Well our days at Zion were coming swiftly to an end. This was brought to the forefront of our minds by the going away party that Annette and Greg had so graciously thrown us a couple of days before. It was a great turnout to get all of our friends from the park to come on out. Brad put together a slideshow and we had some good eatin', drinkin', and
pongin'. Matt, Liz, and Annette were the real troopers who stayed up late into the night with us just b.s.ing. I was glad, but the other hard part about leaving Zion was leaving all the limitless possibilities out there for exploring. I took the liberty to do a little exploring on one of my last days of work. Having no one to hike with, I went out by myself for a hike on the Northgate Peaks/Wildcat Canyon Trails. The Northgate Peaks is a trail I hav
e been on quite a few times, but to the end only twice. This time instead of stopping at the viewpoint at the end, I scrambled on down into the valley in between the peaks. There was a use trail that I continued on and led me to the base of one of the peaks. I knew this was a little bit off my route, but since I never stopped to take a lunch break, I figured I had 45 minutes to explore. I used it on this day to climb Northgate Peak. There was a route up it that
I just had to follow. It was faint in places but common sense kept me going until I reached the top on a scorching hot day. The view from on top was incredible and I took a few minutes to soak it up. The reds, oranges, whites, grays, greens, all blended together to make a splendid view. Zion really is one of the most amazing places on earth. Well I scram
bled back down and resumed my normal day of work. Saw a half dozen people that were pleasant. I caught a horned lizard wandering across my path also. I wanted to check the condition of the Wildcat Spring, but I never could get to it. I walked the distance necessary, but once I got to the spot it was located, there were so many stinging nettles I could not get to it. I tried quite a few times, but I kept leaving in pain without any luck. Thankfully, I brought enough water to make the trip back to the trailhead without needing to
fill up, but I liked to keep extra with me. On this day, though, I had to go back without it. I was glad that I was not on a long backpack coming out of Hop Valley and this was my first water source for 19 miles. That would have been miserable. Well, I wandered on back enjoying another hot hiking day in Zion. I only had a desk day and another canyon day left to finish out my season and possibly my park service career. Who am I kidding, I am sure that being a seasonal in the park service will find its way into my future plans.
pongin'. Matt, Liz, and Annette were the real troopers who stayed up late into the night with us just b.s.ing. I was glad, but the other hard part about leaving Zion was leaving all the limitless possibilities out there for exploring. I took the liberty to do a little exploring on one of my last days of work. Having no one to hike with, I went out by myself for a hike on the Northgate Peaks/Wildcat Canyon Trails. The Northgate Peaks is a trail I hav
e been on quite a few times, but to the end only twice. This time instead of stopping at the viewpoint at the end, I scrambled on down into the valley in between the peaks. There was a use trail that I continued on and led me to the base of one of the peaks. I knew this was a little bit off my route, but since I never stopped to take a lunch break, I figured I had 45 minutes to explore. I used it on this day to climb Northgate Peak. There was a route up it that 
I just had to follow. It was faint in places but common sense kept me going until I reached the top on a scorching hot day. The view from on top was incredible and I took a few minutes to soak it up. The reds, oranges, whites, grays, greens, all blended together to make a splendid view. Zion really is one of the most amazing places on earth. Well I scram
bled back down and resumed my normal day of work. Saw a half dozen people that were pleasant. I caught a horned lizard wandering across my path also. I wanted to check the condition of the Wildcat Spring, but I never could get to it. I walked the distance necessary, but once I got to the spot it was located, there were so many stinging nettles I could not get to it. I tried quite a few times, but I kept leaving in pain without any luck. Thankfully, I brought enough water to make the trip back to the trailhead without needing to 
fill up, but I liked to keep extra with me. On this day, though, I had to go back without it. I was glad that I was not on a long backpack coming out of Hop Valley and this was my first water source for 19 miles. That would have been miserable. Well, I wandered on back enjoying another hot hiking day in Zion. I only had a desk day and another canyon day left to finish out my season and possibly my park service career. Who am I kidding, I am sure that being a seasonal in the park service will find its way into my future plans.
1 comment:
Zion was a great place. Man. You had the coolest job in the park!
B
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