6 August 2008

As I write I am in the campground we're staying in at Zion National Park. Last night we arrived in Kodachrome which was the first real desert place we've been to. Enroute we stopped at Red Canyon and hiked for about a mile there. It was very beautiful and very red. When we got to Kodachrome I helped to make a huge stir fry for dinner, then we sat around the fire drinking and talking, knowing that tomorrow a lot of people would be leaving us. It was a really fun night, with a lot of drinking. That night the toilet had truly stank, but with the hangover I woke up with I thought I was going to pass out when I got in it. I slept my hangover off on the bus to Zion.

The trip took about three hours, and when we arrived at the park we drove through this totally dark tunnel (The Zion-Mt.t Carmel Tunnel) - so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face (I tried). The tunnel had a series of enormous holes on one side, so one minute you were in total darkness, the next you were getting a sneak peak of one of the canyons at the park. It was the most incredible and exciting thing.

We arrived at the park in time to eat lunch and say goodbye before starting to walk the Angel's Landing trail. At the time we started the temperature was 105 degrees Farenheight, and this teamed with the gradient I flaked after about an hour. This was an intense bummer because the trail is meant to be pretty amazing. Still, I reached a height where I had really great views.

I walked back down to the bottom and took the shuttle to the riverside walk, which takes you up to the Narrows. It was a really great walk and so beautiful - all of a sudden these enormous canyon sides shoot up beside you. After finishing there I took the shuttle back to the camp site, feeling pretty exhausted.