Landing our Angel Status on Angels Landing

Landing our Angel Status on Angels Landing 

Angels Landing 

Zion National Park [Utah]

10 July 2018

Summary: 

The most legendary of all of the legendary hikes at the legendary Zion National Park is Angels Landing. 

Only an angel could land on top of it. 

In 1916, Angels Landing received its name. Ten years later in 1926, the trail was constructed. Since then, millions of people are now proven to be angels as they landed where only angels could land.

Most of our Zion hikes were overnight trips, but this was the one we absolutely could not leave the park without completing. With our guardian angel looking out for us, we were able to safely complete the hike before landslides and flooding from a huge thunderstorm closed off many parts of the park the very next day, the day we left the park. In fact, the famous tunnel was closed only hours after we drove through it towards Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce National Park.

2018-07-11 St George News: UPDATED: Officials hope to reopen Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway while some trails remain closed due to damage

2018-07-18 Deseret News: Popular trails in Zion National Park still closed for thunderstorm damage

The hike was everything we expected and more. We saw amazing views, got a great workout in, had oodles of fun, and we unexpectedly got to see the fastest animal in the world in action. 

Source

The Gear: 

• Osprey Daylite
• Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Z-Poles 110cm [Just one for this hike]
• Sony A6300 Mirrorless Camera

The Story:

Getting to Angels Landing

We stayed the night at the Bumbleberry Inn just outside of the park in Springdale, UT. While we could have accessed the park by taking the Springdale Shuttle, we drove into the park since we were arriving early. This shuttle wouldn't start running until 07:00. Parking fills up quickly at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.

The shuttle system inside the park begins service at 06:00. The queue gets long fast. We arrived before 07:00 and were able to jump on the next shuttle without a wait though. Our stop is #6 - The Grotto. There are a few trailheads at this bus stop. First of all is our morning hike - Angels Landing via West Rim Trail. There is also the one mile 'The Grotto Trail' that connects to Zion Lodge. Additionally, There is the Kayenta Trail, which is a moderate two mile climb to the Emerald Pool Trails, first to the lower and then to the upper. We considered adding this on after Angels Landing, but we also had to eat lunch, drive 45 minutes, and begin our first day of backpacking in Kolob Terrace.

The Grotto shuttle stop has restrooms, which I happily used. Then, we needed to cross over to the West side of the Virgin River. Before crossing, we see our first warning sign of our impending doom. The sign, created and placed at unknown time, speaks of seven people dying from falling off the cliffs since 2004. I doubt this includes the most recent in February 2018, just a few months prior.

Once we cross the bridge, we have the choice of turning left or right onto the West Rim Trail. Turning right will take us to Scout Lookout, where we can begin the 1.1 mile round trip to summit Angels Landing.

The 1,100ft Elevation Gain to Scout Lookout

The following photo puts the elevation gain into perspective. 

It didn't take long for our Trail Guide to arrive and begin assisting us. This time it was a cute little blue bird, likely a Western Bluebird | Sialia mexicana. We had a bird and frog assisting us when we hiked The Narrows Top Down.

Lots of ground covered!

It's getting wiggly!

Welcome to Walter's Wiggles. 

Who is Walter? Why do these wiggles belong to him?

According to hikespeak.com, Walter Ruesch was Zion National Park's first superintendent. In the year of 1926 and with no actual experience in engineering on Walter's part, he kicked off the construction of the trail to Angels Landing.

This section of the trail consists of 21 short and steep switchbacks that were carved onto the cliff. Get excited about the calf muscles you will be developing. If you want to see a picture that was taken from a different perspective, check out this photo on dangerousroads.org - the world's most spectacular roads.

We reach Scout Lookout, where we see a West Rim Trail Sign. Turning right off the West Rim Trail will take us to the out and back Angels Landing hike.

We have new trail guides now, our first mammal guide. This is an Uinta Chipmunk | Tamias umbrinus

Information about Zion's chipmunks: Zion - Chipmunks

The Chains

They brilliantly place another warning sign before we get to the famous chains. Many people stop at this point. Rock scrambling and hanging on for your life to a sweaty metal chain at steep heights for some reason doesn't appeal to a lot of people. There were great views, but not as much thrill as we were about to experience.

This guy is ready to go! 

