Careful. It wasn't the first or last time on this adventure that we were up before the sun. My sister and I had arrived at Zion National Park the day before after an all night drive across three states, and were up way too early, trying to beat the heat and the crowds. We planned to hike Angel's Landing, one of the most popular hikes in the park, but knew we needed to get a head start before most other people crawled out of their sleeping bags if we were going to enjoy the hike. When our alarm went off at 5am we scrambled out of the tent, tore down camp, and packed up. We drove a short distance to the park's shuttle lot and caught the 6am shuttle with the other motivated hikers, all of whom were also going to the Landing.
Angel's Landing is a doozy of a trail; it is well known for it's jaw-dropping views of Zion Canyon, but you have to put in the work to get there. The trail is rated as strenuous, and is not recommended for anyone not in the peak of health. Also, you know, anyone with a fear of heights. The trail begins deceivingly easy with a flat dirt path leading you along the Virgin River, climbing slightly but nothing that would cause you to become short of breath. Then you hit the first switchbacks. You slowly crawl your way up a cliff, still facing the main canyon and the river, and watch the canyon bottom drop away from you. If you take your time these switchbacks aren't too bad, but they're only a taste of what comes later. Also, you see the cliff in the center of the picture above? The top of that is Angel's Landing. How in the hell do you get up there??
The views along the trail up canyon walls are incredible. We arrived a little too late to watch the sunrise from the Landing, but we got to watch the canyon wake up around and below us which was just as amazing. We also beat the heat, with the vast majority of our hike, except at the very top, completely shaded. We climbed up the switchbacks and finally came around the last one that dove back into the cliffs, spitting us out into narrow shaded canyon full of the promise of water. It was cool and green and smelled like growing things and wet earth, and I didn't want to leave. There were places we could climb on the slickrock walls, exploring little arches and gullies leading away from the main canyon. We were on a mission, though, and passed through the relatively flat canyon quickly.
And then we came to Walter's Wiggle: 21 steep, short, evenly spaced switchbacks straight up a cliff, but we hadn't even reached the Landing yet. I had seriously hyped myself up for the Wiggle, hearing from my sister (who has done it before) and reading other people's experiences online about how difficult the trail up is. In reality, the Wiggle didn't give me much trouble, though I admit I stopped to take pictures so often that I had plenty of opportunities to catch my breath. The top of the Wiggle drops you near the start of Angel's Landing, where you get a true idea of the challenges ahead. If the trail up to Angel's Landing had been strenuous it was nothing compared to what I was looking at now.
We were staring at the razor edge rim of a thin fin that climbed up so far that it was almost impossible to see the top. Chains were bolted to poles and the rusty red slickrock to assist you on your way up (and down) and to help mark the "trail." The official trail to Angel's Landing ends at the first chain section, with a warning sign cautioning against continuing if you have any medical problems or acrophobia. My sister and I paused here, catching our breath and (at least I was) gathering my courage. Then we grabbed ahold of the first of countless chains and began our trek up. I thought the first chains were bad enough with loose and slippery slickrock below my feet and a slide into nothing not far below. I was incredibly wrong.
Thousand foot drop offs awaited us on either side as we climbed higher, white knuckles popping out as I gripped the slick iron chain with both hands. Many times I relied on my upper body strength to pull myself up a particularly vertical set of chains, trying to set my feet in a way that they wouldn't slip out from under me on the slickrock. More than once we discovered that the chain had some give as we put all of our weight on it, only to have the cold iron swing out unexpectedly and send us wobbling off balance, hearts racing. The worst was when someone else passed us going up or down, with their counterweight on the chain and suddenly letting go, or moving so erratically that we would just stop dead, waiting for the chain to stop swinging and for us to get our balance back. The avenue of travel up the fin was so narrow along the chains that you had to crawl over people in order to get around them; a step to the side would be a step into thin air. Angel's Landing is by far the most thrilling hike I've ever trekked, though I'm not sure I'll do it again in a hurry. I was more fearful for my life than at any other time on my adventures; the risk of falling was way too real.
I can't speak for my sister, but I was concentrating so hard on not dying that I was shocked when we arrived at the top of Angel's Landing. A wide, flat expanse of rock spilled out beneath our feet, perfect for snacking and pictures with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the incredible views all around us. A lot of people were already there, but not near the amount that would be up later in the day. Lisha and I had done good by starting as early as we had. I can't tell you how long we were up there, eating, taking pictures, and trying to psych ourselves up for the return journey; all I knew is that I really, really, didn't want to have to hike back down.
I thought up was bad. Down was worse. While travelling up you're at least looking above you, centering your weight underneath your feet as you lean into the cliff, able to grab a rock or wrap your arms around the chain to help yourself climb the rocks. Heading down, however, you had to look at where you'd fall if you misstepped, or slipped and let go of the chain. You're fighting to steady yourself against gravity, while gravity is trying its hardest to bring you back down to the hard and rocky earth. Your feet seem to find the worst places to land and you're trying to not think about what would happen if the rocks beneath them suddenly gave way. There were several times where I was on my hands and knees, searching for a bit of stability by keeping my center of gravity as low as possible. If there hadn't been so many people around by that time I probably would have sat on my butt and scooted down the fin. We eventually made it down, slowly but surely, always moving and never looking over the edge that was right next to our shoes. We paused at the top of Walter's Wiggle long enough to look back at the ant line of people beginning their own trek up Angel's Landing, grateful we had finished it when we did. We turned our backs on the scariest hike I've ever done, and made our way back to river level with ease.
What I'm listening to: Allegretto by Bond
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