Day: May 16, 2017

Pic: Waiting five minutes. Kayenta Trail above Virgin River, Zion NP, UT

In Seattle, they have a saying: ‘If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and then shoot yourself in the face.’ –Doug Benson

On the way up to the Emerald Pools, the intermittent drizzle that had characterized the morning became a full-on thundershower. I found a hidey-hole between a rock and a cottonwood and ate Goldfish for twenty minutes until it passed.

Pic: Hey, that’s the name of the blog! Emerald Pools Trail, Zion NP, UT

Pic: Five bars of LTE. Cell tower and Mt. Kinesava, Rockville, UT

My server at dinner last night, Rich, was well-versed in dispersed camping on the south side. He suggested a road — washed out in only a couple places — that led to a high bluff above the valley. The camping spots were small and awkward but the place was deserted and provided me all the mobile bandwidth I could eat.

Today’s plan was to knock out some of the short/famous/popular hikes in the main canyon: Riverside Walk, Weeping Rock, Emerald Pools. I was initially skeptical of Zion’s mandatory-during-the-busy-season shuttle system but it actually worked really well. Look at all the cars it kept out of the park:

Pic: Is this the line for Space Mountain? Shuttle stop at South Entrance, Zion NP, UT