ZION NATIONAL PARK

I lived in Utah from my sophomore year of high school through most of college, but I had never been to Zion National Park until this summer! I felt like this was some sort of crime because all I had heard was how amazing this place was and how people from all over the world traveled to Zions to see its beauty.  My parents had recently gone to Zion and raved about it so I was anxious to go too! Plus, G is obsessed with Zions (rightfully so...now I know why) and has loved canyoneering there so he has been dying to show me this place that he loves. I can honestly say that it surpassed all of my dreams and I would gladly go back there in a heart beat! I especially loved hiking up the famous Angel's Landing which was more incredible than I ever imagined. Turns out a bunch of my in-laws hadn't ever been to the park either, so we went down and camped at the Zions Ponderosa Ranch. Even Amanda and Dallin came a day after they got back from their honeymoon! hahaha. #familyhoneymoon!

We arrived early evening and after we set up our tents, we decided to go hike part of the Narrows from the bottom up. We hiked about three miles up and went a little bit past Wall Street. It was amazing to be so small in this huge canyon.  The water was clear and the colors were just beautiful. We made it back just in time to catch the last shuttle out of the canyon.  On the drive to Zions, we skipped lunch because we had been snacking but by 8 pm and after hiking for 6-7 miles we were hungry, so we ate dinner at the restaurant right there in Zions. It was yummy! By the time we got back to camp we were dirty and tired so we showered, doctored up all of our cuts and blisters, and piled into bed.

We woke up early, ate some breakfast, took down camp, and headed to Angel's Landing. I would definitely recommend starting early like we did to beat most of the crowds.  The hike up was pretty intense, especially Walter's Wiggles (not as hilarious to climb as to say haha) but once we reached Scout Lookout and got a view of the canyon rim that we would be climbing, we couldn't help but be excited to keep going! That last part is lined with chain link ropes to guide you which was so much fun to climb. The top of Angel's Landing had the most spectacular views of the canyon.  I've never seen anything quite like Zions.

After our quick descent, we decided to hike both of the Emerald Pools, contemplated eating to keep the hangry at bay, but then decided to quickly do Weeping Rock.  I'm glad we packed that all in and I think it made our dinner even more delicious! We stopped at a delicious Mexican restaurant in town and couldn't have shoveled our food into our mouths faster.  All in all we hiked 20 miles in literally 24 hours...we are totally crazy!  We stopped and drove through foggy and drizzly Kolob Canyon (incredible!) on our way back home and by the time we reached Provo none of us could walk normally.  hahaha. It was a whirlwind trip but so worth it! I couldn't narrow the pictures down very much because it was all too beautiful, so sorry not sorry for the overload. Our planet sure is incredible!

^^ We're angels on top of Angel's Landing, duh! ;) The whole hike up I couldn't get the lines "shorty you're my angel, you're my darling angel" out of my head! haha, sorry everyone. And then none of us could remember what word came next: "__________ than my peeps you are to me, baby." so that was hilarious as we kept filling in different words to see if it sounded right. haha. 

Theme song of the trip? I think yes. ^^

^^ G had to wear his cool Zion's shirt, obviously! Within the shape of the letters are names of tons of different hikes in Zions, which was pretty cool to read after and actually know what some of them were.  It is from a company called Stately Type and I actually used to babysit for this family (plus the couple was my church teachers for a while) and they are awesome! The dad is the designer and is seriously talented. Check out his other designs here. ^^

^^ So this is by one of the Emerald Pools, and while we were dating, G and some of his buddies canyoneered Heaps Canyon which is one of the hardest canyons in America! He has some crazy stories from that trip and I still think it's rather impressive that I didn't freak out when he said "if you don't hear from me by Sunday night then you should be worried" and I didn't hear from him until MONDAY AFTERNOON! Maybe I was a little worried. But anyways, this was the last repel of that canyon that is 500 feet long, people! My husband is slightly crazy but also very cool. ^^

^^ The roads in Zion are paved with some sort of red asphalt so it
 blends in more with nature. So cool! ^^

 ^^ This trip wasn't complete until we got a group shoulder pic! ^^

^^ Or a jumping pic for that matter. :) ^^

^^ I promise I didn't take a picture of Mel praying over her food. But even if I did that would be funny because her eyes are open. haha. This is Mel's "I'm so hungry but I'm trying to wait for everyone else to get their food" face. Bless her heart! ^^

I never expected Zion National Park to be so green! The views were incredible with the bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds, red, cream, and black rocks, and green trees.  I always love spending time in nature because it really helps me appreciate this huge and diverse world that we live in, and to especially be grateful for this world that was created for us to use and enjoy by such a loving Heavenly Father and Savior.