Many speak of the spiritual vibe that is felt in Zion National Park. Some claim to feel a spiritual connection here like no place else. I guess it stands to reason, given the namesake of the park, Holy Mount Zion, located within the holiest of cities itself, Jerusalem.
Whenever I hear the name, I can’t get Bob Marley’s song “Jammin’” out of my head. Rastafarians consider Zion to be Heaven, and Marley sings about Holy Mount Zion where “Jah (Short for Jahweh, Rasta’s word for God) sitteth in Mount Zion and rules all creation.” It is a peppy tune that gets me up the mountain every time!
The park was originally given its name back in 1873 by Zion’s first white settler, Isaac Behunin, a Mormon. He built a one room cabin in the heart of the canyon, and proclaimed, “A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church – this is Zion.” Amen, Brother!
Many of the landmarks within the park have a biblical reference. There is the Court of the Patriarchs, named for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Of course, there is Angel’s Landing. And the park also contains mountains named as both an East and West Temple.
The Gang plots a course to the East Temple above.
View of the canyon from under sunlit overhang.
Today, the plan is to “lay hands on the altar of East Temple…”
I know from previous conversations that the East Temple is one of the more challenging, steep “scrambles” in the park. But the email comes late in the morning rather than the night before, giving me little time to chicken out. 😉
This is like one of those M.C. Escher drawings. Sometimes it looks convex to me, other times concave.
The email description follows: “This is an off trail hike up sandstone. We will spur off the “Overlook trail,” then head up to the temple…less than a mile if we don’t zig zag too much. :)) It is steep, but not exposed/dangerous. If your quads give out you can stop and just enjoy the amazing views from up there.”
It is a glorious day in the park, and I decide to go for it. The worst that can happen is I end up waiting at the Canyon Overlook, one of the best views in the park!
Looks like the world just tilted!
Ellen, “Just resting.” 😉
It is a bit surprising to me that I have come to enjoy the scrambling part of hiking (climbing on all fours) as much as I love the hike itself. It is a full body workout, and more of that “mind-body coordination” that I have talked about before. And this hike certainly offers no shortage of scrambling! At times, it feels like my ankles are bending at 45 degree angles! It is a true testament to the hiking mantra, “Trust your shoes!” as feet must be pointed perpendicular to the mountain or risk rolling an ankle.
This strange formation looks like solid iron.
Lunch break (Or I guess it could be “communion.”)
View over the back side of the saddle at the canyon behind us
There are lots of laughs on the ascent, as we all assume compromising positions to make slow progress up the mountain. What would have previously been uncomfortably narrow ledges now offer a welcome level spot no more than shoe-width on which to rest our straining tendons!
Finally, we reach the overlook with a dramatic sweeping canyon view on the opposite side of the “saddle” to rival the Canyon Overlook behind us. We stop for a bite of lunch, after which the more foolhardy half of our group decides to continue on up to “lay hands on the Temple.”
See the three hoo doos? Look 1/4 inch to the right in the center of the photo. That’s Mark, giving his sermon.
Slowly working our way back down…
It’s only another hundred yards or so to the base of the temple, but it gets steeper from here. From where we sit, it appears to be straight up. I am pretty sure I can make it up there, but not so sure I can get myself back down. So Debbie, Ellen, and I opt out of laying hands on the temple this time around, and decide instead to lay our backsides on our glorious level lunch spot for a while longer. After all, as they say, “Going up is optional. Coming back down is mandatory!”
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
~John Muir
Beautiful! Not a climb I could do, though. I admire your gumption!
Beautiful pictures, as I’ve come to expect. You do a phenomenal job of illustrating Zion and describing its incredible draw.
Another fun day in Zion! We. also, really enjoy the scrambling part of hiking. I was surprised how great a full body workout it is. You got some wonderful photos of this sideways climb! Can’t say I blame you three for watching the final ascent rather than joining. The tiny imagine of Mark giving his “sermon” really shows the magnitude of these structures.
I must heap “praise” on Ellen, Debbie, and you, Suzanne. This is one of those hikes where some feel like if they slip and fall, they wouldn’t stop rolling and tumbling until they hit the river. But you all were relentless…inspired by the magnetism of the East Temple.
Using all “fours” (hugging the mountain) helps one feel more in control, and not looking down helps too :))
Clean, dry Sandstone is amazing surface to hike on…you can walk up and down 45 degree angles, if, as you say, your tendons can take it.
I love that you came away with “trust your shoes.” 🙂 I hope you and all continue to push your boundaries…and act of freeing mind, body, and soul.
Box Canyon Mark, back home in Lovely Ouray, while the rest of the gang continues to play…
“A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church – this is Zion.” Amen, Brother!”
ditto Amen …
Another amazing hike with knockout pictures … when I was out and about in this type of environment FROM HOMER … I marveled at the construction of stuff .. like that wooden … not a bridge… path? boggles my mind that some folk were there … putting that there. How did they do that? very carefully I would hope …
Fab post, kudos to you for what you are doing. NO way could I do it but I live it through you. Great photos and prose….:))
Accomplishing a hike like this takes true “guts” and determination. Congratulations on both – you are my hero. I am amazed you are able to take such beautiful photos while hanging by your fingernails. Too bad you aren’t in the boy scouts and could earn a merit badge.
Corinne — I saw you perched on the edge of the rock on the Watchman trail! I think you could do it! 😉
John — Thanks so much. Zion was such an inspirational place, it will be hard to top! Hope we both get to go back one day!
Pam — Thanks for the nice compliment. Yes, I did think that tiny dot which is Mark showed just how huge the top of the temple is, and that was after climbing a mile to reach it!
BC Mark — Thanks again for the kind words. I learned a lot about hiking slick rock from you and Bobbie. I realized I am hooked when I got tearful standing on “the last slick rock I will see this year.” LOL!
Carolyn — I agree about the bold men who went out on the ledge to build a path so others could follow! Check out Mark’s post on that Angel’s Landing hike! Can you imagine what guts it took to install all those chains, just so we recreational hikers could have a little fun? Brave men, indeed.
Contessa — Like I said on 5CQuePasa, if I were “courageous” I would be following you across the border this morning in my Winnie. haha!!
Linda — Thanks so much for your kind support and comments! I grew up in a town where there were no Girl Scouts, so I always envied my brother’s Boy Scout gear…especially his canteen. I can still remember the metallic taste of the water. LOL!