The Narrows - Zion National Park

photo by mrbturner

Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park was something that my wife and I looked forward to doing from the moment we booked our plane tickets for our vacation. Everyone we talked to before we went to Zion told us that The Narrows was a must-do.

You might be asking, "What is The Narrows?" The Narrows is a gorge that was carved by the Virgin River in Zion National Park. It is 16 miles long, up to 2,000 feet deep, and sometimes only 20-30 feet wide.

It's an awesome hike! Even the Riverside Walk Trail, which is the half mile paved trail you have to hike to get to the beginning of The Narrows is cool. We did that the first day that we were in Zion. My father-in-law recommended that one of the first things that we did in Zion was to take the shuttle all the way to the Riverside Walk Trail. This was a great way to see Zion for the first time. This paved trail is really easy hiking and you get to see up close the awesome red rock that Zion is known for. Here's us getting ready to take our first hike in Zion National Park!

photo by dturner

The hike to The Narrows is really peaceful and beautiful. There are several spots along the trail where you can see the Virgin River. We saw a lot of wildlife along the way, including deer. A few days into our stay at Zion, we decided that it was time to rent the the boots and poles that are recommended for hiking the Narrows. We made a trip to Zion Outfitter to rent neoprene socks and boots and a lightweight walking stick. We got a good night's rest and headed out bright and early for the trek of a lifetime.

photo by mrbturner

Hiking The Narrows means hiking in the Virgin River.  More than half of the hike is spent wading, walking, and sometimes swimming in the river. This is where the socks, boots, and poles come in handy. The river current is sometimes really swift, and the rocks on the river bottom are extremely slippery. The boots were designed specifically with The Narrows in mind. They support your ankle really well, and the bottom of the boots are kind of grippy.

photo by dturner

photo by dturner

photo by mrbturner

 The coolest thing about hiking The Narrows is that the sunlight changes the color and the character of the rock constantly. Every turn in the river brings a new experience. 

photo by dturner

We hiked 3.5 hours in one direction before turning around. We got to a point in the river where the water was so deep that we would have had to swim to continue our way up The Narrows. We were pretty tired and had to return our rental gear before dark, so we decided that it was time to head back.

photo by mrbturner

photo by mrbturner

Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park was pretty amazing. I can't wait to go back and do it again. Next time, though, we are going to hike from the top down instead of from the bottom up. The hike from the top down takes you two days and requires a back country permit.

photo by mrbturner

photo by dturner

What do you think? Does this look like something you would enjoy doing?

Angel's Landing - Zion National Park

Zion National Park is by far the most awesome place I have ever been too. We did so many amazing things while we were there that I may have a few blog entries about Zion. The absolute highlight of Zion for me was hiking Angel's Landing. This hike is exciting, a little intimidating, and totally exhilarating - all at the same time. Even though the Angel's Landing hike is short - only 2.4 miles each way, it's the ascent from Scout's Lookout to the top that really gets your heart pumping. The hike begins with a series of long switchbacks that eventually lead you to Refrigerator Canyon and then onto Walter's Wiggles, a series of 21 steep switchbacks.

Walter's Wiggles - Angel's Landing, Zion National Park

Here's a short video that my wife took while we were hiking Walter's Wiggles. 

After Walter's Wiggles, Scout's Lookout is a good place to catch your breath and make a final commitment to push on to the summit. The last half-mile is strenuous and exposed to sharp drop offs and narrow paths. Chains are provided on some parts of the trek to the top, which sits at 5,790 feet. There have been deaths on Angel's Landing, so there are signs at Scout's Lookout that warn hikers of the cautions of continuing on.

photo by dturner

photo by dturner

The picture below is my wife and my father-in-law at Scout's Lookout just before we started hiking to the top. Ready or not...here we go.

photo by mrbturner

The chains give you some security while climbing.

photo by s.cook

  My wife said she never looked down while we were hiking/climbing to the top.

photo by s.cook

 The picture below gives a really good perspective of how steep it is.

 

photo by s.cook

 Making it to the top of Angel's Landing was one of the most exciting accomplishments of my life. The hike is both physically and mentally challenging - two of the reasons that we wanted to do it. The view from the top is unbelievable. Seeing Zion National Park from this perspective is a must-do.

photo by dturner

photo by mrbturner

This was the third time that my father-in-law hiked to the top of Angel's Landing. It was the first time for me and my wife. I can say with 100% certainty that it won't be the last time for any of us!

photo by dturner

Munising, Michigan

Not only is Munising, Michigan popular because of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, it is also known for its 17 waterfalls. Some of the waterfalls are just a short hike, while others are a little bit of a jaunt. Some are small and tranquil while others are huge and rushing. My personal favorite is Tannery Falls. It's a short but sometimes slippery trail, and the start of it is kind of hidden from plain sight. We stayed at the Sunset Motel on the Bay and walked directly across the highway and found the trail head. The colors of the sandstone leading to the falls are really awesome. It's not a very big waterfall, but it's really impressive.

