5/9–5/16/21

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Smithsonian Butte

On Sunday I arrived at my BLM spot for the week: a tucked-away place, five miles down a bumpy dirt road, in the shadow of Smithsonian Butte. After some searching around, I found a good campsite, and was immediately awe-struck by the incredible views, with Mt Kinesava off to the north and Smithsonian Butte looming over me to the south. This was undoubtedly the most beautiful BLM spot I had found so far, and I was thrilled to spend the next four days here.

The weather that week turned out to be absolutely pleasant as well, with very little wind, temperatures that were comfortably warm while sitting within the shade of my screen tent, and comfortably cool with some blankets at night. One night I awoke to see the Milky Way setting over Smithsonian Butte, and I spent thirty minutes taking photos before crawling back into the car to sleep. I could easily have enjoyed staying there another week. I have to say, I was a bit sad to leave.

Zion National Park

My plan for the next two days was to walk the accessible part of the Trans-Zion Traverse in two days, from Kolob Canyon to Zion Canyon. The connector trail to the East Rim has unfortunately been closed off for a long time due to a rockslide, so it’s not possible to do the entire traverse. And I probably would have budgeted an extra day to do those 40.5 miles, but backcountry permitting in Zion is incredibly competitive, so I was only able to reserve one night in Wildcat Canyon, which is roughly half-way through the traverse. So day one would be 23.5 miles, and day two would be 17 miles.

On Friday morning I woke up nice and early to meet my ride at the Zion National Park Visitor Center. I had had a very difficult time finding a ride – I tried two shuttle companies in the area, one of which wanted $300, which is absurd, and the other of which never responded to me. I was getting worried I might have to hitchhike, which ordinarily I wouldn’t mind, but I’ve been trying my best not to hitch during this time until I’m fully vaccinated. Finally, a friend of a friend connected me with his friend (confused yet?), Lindsey, who is training to be a guide at Zion. Sweet!

Day One: Lee Pass to Wildcat Canyon (35.5 mi, +3,826’ / -2,600’)

I left my car at the visitor center and got dropped off at my starting point at Lee Pass Trailhead. Only after my ride pulled away did I realize that I had forgotten my trekking poles in my car. Oh well, I supposed I would have to do without.

The beginning of my walk was easy and pleasant, with cool temperatures and plenty of shade. I was amazed at how much more water and wildlife there was here in comparison with my other desert experiences. One thing to note, however, is that due to a high concentration of cyanobacteria, and therefore, cyanotoxin, the water in the streams is not potable. Apparently standard filtering or chemical disinfectants (e.g. chlorine dioxide or iodine) are unable to remove cyanotoxins from water, so springs would be the only safe water source in Zion.

Later in the day, the trail turned more difficult. The elevation gain was never very much, but the heat and sun exposure sapped my energy, and then I discovered a new obstacle: sand. Almost the entire day, from late morning on, was a slog just slightly uphill through soft sand. Every step was much more difficult than on solid ground, and I began to really feel it in my hips. I went much slower than I had anticipated, only reaching my intended campsite just at sunset.

My trekking poles double as my tent supports, so without them I just decided to cowboy camp that night. No problem. But what surprised me was how quickly it started cooling off. In an effort to shave off pack weight, I had only brought a light down blanket instead of my 20° quilt, since I saw that it was only supposed to get down to 59°F that night. But it got much colder than 59° that night. I was soon wearing every item of clothing (which wasn’t much) in my pack and was able to fall asleep. But I woke up later in the night, feeling very cold. So I groggily came up with the idea to pull my tent over me like a blanket (which is hilarious in retrospect), and I was able to sleep on and off for the rest of the night. Only later did I realize that the weather forecast I had looked at was for Rockville, UT, which is at 3,740’ of elevation. My campsite in Wildcat Canyon was at 7,300’ of elevation. So it was likely around 21°F cooler where I was than in Rockville. That was quite a dramatic miscalculation, which resulted in a long, miserable night. At least it wasn’t any worse, I suppose.

Day Two: Wildcat Canyon to the Grotto (17 mi, +3,101’ / -6,129’)

I was wearily happy to see the first light of dawn so that I could get moving and warm up. The views on this day turned out to be more impressive than the day previous, with more open, sweeping vistas. The terrain was more solid as well, thankfully.

The day passed fairly smoothly, until I reached the start of the Angel’s Landing Trail. The trail had been progressively becoming more and more crowded with people after hitting the West Rim, until finally becoming a congested mass at the intersection with the Angel’s Landing Trail. Up until this point, I had had a lot of solitude, but this was one of the more popular (and accessible) parts of the park.

I decided to take a detour up to Angel’s Landing, which is a 1,488-foot-tall rock formation that people can climb up to the peak. I was immediately surprised at how steep and sketchy the trail was – it follows up the narrow ridge of the formation, with 1,400-foot drops off the cliffs to the canyon floor below. The sign at the trail junction informed me that since 2004, 13 people have died from falling off this trail. I had always felt, with a tinge of bitterness, that everything in the U.S. had to be baby- or idiot-proofed; not Angel’s Landing, I suppose. (Though to be fair, there are chains bolted into the rock, so while it’s still a bit dangerous, it’s not quite as sketchy).

Because of the number of people, and the narrowness of the trail, there was a lot of waiting involved in my climb to the top of Angel’s Landing – waiting for people ahead of me to make the climb, waiting while people coming down could pass by safely. It took a while, but I felt it was worth it when I reached the top. It definitely presents the best views into Zion Canyon.

After the Hike

After descending from Angel’s Landing, I made my way down to the canyon floor to grab a park shuttle back to my car at the visitor’s center. While I was at my car, repacking and looking for somewhere to eat (backpacking really burns up calories), I heard a voice behind me, “Matt?” I turned around to see Lindsey standing there.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I questioned with a smile.

“We just finished up our day of canyoneering,” she replied. And apparently, had just happened to park right next to me, and apparently had just happened to finish at the same time I did. What are the chances?

They invited me to grab food with them and hang out, and I was happy oblige. While I’m more of an introvert, and I enjoy time alone, being on the road these past few weeks has been a bit lonely at times. Plus, meeting new people and making friends is all part of the fun of traveling. So we got some massive, juicy burgers, fries, and a couple of six-packs and had a nice evening. Afterward, Lindsey was kind enough to let me sleep in my car in her apartment’s parking lot, which I was grateful for, so I didn’t have to wander around the Southwest in search of a BLM spot in the dark after a few beers.

In the morning, I woke up a bit later than usual (well after sunrise – surprise!) and made my way to the Grand Canyon.

Stats

Miles driven this week: 284
Total miles driven so far: 3,083
Miles hiked this week: 40.5
Total miles hiked so far: 111.25
Elevation change: +6,927’, -8,729’
Total elevation change so far: +22,466’ / -25,325’
Nights slept in Obi the Subaru: 6
Nights cowboy camped: 1
Total nights slept in Obi the Subaru: 17
Total nights tent camped: 2
Total nights cowboy camped: 2
Total nights slept in an AirBnb: 2
Time since start of trip: 23 days
States visited since start of trip: 8
Number of times sang “We’re Marching to Zion” quietly to myself: 12