Is this FOMO? When will I learn that I like missing out? I don't know. It is family reunion time for the Davises. We all met up in the Saint George area over 4th of July weekend. The Anderson branch of the Davis clan drove down a day early. We met up with Chris (my oldest brother) the night we were driving down. He told us about this once-in-a-life-time opportunity. Among the many marvelous, spectacular hikes in Zion's National Park there is one nicknamed The Subway for the way the stone canyon has ben carved out to look like a modern day subway tunnel. I wonder what it was nicknamed before subways were invented? Anyway, you have to enter a lottery every year to get tickets to hike trail. I never would have this opportunity because I didn't know about the lottery and I never would have entered it.
Well, Chris knows smart, well planning individuals who enter the lottery every year and every year their number does not get drawn (typical lottery am I right?). BUT THIS YEAR, their number came up! And they had applied for a 12 person group. They were four people short and didn't want to waste the spots. So, they invited my nephew Keaton, who invited his Dad, Chris, who invited us! I was stoked. Nature is rad and this was going to be a canyon hike not a scaling-rock-faces hike like Angels Landing.
That night in our air bnb we looked online at the options for the hike. Turns out their are two choices, bottom up and top down. Bottom up is "easier" you go down the mountain, up the canyon, into the subway and eventually have to turn around because there are rock faces you cannot climb from that direction. So bottom up is a there and back hike you can turn around at any point. Top down is "harder" you need ropes and harnesses for parts. You swim through deep, narrow canyon rivers. And finally you climb up the mountain and out. Chris had suggested we were doing bottom up because they were not bringing rope. It would be a long hike but cool. Will was confident we could both do bottom up.
We left early Friday morning to meet up with the Brown family (the lottery winners). We met at one parking lot and were told...SURPRISE we are doing top down with just rope, no harnesses. Still, Will was confident I could do this. He would be there to help me down any really tricky parts. So off we ignorantly went.
Look at my face in this picture. I have no idea what I am in for.
The Brown family consisted of the Brown parents: Aaron and Chelta, three of their four children and two of their in-law/boyfriend children. Then there was Keaton and his wife, Liz, Chris, me and Will. As we hiked down into the canyon we got to know the Browns and their children. Aaron Brown had done this hike years ago with the boys scouts. Chelta and their oldest son, Landon, were avid and constant hikers. Mckenna and her boyfriend, another Aaron, were actual Army Rangers. I was starting to feel like I had been snookered and was woefully underprepared for whatever was coming my way.
Right from the get, there was absolutely jaw dropping views everywhere. I mean, this is stuff that is truly once in a life time stuff to see. Just beautiful! The hike wasn't too hard and it wasn't too hot yet. Poor Chris did have a bout of heat exhaustion at one point but with enough water and rest he was back up and at the hike.
Moments after the picture below, Will dropped his phone and it went tumbling down the trail. However, it wasn't cracked and seemed to retain all of its functionality.
After a few beautiful miles of normal hiking we got to the first rock face that would require ropes. Thankfully, there was an alternate route around the rock face through a rabbit hole. BUT you had to swim across the water below to get to the trail on the other side. Canyoneering down the rock face dropped you in an area where you didn't have to get wet. You can see some crazy people doing the ropes in the picture below. The rabbit hole was off to the left of the photo and straight into the water.
The water was freezing cold! Not refreshing but freezing! Chelta went down the rabbit hole first and tried to walk across the muddy body of water thinking it couldn't get more than waist deep. Nope, she took one step and fell off an underwater cliff. She was fine but now I knew I just had to get in and start swimming. You couldn't see the bottom at all and I didn't want to risk a surprise. Now I was wet and would be for the rest of the hike.
We carried on through spectacular canyons and some more necessary swims. Every swim was the same, freezing cold and in water that was muddy brown. You couldn't tell where any of the rocks below were. Thankfully, the people in our group who went ahead would stand in helpful places to show us scaredy cats where to go.
It really was some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring hiking I have ever done. About 6 miles in we started running into rock faces and waterfalls where there was no rabbit hole option around it. At the first rope required decent the Army Ranger and a handful of the other guys stood at the bottom of the water fall while I descended poorly using the ropes. I literally scaled down to Army Ranger's shoulders, other people caught my bum and legs, and then I slid down Army Ranger's back into the freezing water. Graceful, no. Effective, yes.
