It’s been one month since Tanner, Tim, and I were in Zion. We drove down to Kanarraville the night before and stayed in a pirate-themed Airbnb (dubbed “Pirates of the Kanarribbean” by the hosts) I received multiple text messages asking for feedback if it was “piratey enough.” He was sad we didn’t choose it because of the pirate theme, but just because it gave us each a bed and was available at a decent price. We started early the next morning in Kolob Canyon at the La Verkin Creek trailhead. These are some of the best pictures and a quick summary.

8.84 Miles, 7:14am

^ First rays of light in the morning! We started at 4:03am and this picture was taken at 7:13am, so our first 3ish hours were mostly in the dark. We'll have to go back someday to see what those first 9 miles really looked like.

10.11 miles, 7:49am

^ This one above and the next three are all shots of Hop Valley. During these 7 miles we had a maddening number of stream crossings that had largely washed out in a recent storm. Both of us wound up soaking our feet, but the scenery was lovely and the mood was cheerful.

13.4 miles, 8:58am

^ These frosted meadows were especially beautiful as we neared the end of Hop Valley. The rain from the days before gratefully kept the sand firm through this section. Temperatures were in the low 30s when we started, but the day was mostly in the high 40s, which was refreshing during all of the activity. The cool air kept the sweating down, which definitely helped with stamina.

19.17 miles, 10:53am

^ One of our favorite portions of the trail between Hop Valley and Wildcat Canyon. These evergreen forests and clear, flat trails on soft soil were super enjoyable to walk through.

26.16 miles, 1:37pm

^ 2.5 hours later. Cell phone selfie to send to the spouses in a spot where we had coverage. Still feeling good! The Wildcat Canyon stretch was mostly through tall, dense shrubs. Not particularly photo-worthy.