View of Zion Canyon from above the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway east tunnel entrance.

I think I have and always will love going to our many National Parks.  This past year my family and I went on a backpacking/camping trip to Zion National Park in Utah.  It was spring and the desert like climate was near its lushest.  That was a good thing for me since I love grass, water and all things green.  I couldn’t imagine trying to make a living here as a homesteader or even now!  Don’t get me wrong- it is amazing, gorgeous, breath taking even… but I couldn’t live in such a dry environment coming from a background of living in Wisconsin and now Minnesota.

We had lofty goals for this trip- maybe not lofty for everyone but for those of us who spent the winter stuck inside- it was drastic.  Our original plan was to set out from Lee Pass and do the trans- Zion backpacking trip.  For our intended route this would equate to a little over 43 miles.

La Verkin Creek Trail

La Verkin Creek Trail. I just love how red the soil is in comparison to the green of the grass and blue of the sky. On the left- my siblings once again showing their eagerness to be in my photos!

At the end of day one we had to find our way across the bitterly cold and swift La Verkin Creek. The photo on the right is of my dad watching on as I test the river for a good location to cross. Luckly for us a fellow hiker spotted us and led us farther up river to a MUCH better crossing. I got to freezingly enjoy crossing that river upwards of 7 times over the two days we camped beside it. BURR!

Day two started cold and a tad wet. It was a spotty day of on and off rain that eventually led us to make trenches around our tents to insure that the rain wouldn't pool and seep!

Upper left is a view of the sandy river bed in the Hop Valley. Upper Rright- a pool formed by the days rain near Kolab Arch. Lower left and right photos are of the views hiking out from the La Verkin Creek up to the Hop Valley.

Hop Valley Trail

Day three started early and was a grueling, beautiful and more than a bit worrisome.  We had scouted the normal trail for passing over the La Verkin Creek to continue up and out to Hop Valley the previous day and the water was raging over the rapids that the rocks surrounding the trail produced and it was impossible to pass without risking ones life.  We spent a large portion of the day scouting both sides of the creek and we were running out of options.  It looked like we were going to be turned back before we even ventured over 7 miles on our originally planned 43 mile trip.  Lucky for us there was a group moving through in the evening that had found a way to get back to the original trail.  It was up the hill on a precarious deer trail made wet and slick by the day’s rain.  We decided we would try it in the morning and if it got to a point where it was too dangerous we would turn back.

                We set out early and thankfully, successfully cleared the deer path to rejoin the Hop Valley Trail and start our first major elevation gain.  It was a gorgeous hike through and through but one should always be prepared and we were not as ready as we should have been.  Though we filled our water at the La Verkin Creek the next place to get water wasn’t until we reached our planned destination for that night- near 14 miles from the Creek.  We walked along and through water all day but it wasn’t safe to drink because of the cows that pastured in the valley.  The Hop Valley Trail is a bit brutal- I won’t lie.  It is sand through and through with a stream you continually cross as it meanders through the valley.  We believe that it is upwards of 8 crossings- so choose footwear that is comfortable to hike in for 5 miles that works well wet if you plan this destination! 

                I am still awed, impressed and sheepish about our results… We didn’t make it to our original destination that night.  After completing the Hop Valley Trail- we were out of water and some of us had blisters that made walking extremely painful.  It was moving closer towards evening- 6+ miles to go until we reached an area where we were allowed to camp at 8 miles until we reached a spot guaranteed to have water.   Our best bet was to wait at the trail entrance and hope for a helpful soul that might lend one, some or all of us a ride to town where I hoped I could use my phone to locate a taxing service to get one of us to our vehicle.  We were incredibly blessed to have the kind help of two individuals who had been farther up the mountain for a day hike and picnic that not only gave us water but were kind enough to drive an hour out of their way to drop my dad and I off at our car while my brother, sister, and mom waited for us at the trail head.  Their names were Jason+Kristin (could have been spelled differently.)  He was a youth pastor from St. George and she was a teacher.   Thank you once again to the both of you if you ever read this- I tried to find you both when we got back but I couldn’t find any contact information for you both.  I hope you had a wonderful wedding and that your lives continue to be blessed!

We spent that night and the rest of our nights camping inside Zion’s campground and day hiked a good portion of our route that we had planned to backpack.  I hope to go back to Zion in 2012 and finish the trans-Zion hike.

This is the path that led up to Hidden Canyon- to the right of my brother is what equates to a several hundred foot drop to the valley's floor. At times along this path they have a metal chain installed into the rockface to hold onto which is very much appreciated when you need to cross paths with people going the other direction!

In mid June my family and I enjoyed a trip to Yosemite National Park and we couldn’t have asked for better timing!  The weather was amazing, 70′s-80′s every day and not a drop of rain to be had.  It was of course amazingly gorgeous.  The weekend before, Yosemite Valley had flooded and so when we were there the water falls were running in earnest- the best water flow they have had in years.  Even the little creeks were creating waterfalls!  By the time we left, a little over a week after arriving, many of the waterfalls were already drying up.