Yesterday I went hiking in Zion National Park (or for this story it’s better known as bushwhacking). Just above the Wildcat trail head that you use to hike the Subway is where I embarked. I’d driven that road from Virgin to Kolob Reservoir (the Kolob Terrace road) many times and I had always been amazed at the beauty of the drive. Well a few weeks ago I looked at this spot as I was driving by and thought “I’ll bet the view from there would be incredible”. Then I did a little research courtesy of Google Earth (there is no trail to it) and determined I was going to go check it out.
So I parked my car and headed out with a general idea as to where I was going. Now truth be told I was prepared for a good view, I mean it’s Zion, but I was not prepared for how magnificent it really was going to be, but I’ll get to that in a second…
As I began the accent I soon found that although there was no trail, there was plenty of scrub oak everywhere standing in my way from the top. I was undeterred and continued on my accent up the mountain side.
I was hoping that once I had reached the top the scrub oak would subside, but I was wrong. By the end my legs (shouldn’t have worn shorts) looked like they had seen some terrible conflicts. Then as I rounded a corner and descended just a little bit was I able to catch my first glimpse at my reward. Here I sat on a horseshoe shaped knoll that had sheer cliffs to the bottom and a valley in from of it that looked as peaceful as any I’d ever seen.
These things were just the beginning though because above the valley and off in the distance was an unobstructed view of the grandeur that is Zion Park. I saw the Pine View Peak standing resolutely and seemingly all by itself. With the great valley that sits to the west of it as its worthy companion.
Then to the left lay peak after peak, mountain after mountain of red and white rock that comprises Zion National Park. It was if I could see everything from where I was.
So from the horseshoe knoll where I stood I took out my camera and began shooting pictures as quickly as I could. Knowing that the fading light is usually the best time to capture pictures of Zion. It didn’t take me long to realize that no matter how good a photographer I thought I was (I don’t think I’m a good photographer), there would be no picture this evening that would capture the scene that lay before me.
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My camera is good, my skills are decent, my view and vantage point was perfect; but there’s just something about a view as expansive and grandiose as the one I was partaking in that pictures can never seem to do them justice.
So I guess we’re left with some less than perfect images of a view that would astound even the most hardened men. But maybe just maybe it might inspire you to do some bushwhacking or hiking in Zion.