LarryC Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 A great trip! You've really covered wonderful stuff over your various trips. Did you go over high-altitude off-road between Telluride and Ouray, or stick to more main roads? I would've been scared to try that, especially at 13k '. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 We've tried to stick to desolate/scenic paved roads. I love the Telluride/Ouray area, but no, we did not do off-road stuff around there. For comparison, I mapped the Southwest Tour, May 2014 here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 e've tried to stick to desolate/scenic paved roads. I love the Telluride/Ouray area, but no, we did not do off-road stuff around there. For comparison, I mapped the Southwest Tour, May 2014 here. What great travels! I've seen a lot of it, but not all. I think Ouray was my favorite, but the whole drive between the San Juans and Pagosa Springs is classic. Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted May 16, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) Traveling just for the scenery, the best kind of travel ! Great pic's, but I know, no matter the camera it can't do it justice, has to be beautiful, I could in one of those spots and just look all day. Have fun Edited May 16, 2015 by dtel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) This was my 3rd time to visit Zion National Park, and once again, I leave it, convinced I have never seen a place with more breath-taking, rugged beauty. It truly is like a fantasy world. This is our first clear view from within the park after we arrive. Our first hike is along the Emerald Pools Trails. The Emerald Pools Trails were pretty easy, and so we hiked up to Weeping Rock. You can see the water driblets falling from an indented arch over-head. Pay attention to the mountain across the way. Weeping Rock turned out to be too easy, too. Remember that mountain across the way? Hidden Canyon Trail ascends it. After a little negotiation, we decide it can't hurt to at least go and take a look... and that's where it begins. After hiking up Hidden Canyon Trail for a good bit, we are already up pretty high. The red arrow points to Weeping Rock below. The people are very tiny from up here. This is me on the trail, courtesy of a stranger who offered to use my phone to take a nice shot with a view. We are almost to the perilous part of the hike and definitely up quite a distance. We work our way up an easy staircase. A few hundred feet beyond the steps, and whoa! Chains?!!! Let me tell you what... Those chains need to be there. If you go off the side, you go down a long, long, long way... airborne all the while. Notice the guy behind us. He's got his joey along with him for the adventure. Jim didn't like my comment that, "It's safe enough. You'd have to screw-up pretty bad to fall." Li and I got a good laugh over it, and Jim lightened-up and cracked a smile, too. What the heck? They ran out of chain! Well, actually, it was fine since that stone lip on the edge served to calm the nerves. Did I say it is a long, long, long way down? Frankly, I have never done anything like this in my life. See that pine tree behind Jim? If trees can grow there, it can't be that steep, right? Here is a distance shot to give a little better perspective. Look at that pine tree, now! Jim is at the last set of chains as the trail narrows. I don't know about you, but that's pretty narrow to be along a cliff so high. Alas, no more chains (Thank goodness!). We enter into the Hidden Canyon. It's hard to believe there can be such a canyon so high up. Another shot of the rocks through which we had to scramble as we proceed into the canyon. A view across the way after we began heading back down. Yep! We were way up there. This shot is taken at the same place my picture was taken by the friendly stranger - just at a different angle so you can see the Virgin River and the road to the right of it. Those chains were back up the trail a pretty good jog around the side of the mountain. One last, departing shot of where we were. I'll never forget this. Clinging to those chains was something else. Edited May 17, 2015 by Jeff Matthews 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted May 17, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2015 That's amazing, I hope to see that one day, I would be happy to stay in just that area for days, probably end up a ton of pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) I would be happy to stay in just that area for days... Me, too. I've never had more than a day visit. Lots of people fly into Vegas for cheap and rent a car to go there. I think that's a great idea! Flights to Vegas are usually cheap. There is a ridgeback called Angel's Landing. We ruled it out as "too perilous" from watching this Youtube video before leaving on the trip. Having done Hidden Canyon, I'd now be willing to at least go up and take a look-see. Check this out. It gets dizzying around 4:15. Edited May 17, 2015 by Jeff Matthews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted May 17, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2015 How do you trek up a trail lined with chains with a baby attached? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted May 17, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2015 How do you trek up a trail lined with chains with a baby attached? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffr Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 There is a sweet golf course in Farmington called Pinon Hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 There is a ridgeback called Angel's Landing. We ruled it out as "too perilous" from watching this Youtube video before leaving on the trip. Having done Hidden Canyon, I'd now be willing to at least go up and take a look-see. Check this out. It gets dizzying around 4:15. Wow! I'm surprised the NPS allows such risky-looking hikes. Websites say there have been 5 fatal falls not related to suspicious activity in recent years. Some of those stretches are obviously most suitable for those with very good balance skills and almost complete lack of acrophobia. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted May 17, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2015 Showed the wife the first pic's with the chains, she said no way, not me. That walk looks rough, physically. I would have to take a break a lot to catch my breath often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Oh my GOD that trail is nuts! I'm with you, way too dangerous. The only way I would take that trail is if I were being chased by an angry Sasquatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) Yes, the video of Angel's Landing scares me to watch it. Having done Hidden Canyon, I'd now be willing to at least go up and take a look-see. Here's one of Hidden Canyon, which shows the perilous part we did. It's a similarly scary hike, but for only a small part of the way. People we talked to said Angel's Landing is not really any scarier. It's just more of it. If you watch the Hidden Canyon video, if you're like me, you'd say, "No way!" But once we made it up there and saw it live, it did not look as scary. Yes, it was scary, but it wasn't as scary as the video would make it appear. Hidden Canyon's chains video: Edited May 18, 2015 by Jeff Matthews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 We're kind of tired and missing the amenities of home. From here in Aztec, NM, we are going to take a more direct route to get home in 2 days. It's been fun! This is the route so far. Gotta get some sleep. Jim and Li have high quality cameras, and after we get back and settled, I will get a set of all their photos for my own archives and post some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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