THE NARROWS | Preparing and Packing
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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
The Big Deal about Words
The next time I get frustrated in a meeting, because everybody else is wrong, and nobody will listen to me even though I know I'm right, I'll try to remember
The next time I get frustrated in a meeting, because everybody else is wrong, and nobody will listen to me even though I know I'm right, I'll try to remember this quote from Mark Pagel and his TED talk:
Each of you possesses the most powerful, dangerous and subversive trait that natural selection has ever devised. It's a piece of neural audio technology for rewiring other people's minds. I'm talking about your language, of course, because it allows you to implant a thought from your mind directly into someone else's mind, and they can attempt to do the same to you, without either of you having to perform surgery.
GOOGLE DICTIONARY | I miss you already
Google Dictionary was recently integrated into Google Web Search. Simply search for "define X" where X is the word you want to look up.
I'm so bummed to learn that the site that is in perpetual beta shut down one of my favorite experiments, Google Dictionary. What I loved about the dictionary function was how fast, clean and simple it was. On the Google forum, Oren Naim, a project manager with Google, explains the reason behind the shut down.
Google Dictionary was recently integrated into Google Web Search. Simply search for "define X" where X is the word you want to look up. Clicking on the "more" link (or on the toolbelt "Dictionary" link on the left) will give you practically the same experience that was available on dictionary.google.com.We're working hard to make the dictionary experience even better on google.com so it will be easier for our users to get the dictionary experience without the need to go to a separate property.
Did you ever use Google Dictionary? Will you miss the change? Have you used the new "Define X" function on Google? What do you think of it?