Zion National Park

“I have to lie down otherwise I don’t think I can make it”, I said to Julie.

We were in the final stretch of the infamous Angel’s Landing, thousands of feet above sea level, and my dizziness was getting worse. And at 40 degrees, the dry heat doesn’t help much when you’re thirsty. Each step was an effort. And my body was now fighting against it.

Zion National Park is located in Southern Utah. It was our very first stop during our road trip. We were drawn here following a geocaching log from a Quebec City team that came here some time ago. The pictures were impressive and the Angel’s Landing hike had actually been the decisive factor for our vacation plans. We basically based the entire road trip around that spot.

And here we were, on a sunny Wednesday morning. We arrived early to set up camp in a no-reservation area (we got a beautiful spot too) and we boarded the park’s shuttle en route to the trail head.

Angel’s Landing is strenuous hike that is now famous thanks to its very narrow portion that leads to the top, where an amazing view awaits the bold and/or the crazy. This technical portion is at certain places no more than five feet wide, with 1200 ft drops on each side. When there is a chain, it’s not to prevent hikers from falling; it’s to help them climb the steep rocks. Luckily for us, we don’t suffer from vertigo at all. A lot of people have to turn away at the warning sign, but Julie and I simply knew we had to reach the top.

But about 30 minutes after the warning sign, I started getting dizzy. I knew it wasn’t the vertigo, but I could not exactly figure out what it was. I mostly blame the strenuous efforts required in this steep ascent combined with the heat. Two mistakes: we did not bring any water and I did not wear my hat until that point.

We found some shade thanks to a large tree and I was able to lie underneath it. Took me a solid 5 minutes of normal breathing to finally get back to a point where I knew I could continue. Julie amazed me as she did suffered from anything during the entire hike. Sure we could have used more water, but we were not in dehydration mode either.

And the view was amazing. The entire valley was in front of us, with another portion behind. It was like 360 degrees of vision from very high up, save for the narrow path. The wind up there was welcome and we took some time to “take it all in” before heading back down.

The descent was much better, except for my feet that were now hurting due to those new shoes. It took us a good 5 hours from start to finish. What surprised me was the number of people still going upwards at 5PM. I would NOT want to do this hike after sundown!

We ended up eating at a place called Whiptail Grill, near the park’s entrance, recommended by my iPhone’s Yelp. Now we understand why. The tuna was incredible and the avocado salad was delicious. And it remained the best meal we had during the entire trip. Highly recommended. We fell asleep in the tent like two rocks, dead tired of this long but really satisfying day.

“I have to lie down otherwise I don’t think I can make it”, I said to Julie.

We were in the final stretch of the infamous Angel’s Landing, thousands of feet above sea level, and my dizziness was getting worse. And at 40 degrees, the dry heat doesn’t help much when you’re thirsty. Each step was an effort. And my body was now fighting against it.

Zion National Park is located in Southern Utah. It was our very first stop during the road trip. We were drawn here following a geocaching log from a Quebec City team that came here some time ago. The pictures were impressive and the Angel’s Landing hike had actually been the decisive factor for our vacation plans. We basically based the entire road trip around that spot.

Zion Rock Face

Angel's Landing - Path in the rock face

And here we were, on a sunny Wednesday morning. We arrived early to set up camp in a no-reservation area (we got a beautiful spot too) and we boarded the park’s shuttle en route to the trail head.

Angel’s Landing is a strenuous hike that is now famous thanks to its very narrow portion that leads to the top, where an amazing view awaits the bold and/or the crazy. This technical portion is at certain places no more than five feet wide, with 1200 ft drops on each side. When there is a chain in place, it’s not to prevent hikers from falling; it’s to help them climb the steep rocks. Luckily for us, we don’t suffer from vertigo at all. A lot of people have to turn away at the warning sign, but Julie and I simply knew we had to reach the top.

Angel's Landing - Warning Sign

No vertigo allowed!

But about 30 minutes after the warning sign, I started getting dizzy. I knew it wasn’t the vertigo, but I could not exactly figure out what it was. I now mostly blame the strenuous efforts required in this steep ascent combined with the heat. Two mistakes: we did not bring enough water and I did not wear my hat until that point.

We found some shade thanks to a large tree and I was able to lie underneath. Took me a solid 5 minutes of heavy breathing to finally get back to a point where I knew I could continue. Julie amazed me as she did not suffer from anything during the entire hike. Sure we could have used more water, but we were not in dehydration mode either.

And the view was amazing. The entire valley was in front of us, with another portion behind. It was like 360 degrees of vision from very high up, save for the narrow path. The wind up there was welcome and we took some time to “take it all in” before heading back down.

Angel's Landing - Summit

The descent was much better, except for my feet that were now hurting due to a new pair of shoes. It took us a good 5 hours from start to finish. What surprised me was the number of people still going upwards at 5PM. I would NOT want to do this hike after sundown!

This bird pants like a dog to fight the heat

Mule deer in Zion National Park

We ended up eating at a place called Whiptail Grill, near the park’s entrance, recommended by my iPhone’s Yelp. Now we understand why. The tuna was incredible and the avocado salad was delicious. And it remained the best meal we had during the entire trip. Highly recommended. We fell asleep in the tent like two rocks, dead tired of this long but really satisfying day.