Talkin' 'Bout Friends

"Talkin' 'bout friends, that's what it's all about. Can't live without friends who won't let you down, you gotta have friends." My friend Amber came out from Colorado to hang out with Jacqueline and I. We were excited because this was the first trip that Amber had made to Zion in her life. It is always fun showing someone around this place. She arrived in the evening after I got off my last of two Subway trips. We decided to spend the next day going to Angel's Landing. I do not know if I have ever put Angel's Landing on this blog before as a trip I have undertaken, but I have hiked it quite a few times. If it is someone's first trip to Zion, it is a fantastic hike. Jacqueline was busy on this morning, so Amber and I went alone. It was about as much hiking as I could take after hiking a couple of days in a row. It was nice to be on one of the busier trails without my park service uniform on, though. It is hard for me to describe any differences on this hike as the approach is burned into my memory so strongly it is like walking to the store. The particular things that I remember are scared people to follow, busy lines for walking space, my shoes being not particularly awesome, and Amber handling it like a champ enjoying the scenery on the way. When we got back to the house, we were still up for some more exploring. I called up Matt and he was down to join the three of us on a hike through Shelf Canyon. It was nice to escape the heat by getting into Shelf Canyon. I was glad we got to show Amber one of our unique Zion slots, too. It was a quick hike and after we were back, we spent the rest of the night hanging out with Matt and Liz playing games. Next day, we were back at it, this time with a trip out to Bryce. I am sure Amber would have rather had the guided tour through Zion, but I just needed to get away on my weekend. This way we were all enjoying something new. We decided to take the more popular routes and hike from Bryce Point north. We spent a good chunk of the day doing this and it took us through some of the more interesting formations in the park. The hike was not particularly challenging, but it was also not particularly crowded considering it was one of the more popular areas. I think most tourists to Bryce don't get out of their cars far enough to get past the viewpoints. We were able to make a loop out of it. We had great vistas along the way and even caught the park service trail crew napping. When I was on trail crew, we took our naps far off the trail where the visitors could not see us. I am sure it was their lunch break, but they looked lazy and rude. We hiked for a good 3-4 hours and around 10 miles. Then we headed home. I had to work the following day, so Amber spent it roaming through the Narrows. It was really fun to have a friend visiting and Amber seemed to appreciate the beauty we call home in Zion National Park.