Rest Day - Angels Landing

Thundershowers threatened in the afternoon, so we decided to postpone our planned Zion Narrows hike by a day and do one of the front country trails instead. Naturally I suggested we did the hardest one, so on our rest day I made Anni hike Angels Landing. The trail isn't long, but it is brutal. It is the only one of the trails starting at the canyon floor that brings you to one of summits. We were surrounded by big mountains and I was hungry to see the view. The trail started in a gentle enough manner, but things got steeper. Initially this wasn't a problem as the path followed national park switchbacks and just meandered unmercifully uphill. For the ultra fit it wouldn't have been a problem, for the fit (which would include us) it took some real effort, and I'm sure the unfit would keel over.

Angel's Landing from the near the start of the trail.

The route follows the skyline. As we neared the mountain's shoulder, it was clear that things were going to get more technical. We had heard about the strenous nature of this trek and that it was not to be attempted by people with vertigo, but we dismissed them (as we have every other NP warning of difficulty) with the idea that "yes it's hard for the average American, but we're not average Americans, we're lean fit European climbers". Well, the trail wasn't technically demanding, but it required concentration and the terrain nurtured a certain level of interest. From a distance it looked improbable, but as we got closer everything fell into place.

Yes the trail really goes up this rock. You can see many people on it. These people worried me. I was confident that we would not fall. I wasn't so sure that other people wouldn't fall on to us.

Although the terrain looked daunting and exposed the hiking was really easy. The route had been crafted in the 1930s, steps had been hewn out of the soft sandstone and banisters (thankfully not the originals today) had been installed. It spoke of a more inventive time than the litigious society of today, when tourists would want to convine with nature rather than be shuttled around in park busses. I can't see such a trail being created in the modern era, and it was pleasing that this piece of inginuity had been preserved

From the top we were rewarded with sensational views. We had carried up my father's tripod and created a 360 degree panorama (which we should stitch together on return to Finland). We saw the scope of the park and were awed by the scale. The grandeur and verticality of the walls belittled anything that I had previously seen. As we came down, I noticed we had time for another trail, but Anni wisely recomended that we saved our energy for tomorrow, as we had a difficult back country trek planned. The next day I was to appreciate this advice.