At another waterfall and rock duo Will waited at the bottom to catch my feet on a slippery log. I had a mini panic attack. Not my best moment, but certainly one of Will's best! By this point the hike had become grueling. We had been wet for a long time and the terrain required a lot of mental focus to navigate safely. Thankfully, Chelta Brown is an avid hiker and a Mom, with a capitol M. I love going places with Moms. They know how to take care of people. She had sandwiches, drinks, snacks, sunscreen, everything we would need. We packed up all of that gear at the start of the hike and were continually grateful to take a sandwich or a snack out of our bag on our breaks.
Reaching the "Subway" portion of the hike was so very cool. It was many miles in but what a sight to see! We all took pictures and where amazed at what nature can do.
Then came the point of deepest regret for me. Up until this moment I had handled my crap just fine. I had Will to help me, I am in good enough shape, and the other hikers were patient and helpful. But this was my breaking point. We got to a spot where there wasn't a series of rocks to cling to as you climbed down the water fall. It was just a gully with a 50 foot drop between the two sides. Option A was to jump a chasm about 4 feet wide over the 50 foot waterfall where a full grown pine tree was looking up at you. On the other side of that terrifying leap was a less shear rock face you could scale down with just a rope. Option B was a 50 foot 90 degree rock face straight down into the river requiring a harness we did not have.
I couldn't leap. I knew it was a distance I could easily leap on flat ground. I practiced running and leaping over the rocks a bunch of times. But my awesome brain had me convinced, as soon as I looked over that crack I'd loose all of my mental faculties, jump off the wrong foot and go crashing down the crevasse. I couldn't do it. I couldn't even look over the edge to see what was what.
Thankfully, we had been hiking with another group who did bring a rope and a harness. They stayed on that side and offered us the use of their harness...they even offered lessons to me...a person who has never, ever, ever repelled down a rock face in her life. The gentleman manning the rope and harness was a pro. He talked me calmly down the rock face. I kept my eyes glued on my feet and slowly, inch by inch made my way down. It was awful and awesome. I hate heights. But I was proud of myself for getting down and not having to live on the top of those rocks forever. Liz also used the harness, everyone else jumped the crack and let themselves down with our rope. I had to do another little swim after my descent but it was better than jumping a crack, failing and dying.
More amazing subway views were our reward for the harrowing event. Was it worth it? I don't think so. Am I glad I did it? No. Am I happy to be alive and physically able to do these dumb things. Yes.
On we walked now, no more "hiking" per say. Just carefully picking our way through the river in the canyon. Lots of beautiful things to see...lots of slippery rocks to wreck an ankle on. Once again, it was mentally taxing.
By this point we were nearing mile 10 according to someone's Apple Watch. Will had been mapping our trail on an app on his phone...but at some point he had my phone and I had his. Then we switched and I put my phone in the dry bag I was keeping and using as a flotation device every time I had to swim. I did not take his phone back and put it in the dry bag. So his phone took a swim in the backpack he was carrying. We didn't discover this tragedy until far too late.
For the next two miles we clambered up and down, in and out of the river, over rocks, through paths, the heat got uncomfortable. We had been cold in the subway but were hot, hot, hot now. The Army Ranger couple kept running back and forth between the groups of hikers in our company. Handing out bottles of water. At one point we learned chick Army Ranger had done the entire hike with a full Costco case of water bottles in her backpack! I am not exaggerating or using hyperbole here. She scaled rock faces and hiked miles upon miles with at least 25 pounds of water on her back. The human body is amazing...
We came across the famed dinosaur footprints. It was cool but by this point we had been climbing up and down so much I just wanted to start the final mile climb so we could go home. I was exhausted.
Still the up and down trail continued with no option to climb out of this ravine in sight? How were we getting out of here. Sure enough we found it. The last mile was actually a straight-up-the-mountain climb.
I was so tired. My muscles were so spent. But climbing was the only way out! I'd go about 10 feet and stop to rest. Soon enough I had to keep facing up the mountain and not turn around on my breaks. It was so steep and my fear of heights was kicking into high gear. Will and Keaton truly ran ahead so they could take the cars we left at "the bottom" up to get the cars at the "top". Wild. I had another mini panic attack at one rock face I didn't think I would make it up. All of my major muscle groups were shot (my buns and thighs were screaming) so all of my tiny muscles were trying to get my whole body up this mountain face.
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