The Narrows

The Narrows was this trip's headliner!  It was the thing Ella was most excited about.  We keep a little "Top Five Hikes" list going, as I mentioned in a previous post.  The Narrows found its way onto the list!  For most of us, it even moved into the #1 spot!  Hiking The Narrows is traversing a 10 mile out and back trail, through the Zion Canyon, while walking IN the Virgin River. It's a strenuous hike in the sense that each step must be intentional and carefully taken.  There is current and rapids, high water, slippery rocks, and submerged boulders to navigate.   You need clothes and shoes that can be wet all day, but still comfortable to walk miles in.  And you definitely need a walking stick to keep you upright!  We walked 3 miles into the canyon and 3 miles back, so 6 miles...and it took all day!  It's an experience that's hard to capture with pictures, but here are 17 that tried!

All geared up and waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the trailhead!  There's a shop called Zion Outfitters right outside the park entrance that rents everything you need for The Narrows-- from waterproof backpacks to neoprene socks.  We just got our sticks from them.  I read dozens of reviews about how much gear you actually need.  We found we didn't need much.

It's about a mile hike just to get to the river entrance.  It's pretty!  We were on this trail by 7:30 am.  Crowds are crazy at The Narrows.

Once you get in the river, you don't go far until the water gets deep!  We were up to our waist within minutes.  This is one of the natural crowd-thinning places.

There are only a few deep sections, though.  Mostly the water was shin-deep.

Summer is flash flood season and this winter Zion saw lots of snow which is now melting, so the rapids were up!  Taking careful steps on wobbly stones while the rapids tried to carry you away was one of the fun challenges of this hike! 

Look for this picture on our Christmas card! ;)

Ella taking a little break from the water to climb the boulders!

Dave found this heart shaped rock in the river so we had to take a cheesy picture with it.

As the sun rose higher in the day, the red rock walls changed colors!  I love how this section started glowing gold!

Some of the path was through pretty narrow walls.  Guess that's how the hike got its name!

It was interesting how the temps changed as we hiked too.  In this one section, the water suddenly got really cold, even though it was close to noon and the sun was hot.  We dressed in layers.

Fun to find little waterfalls trickling down the canyon walls.

On dry ground again and making our way back to the shuttle.  

This was a pretty awesome day.  Even Delia, who does not love to hike, loved this one.  Each step was an effort, but every bend in the river brought a new fantastic view.  Though it was a hot day, we stayed cool enough to wear long sleeves through most of it because the water was so refreshing.  We'll all remember this adventure our whole lives!