Schedule
7:00-9:00 AM Breakfast
5:30 PM Dinner
6:15 PM Orientation for New Guests
Meals
Breakfast Strawberry Muffin 234 Calories Lunch Hummus w/ Pita, Veggies, Cheese, & 362 Calories
Orange
Dinner Stroganoff w/ Veggies 435 Calories
Vanilla Pie 95 Calories
------------------
Total 1,126 Calories
Hello all. Sundays at the resort are days of free time, spa & salon services, and rest. But I somehow convinced myself to do another difficult hike. This time I went to Zion National Park with 2 people who I consider to be a lot of fun, Birch (from Denver) and Victoria (from Cleveland). We hiked up to Angels Landing and we had a good time (despite Birch not telling me how steep the hike was actually going to be - LOL)! I looked up the stats for this hike online and this is what I found:
"The Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the national park system. Zion's pride and joy runs along a narrow rock fin with dizzying drop-offs on both sides. The trail culminates at a lofty perch, boasting magnificent views in every direction. Rarely is such an intimidating path so frequented by hikers. One would think that this narrow ridge with deep chasms on each of its flanks would allure only the most intrepid of hikers. Climbers scale its big wall; hikers pull themselves up by chains and sightseers stand in awe at its stunning nobility. The towering monolith is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Southwest.
Distance: 5-miles Average Hiking Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous uphill hike, but hiking is on a well maintained trail. Elevation Gain: Long steady climb. 1488 feet
Peak: 5785 feet "
The hike going up was extremely tiring once again. I was sweating like crazy and huffing and puffing as my heart rate kept elevating. I hit my max heart rate a few times and had to take a break for a few seconds in order to let it recover. At one point about halfway up, we discovered a place that made great echoes. So of course, we had to test it out a few times by whooping. After more sweating and panting, I finally made it to the top.
Once on the top, there was a peak that went up further that literally had chains on it because it was so steep. There was a sign there (see pic below) that said 7 people had died there by falling off since 2004. We decided we would take the risk. It was very steep but we held onto the chains as we made our way up to a section that did not have chains. This section had very narrow footholds and had a lot of tiny little stones and was slippery. It was about a third of the way up and Victoria started to have a major anxiety/panic attack because she was afraid of falling. Birch and I calmed her and helped her back down. We joked with Victoria after the fact because during her anxiety, she told Birch and I just to leave her there and go on. Birch and I were like, "yeah, ok... you just hang on this steep ledge frozen in fear and we will see ya later!" LOL
Birch and I decided that we didn't need to go up the super steep climb without her and instead we all sat down at the top of Angels Landing and ate our lunches. Great views and good conversation!
The walk down Angels Landing was so much more enjoyable! We were able to really enjoy the views and it was actually relaxing. After we got back to the car, we stopped at a nearby gift shop for a few minutes and then headed back to the Resort. It was a great day today! I really got to know Birch and Victoria better and we had a lot of laughs. I am so glad that I have met them!
On our way back to Fitness Ridge, we made a detour to Costco because Birch has been telling me how great it is. So as we are walking in, we immediately see 2 women in classic Mormon attire. Because I am a "tourist", of course I had to snap a picture! LOL Ok, so I will admit, although it is a lot like Sam's Club, there is a LOT more selection at Costco! And wouldn't you know it, today was apparently sampling day! We did pretty good though! We only sampled the "healthy" items: olives, yogurt, oatmeal cereal, veggie soup, and low calorie hot chocolate. I felt like a felon as I was getting little bites of "real" food. I also purchased some contraband.... Propel Flavored Water (but it really isn't "illegal" as it has zero calories, fat, carbs, sugar, etc.).
Soon after we got back, we went to dinner. We got to meet some really nice "newbies". After dinner was Orientation for the Newbies and a Meet-and-Greet. We all stand up and introduce ourselves telling everyone our name, where we are from, how long we will be staying, if we have been here before, and then tips or suggestions to make the stay better. Everyone is so positive! Literally everyone LOVES it here. A couple of people even called it their "Magical Place". The number of repeat guests just continues to grow. Amazing!
No comments:
Post a Comment