Walking upriver is like traversing a maze in the dark. It doesn’t necessarily mean walking straight up the center of the river. I’m constantly looking at the step in front of me, calculating depth by the color of the water and with my walking stick. I look for banks on either side of the river and try to determine what the shortest, least resistant path is between them. It often feels like the route with the shallowest water and least number of rocks is longer than what I’d prefer to walk from Point A to Point B, but this hike isn’t about getting to the end fast. It’s about the challenge, the strenuous push of one leg after another through an environment few people will ever get to hike.

At first, the river is relatively wide, and the water only hits my shins with the occasional brush of my knees. It isn’t like any other average hike but, despite the cold water, it isn’t particularly taxing. Certainly walking against a current isn’t a simple task, but it’s a manageable trek. About two-and-a-half miles upstream, another canyon joins the Narrows. Shortly thereafter, the walls narrow and the sunlight fights to slip into the canyon. This is Wall Street.

With nowhere for the water to run, no extra sand banks to bury, the water rises to my thighs and occasionally I have to hold my backpack up as it sneaks above my waist. I’m with my husband and our foreign exchange student, both of whom have at least ten inches on my five-foot-two frame, and they grab my bag when the water creeps higher up my chest. Wall Street goes on for nearly a mile, the slick rock walls creating a kind of natural sanctuary around us as we continue to hike upstream, our feet still searching for safe places to step among the slippery rocks on the bottom of the riverbed.

Past Wall Street, the river widens a bit again, and we’re given a few sandy banks on the sides. At one point, we can wade chest deep around a boulder, or we can rock scramble around it on the bank. Feeling adventurous, we continue to plunge through the river, laughing as we fully recognize the hilarity of our situation. It’s goofy and challenging and just too much fun not to go through the water.

I’m thankful for the dry suit I’m wearing even though it feels bulky. I look like a character straight out of Star Trek with the bright patch of color across my chest and a wide diagonal zipper running across it, but fashion isn’t my main concern as I slowly hike my way up the Virgin River. Known as the Narrows, this is one of Zion Canyon National Park’s most popular and challenging hikes. Many people reach the end of the paved path where the hike up the Narrows begins and dip their toes. Some tentatively tiptoe their way across the river to the bank on the other side in an attempt to begin the trek unprepared. Most don’t make it past the first few bends in the river though, unless they’re outfitted in appropriate gear.

We’ve made the 10-mile day hike up the Narrows before. It was September then, and the water was lower, slower. We wore Keens and heavy wool socks, layers of quick-dry clothing. Though manageable and pleasant, I was cold by the end of that hike, and I eagerly agreed to wear a dry suit with river-specific boots and neoprene socks for this trek.

When we’ve reached a landmark known as the Boulders, we’ve hiked approximately four-and-a-half miles upriver. We can go a bit further—as far as a campsite on the western bank for overnight hikers—if we’re so inclined, but we decide instead to climb up one of the boulders and take a snack break. My husband peels off his dry suit for the hike back down river, but the other two of us stay fully suited up to keep the heat in. Our foreign exchange student takes advantage of the suit’s capabilities on the way back by blowing it up through the neck and floating downriver with the current as if with a built-in inner tube.

I think trekking back down the river is easier because the current is going with us, but my body is also exhausted, and on a few occasions I’m almost knocked off my feet by the force of the water coming up behind me. We keep trucking on, passing a few people pushing toward the Boulders, a few more through Wall Street and several more casual day hikers as we near the entrance to the trail.

Our river boots leave dark prints on the concrete as we leave the water. We unzip the dry suits and peel off the tops for the walk back down the paved path to the shuttle bus stop. Looking at the river from the dry comfort of the bench, it doesn’t appear to be rushing all that fast or with such force, but I know better. I already know my legs are going to be tired in the morning, and my toes feel like they could use a healthy barefoot walk through a patch of grass.

We pack away our cameras and I tie the top half of my dry suit around my waist for the final leg of our trek. On dry land now, the walk is simply a means to the end of a day saturated in the river water of Zion National Park.

If you go:

• Check the weather before you hike. If it has rained recently or there is a chance of rain, there is a chance for flash floods, which makes this hike extremely dangerous.
• If you get cold easily or this is your first time hiking the Narrows, I recommend renting gear from Zion Adventure Company.
• Don’t hike beyond your means. This is a difficult hike and everyone in your hiking party should be comfortable with the conditions.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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Hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park is a post from: Kaleidoscopic Wandering.

