Next we made our way over to Zion National Park where we set up our tent at the Watchman Campground and rode the shuttle bus into the main canyon.  We checked out the weeping wall and made a short hike along the river in the shady canyon.  That night in the campground it was hot and loud, there was a quite a fiesta going on a few hundred feet away and around midnight the cops finally showed up and we were able to get the kids to sleep.

The next morning we were up bright and early and on the shuttle bus headed to the Narrows (along with what seemed like everyone else in the park).  I was a bit worried the hike would be too hard for Bowen (3yo) due to the deep water but he managed with some help on the deeper crossings just fine. There was not a shortage of people in the narrows that day but I was still able to get some decent shots and the kids had a blast.    Hiking at Bowen’s pace the entire time with lots of stops for lunch, snacks and playing in the mud we ended up spending7 hours in the narrows.

Lanik’s Jump

Aprils Jump

While April and Bowen stayed back to play in the mud Lanik and I hiked a ways up Orderville canyon.

After a quick stop at camp for some fresh clothes we grabbed a burger in Springdale then fought our way beyond the construction to the east side of the park.   I really enjoyed this end of the park especially the equipment parked at the Checkerboard Mesa view point. We stretched our legs, took a few photos and did a bit of light painting  before we made our way back to camp.

Traffic

Me

Us

We spent yet another very warm (and slightly  more peaceful)  night in the Watchman campground before we packed up our gear. We made one last trip on the shuttle bus to the Zion lodge where we hiked the Emerald Pools then got the kids some ice cream cones.

As always the kids had a great time and really enjoyed all the hiking we did in the water.  Zion was just like I remembered it… packed full of tourists.

Clint on the saddle taking one last break before the last push to the summit.

1hr 40min after we left the lake we were sitting on top of the summit. We enjoyed the view for a bit then headed down to the snowfield and worked our way back down to Emerald Lake.

We spent the last few hours of daylight wandering around the Emerald Lake area taking photos.

Inside the hut.

Once the sun went down I set up for some long exposures and star trails.  Around 10:30pm while our trails were running someone called out from the trees next to our camp saying “are you guys looking from someone?”  After a rather lengthy conversation we directed this man towards his destination then he pulled out a trumpet, played taps, then headed off into the night.

Star Trails of Heber

At sunrise we awoke to the sound of a trumpet over 1000′ above, it seemed our new friend made it.  We packed up and hiked over to Emerald Lake where again we ran into some more goats.  We shot our photos then headed down the trail  to Aspen Grove.

We made it back down to the car in slightly over two hours,  awesome trip on Timp as always.