stioc
Expedition Leader
After several months of planning we just completed our first trip to Moab with a friend and forum member lbrito. The day-by-day narrative below is taken from my 9yo's journal. I'll set the stage as far as our overall plan, I'll include some pictures and let my 9yo do the talking
The Schedule:
Day 0 (Fri):
Leave early afternoon on Fri and make it to Vegas.
Day 1 (Sat):
Drive through Zion and arrive in Bryce to stay the night.
Day 2 (Sun):
Hit hwy 12 to Escalante. Drive the Hole-in-the-Rock road (HITR). Stay the night in Escalante.
Day 3 (Mon):
Leave Escalante, drive the Burr Trail Road and hook back up to hwy 24 towards Moab. Stay the night in Moab.
Day 4 (Tue):
Klondike Bluffs Trail (difficult towards the end before connecting to Salt Creek Road)
Tower Arch (moderate)
Balance Rock
Day 5 (Wed):
Baby Lion's Back
Fins and Things (*difficult)
Day 6 (Thu):
Gemini Bridges 4hrs (*easy)
Long Canyon (*easy)
Day 7 (Fri):
Onion Creek (easy)
Fisher Towers (easy)
After our brunch we got back on the freeway and looked around to spot more cool things along the way. We then had to stop for gas again. Next to this gas station there were two horses and I got to pet them. Since the gas station was very close to the Zion National Park they had stickers and magnets about Zion so I got a couple as souveniers.
Soon we were back on the road and we crossed into the Zion NP after buying the park ticket from the park ranger at the gate. We then drove through the famous tunnel in Zion called Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. We then pulled into a parking lot which was the trial head to the famous hiking spot called Canyon Overlook Trail. When I got out of our truck I saw a little chipmunk. I tapped on the ground and it came closer, I kept doing it until it was just 2 inches away from me, then he ran away. We started hiking, I pretended to be the tour guide and was ahead of everyone else. We came to a rock where you could sit down and rest. After resting we crossed a bridge and got to a spot where I said something and it echoed, cool! Finally we got to the top of the cliff where the view was very nice. I got to climb on some more rocks at the top while the grownups were taking a break. We then turned around and hiked back to the truck. After that I don't remember much until we got to our nice hotel in Bryce where I got to go in the warm indoor pool and play boats. When we were done we went upstairs for a quick shower. Then we went to the store and bought some presents, some food and went to bed pretty tired.
After Devil's Garden we got on our way to go to Spooky Gulch which is one of the slot canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow and sometimes you have to walk sideways to fit through them. At Spooky Gulch we had to hike a lot to get to the canyon. It was spooky because it looked like the walls were stroked with a paint brush and were never ending. Finally there was a little crack to go out of and take pictures. When we were done we had to turn around and walk back to where we came from. When we came out I wanted to go in a cave but I couldn't because there was a baby Rattlesnake there, it was good I spotted it before I climbed in.
After that we went to Peek-a-Boo slot canyon but IT WAS HARD to get up it. I wanted to go but my dad said it was too dangerous so we turned around to go back to the truck. Our hike on the way back was hard too because it was all uphill and it was getting warm. When we got back to the truck we made a quick lunch to eat in the car because we were going to Hole In The Rock but before getting there we made one more stop at a place called Dance Hall Rock. After that the dirt road turned really rough until we got to Hole In The Rock. There my dad was hoping around on those rocks like a mountain goat and I was too. We singed our names at the Visitor Register and took lots of pictures of the lake. When we were leaving around 5:30PM it was getting dark and it would take us another 3 hours to get back to the road. I was so tired that I fell asleep even as our truck was bouncing in all directions from the rough road. When I woke up I saw cows so close to us in the dark. Luckily my dad spotted them using the extra lights on our truck so we didn't hit them. We made it to our motel for the night. I plopped right on the bed after a quick dinner and fell asleep because I was sooo tired.
The main album: http://s25.photobucket.com/user/bimm328/library/Utah 2013
Poor man's Spot tracking
Dixie National Forest
Canyon Overlook hike
Devil's Garden
Spooky Gulch
iPhone pano from Dance Hall Rock
Hole In The Rock
The Schedule:
Day 0 (Fri):
Leave early afternoon on Fri and make it to Vegas.
Day 1 (Sat):
Drive through Zion and arrive in Bryce to stay the night.
