Monday, December 8, 2008

Thanksgiving Adventure!

With Utah ranking as my favorite US state for the outdoors, I couldn't very well turn down an offer to backpack Zion over Thanksgiving! After a tortilla-roll filled day on Thursday, we woke up Friday morning in one of the most aptly named National Parks this great land offers: ZION!

My friend Rip is an excellent photographer and has posted some pictures from the trip, and I'm stealing some here. You'll find more stunning photos on his website: RoadTripRip.com or click the photos.

Highlight photos on this post, email or call me for stories.

Sunrise alarm clock. Can't be beaten! Here's my pad on the edge of the west rim, facing east (South and North Guardian Angels just off the photo to the right). Favorite moment of the trip, thanks Rip. (And yes, wine bottles backpack well. And I'm not kidding.)
Gotta love those natural curves! I haven't found the link between me and rocks, but I feel its probably stronger in some of us. They make me melt.

Just gettin' some good use out of Rip's smoked glasses:
The crew on the hike down from the rim (and I do mean down). Clockwise from top left: Rip, Katie, Nick, Lauren, Conor, Caroline, Holden.


Footsoak in the frigid water on the canyon floor was sublime!

And I know it's been a while so here are TWO places not to fall down!


This one's a bit of a vertigo display. (But probably won't look like it on such a tiny computer screen!)

(Yep, the end of the video is Angel's Landing, from the back.)

Monday morning was time for some jumping pictures! Style points for synchronization & also for symmetry:

Excellent picture of a burned AND frozen log. Oh, and that whole lighting thing.