Wild Dingos Glow in the Dark

. . and other amazing things heard on shuttle buses within Nat'l Parks . . .

Headed north from the Grand Canyon, and at the insistence of my friend Tasha as well as the recommendation of the Flagstaff hostel, I took the route to Zion Nat'l Park, where I spent the night. Along the way I made a stop to see the Colorado River, since you can't seem much of it from the top of the South Rim. Apparently condors regularly roost along this stop and are frequently seen. I didn't see any. So I took some photos of their roosting spots and condor poop. Yay.

It was raining when I arrived, and nervous about securing a tent site within the park (they fill up FAST), I did not explore much of the eastern edge of the park - but it's sights are beautiful - even while driving through in the rain! I did manage to secure a site - the last tent site - and rapidly sent up camp in the brief break from the rain. Once secure inside, it proceeded to rain/sleet/snow most of the night. The morning was cold, but clear. As I headed out to explore some of the trails, I had sunshine, cold, rain, fog, sleet, and snow . . . all within the series of a few hours. But managed to explore some amazing trails - Zion is really assessible, even for those not so adventurous. The canyons and cliffs are really awe inspiring. My favorite was a hike dubbed "Angel's Landing" - steep, but well worth the effort for the view at the top. The last 0.5 mile is along sandstone, with a chain in place as a guide. I wished I had my rock shoes, it was definitely a little nerve-wracking coming down knowing you were so high above the ground.

All in all, one of my favorite Nat'l Parks. I'd love to take a guided climbing trip here (it's all lead climbing, no sport; and ranks second only to Yosemite for big wall climbing). Saw mule deer and ground squirrels (which I also saw in Grand Canyon along with elk) and the rare Zion snail . . which is only found in this park - oooohh. :)   But the snow in Zion Nat'l Park was pretty cool . . literally and figuratively.