Standing on top of Star Dune in Death Valley
I'm planning to flesh this blog post out with more text soon, but for the moment here's our quick vacation itinerary and a whole lot of photos.
Flight Night: Mt. Charleston to the northwest of Las Vegas (starry skies and snow-capped peaks!)
Day 1: Snow and trails and vistas up around Mt. Charleston; Zabriskie Point; Badwater Basin walk; Natural Bridge hike; air b&b in Beatty, NV.
Day 2: Morning hike out on the dunes at Mesquite Flats; Afternoon hike around the rim of Ubehebe Crater in the northern part of Death Valley; night 2 in Beatty.
Day 3: Drive day. En route to Zion. Dinner at a sub-par Mexican food restaurant. Night 1 at resort in Springdale, UT.
Day 4: 15-mile trail run up Angel's Landing and out the West Rim Trail, around the loop and back Telephone Canyon Trail and back to the valley floor. Dinner at the new brewpub. Night 2 at resort in Springdale.
Day 5: 10-mile trail run up on Kolob Terrace on the Connector Trail to Northgate Peaks. Dinner at Oscars (really good). Night 3 at resort in Springdale.
Day 6: 4-mile hike on East Rim Trail, dodging thunderstorms. Dinner at Whiptail Grille during a rainstorm. Beers with Jason and Anne at their place. Night 4 at resort in Springdale.
Day 7: 2-mile hike on Canyon Overlook Trail; 1-mile poke up a slot canyon, avoiding quicksand traps; drive back west; coffee and lunch at River Rock Roasters along the Virgin River; 1-mile hike at Valley of Fire SP.
Flight back: all day.
Badwater Basin
West Rim Trail in Zion
Along the Connector Trail in Zion
Snow on Mt. Charleston, to the west of Las Vegas
first short hike of our trip, to Robbers Roost climbing area
we more or less had the place to ourselves
after the first half mile or so at Badwater Basin
out onto the flats in 106 degree temps... because Badwater
salt polygons
salt polygons
downcanyon breeze coming out of the Natural Bridge hike
Natural Bridge
view out over Badwater Basin from the mouth of the canyon
our awesome airb&b cabin in Beatty, NV
the owner had left out a bottle of wine
morning dune trek
me at Mesquite
Mesquite Flats sand dunes, Death Valley
Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley
desert blooms at Ubehebe
along the rim trail at Ubehebe Crater
How the West Was Won and Where it Got Us
Zion
heading up Angels Landing Trail
Walter's Wiggles
Zion Canyon and the Virgin River
desert wildflowers
West Rim Trail
up the West Rim Trail
climbing the West Rim Trail
climbing the West Rim Trail
running along the West Rim Trail
our highest elevation of the day, along the dry, upper plateau on the West Rim Trail
dropping down the Telephone Canyon Trail
easy running down the Telephone Canyon Trail
coming down some slickrock on the West Rim Trail
passing back through Refrigerator Canyon
descending the middle part of Angel's Landing Trail
westward view up on Kolob Terrace
running along the Connector Trail in Zion
running along the Connector Trail in Zion
stream crossing along the Connector Trail in Zion
running near Northgate Peaks
desert bloom
post-run liquid refueling at Oscars
stormy morning on the Canyon Overlook Trail
Canyon Overlook Trail
Zion
Canyon Overlook Trail
Canyon Overlook Trail, not for those afraid of heights
Wading to avoid quicksand traps in Shelf Canyon
Avoiding quicksand in Shelf Canyon
adventure girl
dropping down out of Shelf Canyon
getting back around the quicksand traps
Need COFFEE!!!
This place is all kinds of terrific.
Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada
The girl liked the desert.
slot canyons are the coolest
Leaving Las Vegas: Zion from Above
No comments:
Post a Comment