Day 2 (Sun):
Hit hwy 12 to Escalante. Drive the Hole-in-the-Rock road (HITR). Stay the night in Escalante.
Day 3 (Mon):
Leave Escalante, drive the Burr Trail Road and hook back up to hwy 24 towards Moab. Stay the night in Moab.
Day 4 (Tue):
Klondike Bluffs Trail (difficult towards the end before connecting to Salt Creek Road)
Tower Arch (moderate)
Balance Rock
Day 5 (Wed):
Baby Lion's Back
Fins and Things (*difficult)
Day 6 (Thu):
Gemini Bridges 4hrs (*easy)
Long Canyon (*easy)
Day 7 (Fri):
Onion Creek (easy)
Fisher Towers (easy)
Day 2
When we left Las Vegas we got donuts for breakfast, then we got gas and headed towards Utah. On the way we saw small towns, birds and animals. After several hours we entered Utah and decided to get a brunch at a place called Black Bear Diner, it was a neat restaurant. I got scrambled eggs, fried chicken with gravy and a biscuit...and some hot sauce!After our brunch we got back on the freeway and looked around to spot more cool things along the way. We then had to stop for gas again. Next to this gas station there were two horses and I got to pet them. Since the gas station was very close to the Zion National Park they had stickers and magnets about Zion so I got a couple as souveniers.
Soon we were back on the road and we crossed into the Zion NP after buying the park ticket from the park ranger at the gate. We then drove through the famous tunnel in Zion called Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. We then pulled into a parking lot which was the trial head to the famous hiking spot called Canyon Overlook Trail. When I got out of our truck I saw a little chipmunk. I tapped on the ground and it came closer, I kept doing it until it was just 2 inches away from me, then he ran away. We started hiking, I pretended to be the tour guide and was ahead of everyone else. We came to a rock where you could sit down and rest. After resting we crossed a bridge and got to a spot where I said something and it echoed, cool! Finally we got to the top of the cliff where the view was very nice. I got to climb on some more rocks at the top while the grownups were taking a break. We then turned around and hiked back to the truck. After that I don't remember much until we got to our nice hotel in Bryce where I got to go in the warm indoor pool and play boats. When we were done we went upstairs for a quick shower. Then we went to the store and bought some presents, some food and went to bed pretty tired.
Day 3
In the morning we left Ruby's Inn and went on HWY 12 to go to a dirt road called Hole In The Rock road, because at the end of the road you get to see a hole that people created through the mountain in the 1800s so they could take their wagons down to the river. Along the way there are a few cool things to check out too. We stopped at Devil's Garden where we saw these really cool rocks to climb on. On one of the rocks I fell and got a bruise. I also climbed on top of a really high arch.After Devil's Garden we got on our way to go to Spooky Gulch which is one of the slot canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow and sometimes you have to walk sideways to fit through them. At Spooky Gulch we had to hike a lot to get to the canyon. It was spooky because it looked like the walls were stroked with a paint brush and were never ending. Finally there was a little crack to go out of and take pictures. When we were done we had to turn around and walk back to where we came from. When we came out I wanted to go in a cave but I couldn't because there was a baby Rattlesnake there, it was good I spotted it before I climbed in.
After that we went to Peek-a-Boo slot canyon but IT WAS HARD to get up it. I wanted to go but my dad said it was too dangerous so we turned around to go back to the truck. Our hike on the way back was hard too because it was all uphill and it was getting warm. When we got back to the truck we made a quick lunch to eat in the car because we were going to Hole In The Rock but before getting there we made one more stop at a place called Dance Hall Rock. After that the dirt road turned really rough until we got to Hole In The Rock. There my dad was hoping around on those rocks like a mountain goat and I was too. We singed our names at the Visitor Register and took lots of pictures of the lake. When we were leaving around 5:30PM it was getting dark and it would take us another 3 hours to get back to the road. I was so tired that I fell asleep even as our truck was bouncing in all directions from the rough road. When I woke up I saw cows so close to us in the dark. Luckily my dad spotted them using the extra lights on our truck so we didn't hit them. We made it to our motel for the night. I plopped right on the bed after a quick dinner and fell asleep because I was sooo tired.
The main album: http://s25.photobucket.com/user/bimm328/library/Utah 2013
Poor man's Spot tracking
Dixie National Forest
Canyon Overlook hike
Devil's Garden
Spooky Gulch
iPhone pano from Dance Hall Rock
Hole In The Rock
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