12 of My Favorite John Muir

I learned about John Muir from watching The National Parks documentary by Ken Burns. Muir fascinated me, so I read about him, curated a dozen of his quotes, and matched them up with pictures I took at Zion and Rocky Mountain Nation Parks. [slideshare id=9720787&doc=johnmuirquotes-111016094916-phpapp01]

THE NARROWS | Upper on Day 1

The first day of hiking started at 5 a.m. for me. I wanted to take the 9:30 a.m. shuttle instead of the 6:30 a.m. one, but they need at least two people signed up in order to run the shuttle, and I was the only one (one minor disadvantage for us solo hikers). I also added half an hour to my start by staying at the Travelodge in Hurricane because that was a longer drive than sleeping in Springdale. Zion Adventure Company runs two shuttles in the morning, and the 90-minute drive to the trailhead is pretty spectacular.  It's also very curvy and bumpy, so if you get car sick, ask to sit up front.

The hike started on a dirt road for the first three miles, and the morning air was chilly enough that I pulled out my fleece top and wore it until I was walking in the water a while. It's amazing how small the river starts at the trailhead, and it was cool to see both the river and canyon walls gradually grow in size.

I took my time going to campsite, because I knew I would get bored being their too long. Even with my stop-and-smell-the-roses pace, I arrived mid afternoon (my best guess is around 2 p.m.). Once the hike started, I only encountered 5 groups of people: a group of 6, a group of 3, two couples, and two park rangers (one of whom I met the day before when she gave me my backcountry permit and instructions on how to poop in the bag).

Video recap of the day:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNbQuMw-qeY']

TIPS from DAY 1:

1. PACK FICTION TO READ. The only book I brought to read was Peter Drucker's The Effective Executive. Excellent read, but I had a lot of solitude time to kill at the campsite, and after three hours of Drucker, I really wanted some fiction.
2. LEARN TO SLEEP ON THE GROUND. I packed light and only had a sleeping bag. I need to find the right pad that is hiking friendly. I ached more from sleeping on the ground than from carrying 60 lbs on my back.
3. SEAL YOUR FOOD TIGHT. Some sort of critter got in my backpack which was cinched but not sealed. Whatever the local wildlife was, it broke into my trail mix and devoured all my Power Bar Energy Bites.
4. BRING FLIP FLOPS. Ahh... nice to be out of those boots.
5. TAKE THE LATER SHUTTLE. Or get a campsite that is further down the trail.
6. HAVE SOME COFFEE FOR THE SHUTTLE RIDE. It's a long ride, and they have a trash can on the shuttle. If you're a coffee drinker, sit back enjoy the ride with a nice fresh cup of joe.

OTHER NARROWS POSTS:

• Preparing and Packing
• The Lower Section on Day 2
• Parody of 127 Hours birthday message

THE NARROWS | Preparing and Packing

I first saw the Zion Narrows last summer on a bottom-up day hike. At the end of the journey, I was in awe and felt a strong desire to experience the entire 16-mile Narrows trail. It was a little like in O Brother, Where Art Thou? when George Clooney's character declines Delmar's gopher offer by saying, "No thank you, Delmar. One third of a gopher would only arouse my appetite without bedding it down." Hiking the bottom half had that same teasing effect on me, and I had to go back and complete the full trail. The first question was whether to traverse all 12 and half hours in one day or split it up into two days and spend a night primitive camping in the canyon. I opted for the slower paced, two-day trip and managed to reserve campsite #2 online at the Zion National Park Website.

They had flooding throughout a large part of the summer, and I was slightly worried when booking the trip that it might still be flooded when it was time to go. (Writing this post, I just looked for a link on the reservation site for campsite #2, and I see the canyons are closed once again due to flooding. I got very lucky with my timing and hit the perfect window.)

I don't own a lot of hiking equipment, so I called Zion Adventure Company. They said no need to reserve any equipment, just come in between 6-7 p.m. the day before my hike.

The staff there is incredible, from the phone calls prior to traveling, to outfitting my gear, to providing expertise and helpful "how-t0"s (like don't put drinks inside the dry bag). Total bill for all the supplies in the video below was $68.82.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOgR1XFnRII']

TIPS from PLANNING and PACKING:

1. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE FULL LOT SIGNS. Driving up to the park entrance to pick up my backcountry hiking permit, there were several signs saying "Lot Full at Zion. Park in town and take the shuttle." However, for permit pick-ups you can park in visitor parking for an hour or less. It took me awhile to find a space, but it was still faster than riding the shuttle.
2. ASK ABOUT CANCELLED RESERVATIONS. I loved the campsite I had, but if you didn't get the one you really wanted, ask if they had any cancellations when you go to pick up your permit. If they did, you can switch campsites at that time.
3. CAMELBAK OVER WATER BOTTLES. I had no equipment, and all my food was packaged and disposable. Drinking water from a bottle required stopping and taking the backpack off. It would have been better to be able to drink on the go.
4. DON'T EAT MEXICAN THE DAY BEFORE YOUR HIKE. Especially not for both lunch and dinner. Although the Cutthroat Pale Ale at Oscars was quite tasty. I guess that was actually a learning from days 2 and 3, but the error was on day 1.

What is your "must-have" camping and/or hiking equipment?

OTHER NARROWS POSTS:

• Hiking the Upper Section on Day 1
• Hiking the Lower Section on Day 2
• Parody of 127 Hours birthday message