We drove into Utah from Arizona just as it was starting to get dark, the night before we were to set out and tackle Angel's Landing. As we got closer to Zion we started to see the outline of deer in the pastures lining the road, the last light of the day highlighting their shape against the rocky backdrop. It was beautiful. We rolled down the windows and let the air in, taking in the little bits we could before the sun went completely down behind the mountains.

When we woke up the next morning and took a look around we were in awe. Rocks towered around us on all sides- the red only made redder by the green trees. We stretched, we took it in, we discussed our plan. That morning we were headed out to hike Angel's Landing, a 1,500-foot rock formation that promised to provide insane views of Zion Canyon. I'd researched the hike pretty extensively- I read about how difficult it could be for those with any fear of heights and how dangerous it could be in inclement weather. All along I hadn't felt nervous- but the night before Erinn, Alana, and I had hopped back on the internet and started to psych ourselves out. "How many people have died doing this?!" "WHY are we doing this anyway?" etc.

As we got our packs out, laced up our shoes, and headed out,  the sun was coming up. After a tiny bit of back and forth and some "once we get there, if it looks like a stupid idea we won't do it" talk we began the hike, pushing aside the previous night's apprehension. We entered at the trailhead at the Grotto Picnick area and made our way uphill, through Walter's Wiggles, a set of 21 steep switchbacks.

We approached Scout's Lookout and saw a few people deciding to stop there, rather than going all the way to the top. We had made some friends along the way and we all decided to head up together, and this is where is got interesting for me. All along I felt like I could possibly have some fear of heights, but I wasn't totally sure because up until recently I hadn't been in too many situations where I could have found out. A few weeks prior Alana and I had hike Devil's Bridge in Sedona and I was incredibly uncomfortable walking across it. But Angel's Landing, oh man, this was in a whole different realm- SO high, SO scary...but oddly enough I wasn't scared at all. This came as a surprise to me- my adrenaline kicked in and I was 110% stoked, no fear whatsoever. Awesome.

We continued going upward, and the hike definitely became intense at a few points. You're literally standing on a ledge thousands of feet in the air, with nothing to hold onto, sheer drops on both sides. It was crazy. And beautiful. And the kind of thing that makes you feel sick with excitement and nerves the entire time. Some of the way up there were chains- but there were a few hairy sections that had you just saying "okay, I'm doing it," and taking a breath then a quick step to a different rock or spot, with the world kind of spinning below thanks to how high in the air you are.

In all honesty although the scary parts were definitely scary, but those parts made up a small portion of the entire hike. It definitely wasn't as bad as I had read, and once we got to the top I sat there for a second and processed what I just did. Now, I'm going to try not to get totally cheesy here but I would say that this hike was kind of life-changing. Tears and everything, people. Just being nervous about something and then doing that something, and really and truly loving the shit out of doing that something...that's such a great feeling. How often do we get a chance to really get shaken up in life, or be surprised by ourselves? This was one of those times for me, and I will really and truly cherish this adventure forever. My only wish was that we had more time to spend in the park, but since it was a quick turn-around three day trip we headed home upon completion. Next time, I'll have to bring my GoPro (and Hank!) and capture a bit more of the climb!

Here are some iPhone photos, and do let me know if you have any questions below. I'm sharing this story in partnership with the National Park Foundation and their Find Your Park campaign. It's really an amazing project so be sure to check it out when you have a moment. Enjoy!





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A couple months ago Alana called me and said "Hey. Would you be able to take off for a few days and do Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Zion?" I asked her when she was thinking, and she said "Umm, next week." Thanks to my sister, I was able to excitedly say "HELL YES!" and a few days later, we were off.

Hank's family has a houseboat docked on the Arizona side of Lake Powell so we've been close to Antelope Canyon many, many times but never made the time to explore it. And wow- were we missing out!

We decided to visit both Upper and Lower Antelope, and both were very different experiences which I'll detail below. If you decide to make the trip, I recommend taking the time to do both tours.

We went into Upper Antelope first, and used Adventurous Antelope Photo Tours, and did their 12:30pm Prime Time tour. After doing some research we learned that mid-day was the best for capturing the light in the canyon, so we went with Tour #10. We arrived 30-minutes prior to our tour and ate a quick lunch from our backpacks before boarding one of the SUVs with our guide, Dale. There were 9 people total in our group, and then there were also three other SUVs full of hikers following us from the same company.

The whole tour is noted as taking one hour, but with the fifteen-minute drive to the entrance and back, and lingering inside and out, I would estimate the entire excursion took about two hours. It was a GREAT tour. Dale was an exceptional guide, helping us with camera settings, locations, photo ideas, and was full of geological and historical knowledge. It was a phenomenal experience. The only downside was the crowds- it was a weekday so it wasn't horribly crowded, but it was still pretty packed and if you saw an empty spot and wanted to take a photo, you better do it quickly before the next group came through. All in all though I would highly recommend not only this tour company, but also our tour guide Dale.

Next we drove over to Lower Antelope Canyon Tours (I couldn't find a website but it's to the left of Ken's Tours), and waited for our second tour to begin. We were joined by three other people, and we walked back behind the tour shacks to see a very nondescript slot in the ground. It's amazing to think what was inside of that slot- you wouldn't ever know by looking at it that such an insanely beautiful world is down below.

To enter the canyon, you head down a couple of very steep flights of stairs to descend to the canyon floor. Once below we realized we were basically the only ones inside which was such a sharp contrast to our experience in the Upper Canyon. It was amazing to walk through slowly, with no one around, and listen to the sounds of the wind, our breath, and our feet crunching on the rocks. About halfway through our guide started playing a wooden flute and the entire canyon filled up with the most beautiful music. It was truly a "made-it" moment for this trip, and something I think back to often.

It was an amazing time, and I can't recommend visiting Antelope Canyon enough. Be sure to book both Upper and Lower too- they're both incredibly different, and worth the trip. I'll be back next with with details from Horseshoe Bend, and then the following week with my post about the Zion portion of our trip. Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions- I'm happy to answer below.




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