famous “Wall Street” stretch, after which a short jaunt leads you back to civilization, and a much needed hot meal.
The next day I scaled Angel’s Landing, which is where the story from the intro to this article comes from.
After a steep climb through many switchbacks, you get to the intimidating final ascent I described, clinging on for dear life as you reach one of the most awe-inspiring views in the canyon.
Was it worth it? Hell yeah!
Operation: Adventure
As I’ve mentioned before, learning how to cook is just one big part of leading a fulfilled life. It allows you to get healthier and in better shape, which makes adventures like this so much more enjoyable.
Zion is a destination in the States that tends to get ignored relative to its neighbor, the Grand Canyon.
This is a shame.
Zion Canyon is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is full of great hiking opportunities, from easy strolls to the more grueling (and scary) trails I took.
Doing active things such as this isn’t just one of the most enjoyable ways to move your body and stay healthy, but ultimately leads to more self-fulfillment that having all your downtime be of the passive variety.
Do you like to travel places and do active recreation?
I'm a science geek, food lover, and wannabe surfer.
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