Kinesava

I can't say that I have wanted to climb Mt. Kinesava for a long time because I wasn't sure it was within my ability. When Annette and I finally got a day to patrol together for work, we wanted to do something a little bigger than our typical hikes. We chose Kinesava and geared up reading some route descriptions to get ourselves pumped up for the climb. It sounded challenging, but possible, so we drove on out to the Chinle Trailhead. From there we followed the trail until just when we crossed into the National Park. Good thing for National Parks because there used to be another way through town that has been closed off due to crossing private property. But in our good ol' National Park, we can walk freely to the summit of Mt. Kinesava. Kinesava is just so impressive the way it starts the entrance into Zion Canyon. Nearby the West Temple dwarfs it, but it seemed like a large enough obstacle anyway. We wound our way around cliffs until we finally found a spot to go up the forested slopes of the Kayenta formation. This was an easy second class walk to face of the cliff.

Our route would be up to the right of the summit where a small break in the cliff allowed for some fourth class climbing action. It turned out to be a fairly straight forward route to find as in many places there were only a few places to choose from. There were only two places of major difficulty that took some thinking. They were just a couple of walls that we had to find out the best way to get up them. It was a bit nerve racking, but eventually we came out to a big flat plateau that was on top of Kinesava just before the final push up the summit. Getting to this place, though, felt good for Annette and I as we knew we had surmounted the most difficult spot. We laid down our heavy packs carrying the rope that we did not use, then high tailed it to the summit. We picked a route to the right once again and though it did not seem like the best route, it worked out just fine. Soon, we were looking down on Zion Canyon with one of the most incredible views.

We could not help but to smile up there. The views were amazing as from one side you could see into Coalpits, to the Left and Right Fork, and over to the Guardian Angels. From the other side, you could see the Watchman, East Temple, Springdale, and many other amazing peaks and sights. If you turned around, there was the huge West Temple. If you looked straight ahead, Eagle's Crags and Canaan Mountain looked inviting. I don't think anyone could be at a place like this and not be happy that this place is protected for all humanity to enjoy. 

We spent a considerable amount of time soaking up the ambiance of the summit, then went back down to our packs. We hiked over to do the work that we had to do while up here and had a bit of lunch before heading back down. This was a spectacular place to be and the only thing left to do was to descend it. To be honest, my mind was imagining all the obstacles that we ran into on the hike up and how much more difficult they would be going down. Turned out, though that they were not. We had more difficulty finding our way through the Kayenta formation than we did the Navajo sandstone. This was mainly because we were no longer concerned about our safety in the Kayenta. 

We did however, run into a couple of giant spiders. One that was bumblebee colored and gigantic. I was glad I saw him before I ran into his web. I don't know if he was poisonous, but we looks scary enough to be poisonous. Then immediately after that, I saw my only tarantula of the season. It was a great way to end the hike as we eventually found the telephone poles that lead back to the Chinle trail and our vehicle waiting on Anasazi Way. A great climb and it was awesome to see such an amazing Zion summit.