This summer has been wonderful and we've enjoyed an interesting job, friendly co-workers, (generally) appreciative customers, great hikes, (mostly) beautiful weather, a RV site with full amenities, a quirky, fun little town in the center of some of the world's most stunning landscapes and a variety of special events to attend. All left to wish for was sharing some of this bounty with friends. That opportunity came with the arrival of Linda and Mike, our friends/neighbors from North Carolina. They arrived on Friday (Sept. 21) and we finalized plans for hiking The Wave over dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
Linda, Mike and Jan on the trail to The Wave
We reached Wire Pass trailhead just an hour after an early Saturday morning breakfast at Parry Lodge due to the excellent condition of House Rock Valley Road. The temperature was chilly, the sky was mostly clear though a few dark clouds occasionally peeked from behind the Cockscomb as we set out. By the time we reached the contorted U forming the entrance to The Wave, the wind had increased significantly and hurled grains of sand at us. I took off my sunglasses at exactly the right moment to receive an eyeful! Linda, Mike and Fred explored further while I struggled to extract the sand from behind my contacts. Fred patiently led me, shrouded like a weird mummy, 2.5 miles over slickrock and through deep sand to the parking lot and drove us back to the RV. This would have been a disappointing conclusion to our years-long quest for a permit for The Wave... if we didn't have a second permit for Saturday!
We met Mike and Linda in Springdale on Thursday to hike the middle fork of Taylor's Creek in the Kolob Canyon section of Zion. The trail is an easy meander on the floor of a lovely valley following--and frequently crossing--a pretty little stream. Recent storms channeled a tremendous volume of water into the creek, damaging the trail and necessitating scrambling around some obstacles.
On a stretch of smooth, damp sand we found fresh mountain lion tracks. 'Reading' them, we learned: #1. he was quite large and #2. he was traveling the same direction we were. Shortly after that discovery we caught up with a couple ahead of us and encountered more people on the trail--i.e., additional meal choices for a hungry predator.
We headed back to the trailhead after a picnic at Double Arch Alcove, the end of the official trail, and a photo-op for Fred and Mike to 'shoot' the vibrant, glowing rocks.
Double Arch Alcove
The view from the interior Double Arch Alcove
In the parking lot at the top of the scenic drive, I realized I'd lost my camera. Fred and I returned to Taylor's Creek and re-hiked the last half of our route without luck. On the way to inquire at the visitor center, Mike waved us down to report a camera had been turned in. I described the case and camera well enough to convince the ranger that I was its owner. Next stop: a great ice cream shop in Springdale to celebrate a satisfying day of hiking!
Saturday graced us with weather perfect for The Wave--a cloudless, intensely blue sky, pleasant temperatures and a gentle breeze--and so few other hikers that we felt we had the entire wondrous place to ourselves. Thanks to Mike and Linda's previous visits, they were able to guide our exploration to take advantage of the best light for pictures.
The only way to react to The Wave is WOW!!! Words cannot convey the indescribable beauty and uniqueness of this place so we'll let our pictures speak for themselves--with the caveat that pictures can not do it justice:
Ephemeral pools were a surprise and the colonies of tadpole shrimp they contained were intriguing!
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