Photo Credit: Michael Landing

I ditched the hiking pole at one point. It was a lot easier for me to stay balanced by having full use of both hands. Also in many areas, it is much easier to scramble on the rocks instead of using the chain. Even so, the chain was almost required in some of the narrow parts with nothing else for balance. The pole was fantastic in helping with the steep ascent on the West Rim Trail earlier.

Photo Credit: Michael Landing

Normally I like to say "Don't forget to look up!", but this time it is far more exciting to say "Don't forget to look down!" People afraid of heights would probably prefer "Don't look down!"

Only an Angel Could Land Here

Thank you, dear Uinta Chipmunk, for helping us reach the top. NOW STOP BEGGING FOR FOOD!

Warning - Obnoxiously Cute Couple Photos

Speaking of obnoxiously cute couples, we got totally showed up by a breeding pair of peregrine falcons.

Peregrine Falcons in Zion

Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus - The fastest animal in the entire world.

Sources: National Park Service - Zion and National Audubon Society

They dive from steep heights at around 200 miles per hour to prey on other birds. We got to see this in action. At first we only saw the first one, but once he settled into the tree, we discovered the second. Michael had far more superior photos than myself. Some of the pics are his, some are mine.

Peregrine Falcon - Zion | Photo Credit: Michael Landing

Pair of Peregrine Falcons - Zion | Photo Credit: Michael Landing

The Descent

Going up may have been sweaty and tough on the quads and calf muscles, but I was more worried about coming down because of recent knee and soft tissue injury.

Foot traffic increased as the morning went on. It wasn't abysmally crowded yet and everyone who arrived in the earlier part of the morning was competent in allowing groups to wait and take turns. The areas with the chains are one-way traffic all the time.

We peered more inside a cave we had seen on the way up.

Truly remarkable.

I love this view of the initial switchbacks. They cover a large amount of elevation change in a short amount of time. People at this point in the morning seemed less athletic and more fatigued. Many asked how far away certain landmarks were. Someone even asked if this was Scout Lookout "Nah dude, you haven't even gotten to Walter's Wiggles yet."

Our roundtrip was a little over 3 hours. This includes taking a break at the top for photos, snacks, and water. If you're in good shape, it seems 3-4 hours is standard. The average for everyone is usually 3-6 hours.

Relevant Resources

• NPS - Zion Hiking Guide PDF
• Hike Speak - Angels Landing
• Kat's Zion National Park Guide - Coming Soon

TelefériQo and Hiking Rutu del Ruku Pichincha

TelefériQo & Hiking Ruku Pichincha

Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Ecuador-Galápagos 2018

6 February 2018

Summary:

The TelefériQo is a gondola lift opened in 2005 that runs from just outside Quito's city center to a lookout called Cruz Loma. It ascends from 3,117 meters to 3,945 meters. Many people are satisfied just with the excitement that the TelefériQo offers alone, but then there are some crazies who would rather climb to the summit of a volcano.

There are three summits to Volcán Pichincha - Guagua, Ruck, and Padre Encantado. The TelefériQo provides great access to Rucu, which is the oldest and second highest of the three. I didn't do much research and had no idea how long the hike would be. Based on my Garmin, it was 5 kilometers each way and starting at 3,953 meters going up to 4,668 meters. It's easy to say that I did not beat my 5K PR.

The Gear:

• Brooks Cascadia 12 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trail-Running Shoes - Women's
• KUHL Krush Pants - Women's
• REI Co-op Rhyolite Rain Jacket - Women's
• Osprey Daylite Daypack
• Yeti Rambler - 26oz
• Multitool

The Gear I Wish I Had [but left at my hotel room]

• Sawyer MINI Water Filter
• Binoculars

The Story:

The activity I wanted to do most in Quito was taking the TelefériQo up into the Andes Mountains and then hike around. The entrance was about 5 kilos from Plaza Foch, and I decided to walk. My knee was still hurting from running/hobbling the marathon two days ago. Once I got to the area where it began going uphill and getting less urban, I knew I would be taking a cab back. Downhills were not going to be fun.

I got a later start than I really wanted which means I would probably miss clear skies to get a great view. The slogan though is 'Toca el cielo' [Touch the sky] not 'Get great views from the sky'.

The entrance was pretty. No one else was here so I could just walk up and buy my ticket for $8.50.

They had long queues for waiting but again no one else was present, so I got right on and made myself comfortable.

It was clear enough at the beginning to see some lawn art.