Tannery Falls photo by dturner

Another favorite waterfall of mine is Horseshoe Falls. This waterfall is the only one in Munising that is privately owned. You have to pay a small fee to get to it, but it's well worth it. 

Horseshoe Falls photo by dturner

Taking a trip to Munising is something you definitely want to put on your list of things to do. Kid Rock did. Take a look at this video. It includes footage of the North Country Trail, Miners Beach and Miners River - which are all in Munising.

Twelve Mile Beach

Out of all of the places I have visited in the U.P., Twelve Mile Beach on the shore of Lake Superior near Munising is definitely one of my favorites. Not only is this beach beautiful, it is a great beach for rock picking and picture taking. One of the things that make it so amazing is its remote location. It is at least fifteen miles from the nearest town. One time when we were there, we didn’t see another person for eight hours. We felt like the beach was all ours. The smooth, vividly colored jasper, chert, and occasional agates that litter the beach are definitely worth bending down to get a closer look at. It's hard not to fill your pockets with your favorites. 

Photo by mrbturner

One of my favorite things about this beach is that if you walk far enough, the sand and rocks are eventually replaced by the most amazing purple, orange and ivory shale that you have every seen. The shale is smooth and its unique shapes and texture make for some very interesting pictures. When I think of the beautiful places that I have been in my life, Twelve Mile Beach not only comes to mind, it sits very comfortable at the top of my list. 

Photo by dturner

Photo by mrbturner

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It stretches for about 15 miles starting just east of Munising, MI. It is truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The Pictured Rocks are only about 3 hours from where we live. When we saw it for the first time, my wife kept saying, "I can't believe we have lived so close to something so amazing and have never been here before."

Miners Castle photo by mrbturner

If you did a web search for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, this is one of the first images you’ll probably see. This is Miners Castle. Water and wind erosion have shaped this formation over time. This is a great place to start when you are exploring the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

We rented a pontoon boat to explore the lakeshore. You can also take the Pictured Rock Boat Cruise if you want. We chose to rent the pontoon because then we could go at our own pace to see the lakeshore. We wanted that option because we like taking pictures and knew that we would be taking a boat load (pun intended.) We were given a map by the owner of the pontoon rental business. He told us where we could and could not go along the shore and also gave us some great information about some shipwrecks that we could also try to see. You have to sign some paperwork when renting the boat and, of course, provide a credit card as a security against damage. It is recommended that you have experience driving a boat and some knowledge of navigation. It was definitely the way to go. It allowed us to take our time and really see the Pictured Rocks. There is so much to look at, and you don't want to miss ANYTHING! 

Photo by mrbturner

The Pictured Rocks rise out of Lake Superior some 50 to 200 feet! The colors of the sandstone are a result of the different minerals that are found within it. 

Photo by mrbturner

Many spots on the lakeshore looked as if someone had stood at the top of the cliff with a 50 gallon drum of paint and poured it over the edge and then repeated the same thing over and over with different colored paints to get the striations seen in many parts of the Pictured Rocks.

Photo by mrbturner

 There are a number of waterfalls that cascade over the edge of the Pictured Rocks. Depending on what time of year you visit, you may see all, some, or none. We were there in the first part of June, so we saw quite a few.

Photo by mrbturner

There are many small caverns along the lakeshore. It would be really neat to kayak alongside the Pictured Rocks. You could really get up close to the caverns then. 

Maybe next time...

Photo by mrbturner

 The colors in this area of the lakeshore were really impressive! 

Photo by mrbturner

Photo by mrbturner

Photo by mrbturner

Photo by mrbturner

Photo by mrbturner

Spray Falls is at the eastern end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

Photo by mrbturner

This is one of my favorite pictures. My wife and I think that we see the image of a horse in this sandstone cliff. What do you think?

 

Time For A Change

“In beyond…are remote places of solitude, where the journey of discovery begins, not only of place, but of self.” -Michael Fatali

For many years my wife and I never did much exploring. We were content doing pretty much the same things day in and day out – weekend after weekend. Then for our 10 year anniversary, I decided that we were going on a little adventure. We spent a long weekend in Munising, MI where we hiked to waterfalls and amazing beaches on Lake Superior. We rented a boat and motored past the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. What we experienced that weekend has changed us forever. That trip lit a fire in us that has been burning ever since.

For so long we had this feeling that we lived really close to some really cool stuff, but we never took the time to check any of it out. Our trip to Munising really did change our lives. It made us realize the beauty we had been missing out on. Now we love to explore. We do it whenever and wherever we can. In the past two and a half years we have seen so many beautiful places in both Northern Wisconsin (where we live) and also in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We also went to Utah last summer and spent time in both Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park - which are both UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING!

I have always enjoyed the outdoors, and living in such a beautiful area of the country has allowed me to spend much of my life outside. Since I have begun exploring areas that are new to me, my love of the outdoors has grown ten fold. The things that my wife and I have seen have changed who we are and keep us coming back for more. 

My blog will highlight some of the amazing places that I love. Hopefully it will inspire you to try something new too. You never know...it may change your life.