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Indeed the night was spent in the car. We lucked into a state park with "free camping" (we rolled in after close and out before opening). Pink Coral Sands State Park was a very dark, very highly mule deer populated park to drive into in the middle of the night (9pm) lol (we STILL aren't adjusted to the time change). We found a beautiful campsite and made a perfect little fire. Christine and I each downed 6 packs and sat on the sand until the last coals burned out. Danny was pretty wiped out from the drive and went to bed (the van) early. We wanted to sleep outside on the ground under the stars because we were too lazy to set up the tent, but the nightly low of 28 and mysterious noises from the bushes in our site convinced us to bundle up in the car.
The van was a surprisingly comfy sleeping situation. Danielle and I sat on the backseat and stretched our legs out on all our s*** in front of us (it's become quite a pile). Christine slept in a reclined passenger seat. We were up and escaping the camping fee by the first ray of sunlight. Zion was a short 30 minute drive away.
Zion National Park is impressive! An entire vacation could easily be spent there. I works love to return for sure. Unfortunately we only had a day to spare, so we made the most of it by picking debatably the most iconic national park hike, Angels landing. We were warned by the ranger, the signs, other visitors, and the brochure of it's intensity. Being terrified of heights I wasn't sure how far I would make it, but I had already purchased a magnet and a post card showing the switchbacks of the hike, so we pressed on hahaha. I couldn't let my $1.99 go to shame right!?
Zion is so huge that personal vehicles cannot access most of the treacherous park roads. We had to go by shuttle to the trailhead. After a quick camp stove breakfast of oatmeal in the visitor center parking lot, and wet wipe bath in the restrooms, we chugged gatorades, loaded our day packs, and headed for "The Grotto" where the hike would begin.
For those of you who have never heard of it, this hike is no joke. A 1,488 foot hike and elevation of 5,790ft doesn't sound too terrible, but the many series of steep switchbacks directly in the beating sun are what separate the girls from the women. The trail climbs between angels landing and Zion Canyon. The series of 21 consecutive steep switchbacks is the last hurdle before the climb reached Scouts Lookout. This is the only point I could summit. I was already extremely nauseous and totally freaked from the narrow, heavily populated, cliff edge trail. Moving over for someone to pass was torture, and there were very few points where you could stand to rest without being dangerously close to an intense drop off. I was proud to just be where I was.
Danielle and Christine pressed on to the last stretch of the trail which was strenuous and littered with sharp drop offs and narrow paths. Chains to grip are provided for the last half-mile to the top at 5,790 feet. Just sitting at Scouts Lookout and watching the people climb made me more and more nauseous by the minute. I was surrounded by portions of groups and families that sat out the last section while the rest of their groups continued to the top. I heard some of the most interesting conversations while waiting. The ones that really turned my tummy where those where seasoned hikers discussed the risks, difficulty, and even lives this section of the trail had claimed. It was easy to see why this climb was such a risk. The chains provided were the only support provided and were on the inside of the cliffs. Nothing stood between you and the thousand + foot drop off a cliff. The sandy/dirty layer covering the slick rock, provides little footing, and even in mid November the trail was packed with people. The maneuvers done to let opposing traffic pass were sketchy and, even from my position, terrifying.
I got to a point where I almost had to stop watching. Idiotic parents letting their children climb rails,people leaning on trees barely rooted to cliff edges, and insane runners taking extremely risky trail runs had me ready to vomit. I sat 3.25 hours waiting for a site of Christine and Danielle's return. Turns out the took a wrong trail and hiked an extra few miles out of their way. Pretty sketchy sitting at the top of a mountain clueless to when or if your friends will return. I was terrified I had missed them and still had to make it back down the mountain before the last shuttle departed the grotto for the night. Things turned out well and the climb back down was much quicker and easier than up. An entire day was sober at Angels Landing. I have no shame for not attempting the last section, and in my opinion, anyone that was not a seasoned climber/hiker is foolish for attempting this section of the hike lol.
The girls were exhausted from their efforts and a 3.5 hour drive still stood between us and our nights destination of a hotel in Las Vegas (mainly for the shower and bed accommodations that we desperately needed). I cooked up a quick camp stove meal of chicken sausage jumbalaya and we headed out of the beautiful Zion. Onto Viva Las Vegas!!
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