The first couple of times my husband and I visited the Grand Canyon, we did it for ourselves. We spent the Fourth of July enjoying the cool weather of the North Rim and we bundled up to brave the cold winter for Christmas on the South Rim. Ventures in recent years have centered on the South Rim (the more accessible of the two sides). Now that we’ve been living in Las Vegas for almost seven years, we’ve made several trips to the Grand Canyon with friends who pass through town and foreign exchange student who come to live with us.

In many ways, the Grand Canyon has lost its luster for me. It is still an awesome natural wonder, but now I know the parking lot well, details on the bus route and where the most crowded overlooks are bound to be. I don’t have that wide-eyed sense of wonder that I had when I peeked over the rim for the very first time from the north side and when I caught a glimpse of what it looks like covered in snow from the south side. As I make the drive into the national park, my mind files through logistical thoughts and assumed details about what a visit will entail. I no longer wonder what the Grand Canyon will actually look like.

Nonetheless, as I make the walk to the first overlook with my unknowing friend or one of our kids, I can usually sense a vibe of excitement and anticipation as they wonder what lies over the edge. And then we take that final step that gives us the first glimpse of this international icon, this hole in the earth that thousands of people travel to see every year. This is the moment when people who are with us suck in their breath ever so slightly and their eyes get just a bit bigger. Are they really seeing what they think they see? At first, there usually aren’t words; just a long minute as they stand at the railing, looking into the deep canyon that they’re finally lying eyes on for the very first time.

Some people we travel with to the Grand Canyon like to take a long, slow walk along the rim. Others like to rush from overlook to overlook for the best pre-defined views. Some glance at the canyon in general while others seek out details. Can they catch a glimpse of the artist’s cabin? Is the Colorado River visible from where they’re standing?

Living in Las Vegas, I find I have a similar experience with visitors from outside the state or country within my own city. I know and embrace my city, but I also know it quite well, so there aren’t really many surprises anymore. I know how big the buildings really are and how many slot machines crowd the casino floors. The neon doesn’t faze me; it’s just there.

It is very possible to suffer from travel fatigue and to lose the love of discovery and exploration when visiting places becomes commonplace, but I refuse to let that happen. Even if I’ve seen the Grand Canyon several times or I’ve posed beneath the Las Vegas sign on more than one occasion, I relive those experiences with fresh eyes because I travel with and experience those things with people who have never been in my shoes before. Old destinations become new again when I watch our guests in these places. I can feel their excitement and almost see their thinking process as they take places in for the very first time. When they point things out, I see things I’ve never seen before, and when they ask questions, sometimes I don’t have the answers.

Time is too precious to feel bored or worn down or irritated from traveling. When my friends and family want to visit what could be described as a stale destination to me, I take a few minutes to remind myself that this place isn’t stale for everyone. Being with these people in these moments—when they catch the first glimpse or have that first ‘aha’ flash—I’m reminded of what makes these destinations so special. In a single second, an old destination can take on an entirely new personality.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• My Changing Definition of Travel
• Seeing is Believing: Why You Have to Travel to Appreciate a Place
• How to Keep Travel New

Old Destinations, New Eyes is a post from: Kaleidoscopic Wandering.

This Italian restaurant sits at the junction of three pedestrian walkways in front of an awesome fountain, which means that enjoying the outside views is both climate-friendly and incredibly picturesque.

I recently met up with a group of local bloggers not only to enjoy the ambiance of TREVI but also to taste a few of the meals and cocktails on the menu. I’m not much of a foodie, as you may know, but even I can tell when a restaurant has stellar menu selections. Among my favorites were:

> Caprese Alla Trevi. This is an outstanding appetizer with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and pine nuts. The consistency was just right across the whole dish.

> Penne Diavolo. I absolutely adored this dish that features grilled chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. The spicy tomato sauce was a wonderful touch to the meal, which, coincidentally, was awesome as  leftovers for lunch the next day.

> The drinks! Seriously, who would have that TREVI had such incredibly stellar cocktails? I tried several of them, and my favorites were the pomegranate cosmo and the capri coral crush. Our photos don’t do these drinks justice, so head over to Scott’s blog for a true idea of how beautiful and delicious these drinks are.

More information about TREVI can be found here.

Thank you to TREVI for hosting us. All opinions are my own.

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• I Love Las Vegas: Culinary Dropout
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I Love Las Vegas: TREVI is a post from: Kaleidoscopic Wandering.