Then it got cloudier, and this is the best view I got of Quito.

Travel time of 18 minutes meant I can have a snack of some fruits that I bought along the way. I had 2 taxos.

¡Bienvenidos!

As soon as you get off, there is a view point telling you which volcano was which. It was a little cloudy for me to identify them. I went inside where people wanted you to buy things and pay for staged photos. I noped out and continued away from the main buildings.

I think I know of a few crazies who would mountain bike down.

I followed a pretty brick road past a cute Church. Lots of commitment to go to Church all the way up here!

This bridge led to a side trail. Looks legit. I couldn't resist walking across it and looking down. Feels legit too if you don't care about sturdy handrails.

I went back to the main trail with arrows pointing where I should go.

They had two giant signs, one in Spanish and one in English, with lots of 'recommendations'.

Guide? No...
Starting by 11:00? Yep
Non-slip shoes? Yep
Rain jacket? Yes
Water and snacks? For sure
Whistle? Oh..

And so it begins! Heading into the foggy mountaintops.

They marked the trail by how long it takes the average person instead of kilometers. It seemed silly and perhaps a little daunting at first, but as it kept getting tougher and more technical, someone like me who would scoff at 5 kilometers would be unprepared for a fifth of that being rock scrambling.

Chuquiragua, The “Flower of the Andes” -

"The Chuquiraga jussieui, also known as the “national flower of Andean mountain climbers” and the “flower of true love”, belongs to the Ateracae family and is native to the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It’s a shrub that grows as tall as 1.50 m, with flowers that are as large as 2 cm. In Cotopaxi, some 3m tall bushes have been observed. One of its most important features is actually not noticeable in plain sight. Rather, it becomes evident the moment someone tries to cut a branch or a flower with their bare hands. Its branches – fully covered by a rugged, resistant bark, and small yet hard and pointy leaves – require careful maneuverability, as does its flame-shaped orange flower. This aggressive feature serves as the plant’s defense mechanism against herbivores. For this reason, those who have been scratched by its pointy leaves and petals before, know best to use a pocket knife or any cutting device if they wish to take one home with them. The only animal species that has adapted to feed on it is the tiny Oreotrochilus Chimborazo hummingbird, or Ecuadorian Hillstar."

Chuquiragua - Flowers

For a little while, it cleared up enough to take a decent photo of what I would be climbing.

"Bear cave", where the trail starts to get very technical.

This was my first big challenge. It looks like the trail actually is stopped around a rock for about a meter. I build up the courage and grip my hands tensely into the rocks as I straddled this area to safely make it across. It is a very steep drop. One of my water bottles did not make it as it was in a loose exterior side pocket. Fortunately that was the casualty and not me.

The trail remained rocky but became walkable again.

There was also some abundant, flowering green vegetation for awhile too.

And then all potential paths got tricky again.

I did start to notice that there were red/white trail blazes. They became helpful in choosing a line.

An hour and thirty minutes until the summit.

I was getting closer to the summit, but at this point it was really foggy and intimidatingly steep. Choosing a path was tricky, and it was a full body workout that would require lots of Nuun upon reaching a good stopping point.

At this sign I met Catia, from Germany. We traversed the final 30 minutes together.

We met several people coming down from the summit. Until now the trail had been lonely. Even though they were in lots of small groups, they probably started earlier to have more time and to have a chance at getting a view. The reports from everyone were "you're almost there", "the view is 'great'", lol.

El cumbre/The summit is in view!

Made it!

Taxo y Pitahaya

Some one else's rock art, not mine.

The fogginess makes it seem out of this world.

Catia and I descended and then hiked all the way back together.

We were told about a shortcut to go down this slope in order to avoid some of the crazy stuff. I think I was sliding down on my butt as much as I was actually walking.

Then we met back up with the regular trail and continued on the way we started. We got frozen rain on and off as we hiked, so it got pretty chilly.

Once back at the TelefériQo, I had my first cup of coca tea. I don't think the altitude really affected me, and coca tea just tasted like any generic hot tea. However it was great for warming up!

Strava:

Going up!

Link to Strava hiking activity: Hike and Rock Scrambling to the summit

And back down!

Link to Strava hiking activity: Back down, in the rain

Related Resources

• TelefériQo
• Quito Adventure: TelefériQo
• Summit Post: Rucu Pichincha