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Jay, Weihaw, and I hiked the East Rim Trail, from the plateau to the
Weeping Rock parking area, with a side trip to Observation Point, at
Zion National Park.
The view looking west, coming back down the East Rim
Trail.
See the rock stack near the center? That's the only
indication of the trail in some places.
The temperature again reached toward the low 90's, heating us up
before noon. We quickly descended and dumped our packs just before
the intersection with the Observation Point trail. We left them
there, taking only water, food, and other essentials on the 4-mile
detour (2 miles up, 2 back).
Weihaw and Jay on the trail
As we climbed we passed day hikers doing the hike. The trail
switchbacks its way up the side of the mountain. This part of the
trail is similar to the trail near the top of the West Rim Trail.
Stiff winds blew at us as we climbed. A bug flew straight into my
mouth and I quickly spit out a mixture of bug and red all-sport. Yum.
Switchbacks of
the Observation Point trail etched into the side of the mountain. We
then walked along the ridge going left. (This was taken from
Observation Point)
While we climbed we were greeted with views of Angels Landing. Then
we were at the top, following the edge along a dirt path winding its
way to Observation Point. About a dozen people were gathered at the
top to enjoy lunch while taking in the views of Angels Landing, the
Virgin River below, and great view of the surrounding area.
Susan didn't have a camera, so I took a picture for her.
This is a view from Observation Point, looking south.
Sparrows zipped by at breathtaking speeds and crows hovered in the
wind as we snapped our pictures. After spending a regrettably short
time at the top, we started back down to meet Ben at the parking lot.
Along the way we passed guys walking up in Speedos, at least one of
them barefoot (he claimed to have blisters and this was supposed to
help). Whatever. We made our way back down, picked up our untouched
packs, and continued back down the trail.
Back at the slot canyon
Weihaw taking a picture of the depths below
The Organ and Big Bend
When we reached the bottom I suddenly noticed the blisters
starting to form on my feet, so I gingerly walked around trying not
to aggravate them. A group of kids was playing in the creek, and
Weihaw jumped in and washed himself off while we waited for Ben.
Return to Zion/Bryce/Grand Canyon trip report.
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