Autumn in Zion
I wanted to do something different than the expected canyon and cliff scenes - even though we saw more of those today. But this really is Zion - it's Zion in Autumn. Nestled among many of the cliffs are washes where the water runs off from spring rains and summer storms. All along these washes, plant life flourishes. The plant life includes hardwood trees like oaks and maples - they're a bit smaller than back East but they are unmistakable. And in October we know what happens to hardwood trees - they turn bright colors. And they do that here right in the canyon too!
We walked through one section that was so large it felt like we were back home. The unmistakable scent of autumn leaves in a forest was present - steps away from orange and yellow cliff faces 3000 feet tall.
We hiked the West Rim Trail today - 11 hours of hiking and more than 3000 feet of elevation gain. We were very tired by the time we got back, but it was one of the best I have ever done.
We wrap up tomorrow so this will be the last blog post. Thanks for reading!