Today we slept in until 7:15 – it felt late after all the early morning starts we’ve had. We took a shuttle bus from our hotel to the Zion National Park entrance, and then another shuttle bus through the park until we reached the site of today’s hike — The Narrows.

The Narrows is the narrowest part of the canyon – basically a gorge. Many other hikers rented water boots with neoprene socks, and purchased $30 Zion branded walking sticks, but not us! We had our water shoes from home, plus four nature-made walking sticks Big D found in the woods behind the hotel’s property, so we were perfectly outfitted for the hike.

We walked on rocks, waded across the downstream flowing river in thigh-high water using the sticks to balance ourselves against the current. The forecast says high of 95 today, but the water is a crisp 50 degrees. A large portion of the hike has been in the shade, protected by the canyon on both sides. The brief moments of sunshine were refreshing and an opportunity to dry off / warm up.

Going up stream, I was the only one who fell in slipping off a rock and landing in water up to my shoulders. The cinch bag I was carrying contained our non-water shoes (flip flops) so not concerned about water damage. Pauls backpack carried our phones, water bottles and snacks in ziplock bags to ensure everything stayed dry. Paul lost his balance a few times going down stream, and Big D just enjoyed letting the current take him down river. Miss M remained balanced all day.

As we walked out of The Narrows to catch the shuttle bus, there were streams of people coming in. The best time to visit these sites is definitely first thing in the morning!

By 4:30pm we were back at the hotel ready for the pool and hot tub.

If I was going to do The Narrows again, I would wear old sneakers versus water shoes since the water shoes provided some protection from the rocks, but sneakers would have been sturdier. And I wouldn’t wear a bathing suit under my dry fit clothes — just the dry fit shorts would have been fine. Live and learn!