Kolob Hiking and the Newlyweds Arrive!

Day four of our adventure took us to the northern entrance of Zion National Park—only 20 minutes away by car. Having filled out my Jr. Ranger book with suggestions from the guys, all the necessary pages were complete—we just needed to pick up some trash to gain the bling. So, we drove to the end of Canyon Road (which comes up really suddenly!) and traversed the little 1.5 mile trek to the lookout point—searching for trash allthewhile (it’s also National Volunteer Week, so the parks are in pretty spiffy condition—threatening our badge acquisition! Hee hee :) The trail was marked “easy,” so we didn’t bother with water, sun protection, backpacks, etc. It was very pleasant and scenic as promised . . . until some downward hikers mentioned the rattlesnake at the end of the trail. Oh boy! Snakes. In the promised land? I think not!

But this, of course, drew the guys into a speedy trail finale to not miss the opportunity to see a rattlesnake in the wild! I was content to (check my surroundings) and then cautiously hang back on a slab of rock. They, and another hiker whose wife stayed back with me, waited in anticipation as the snake coiled up looking about to strike an unsuspecting lizard for his lunch. Well, he ended up just taking a nap instead, so we let him be and headed back down to the van—after I snapped a couple of pictures of my brave adventurous nature guys 😊

We backtracked down the mountain to the Taylor Creek Trailhead for our next planned hike. There was zero parking available, so Buck backed into a spot in front of a poorly parked RV—we fit! Then we headed out on a much more challenging adventure than I anticipated, but it was beautiful. 

We wandered back and forth across a little stream that bubbled happily though the red rocks and sand—ever hiked in sand? Whew!! I had on my new hiking shoes, purchased at the same store we buy chickens and chicken food, as a last minute, “Maybe I should . . .” given my only other option was the old tennis shoes I was supposed to throw out in Hawaii. Other than a sore tall toe (all the downhill moments), they worked great! (it’s tough sometimes having an elegant tall-toed foot 😉) Another new hiking accoutrement was walking poles. Buck texted me a picture and asked if I wanted them, I texted back, “My pride says no.” But, my age said yes, lol! I am not sure I would still be upright if I hadn’t had that pole to lean on during the rocky moments of the trail. I will also defend myself by saying there were a couple of cute, young hiker-looking girls also using walking stick poles, so I’ll just put myself in their category. I’m sure they will welcome me as one of their own, lol!

The newlyweds were due in Vegas at any time (two hours away) and this trail was expected take four hours. At the second 1930s surveyor cabin, we debated calling it quits (with another mile of rough terrain before us). But the older trio who were “Bucket Listing” this hike said, “Do any of you sing? There’s a big cave just up ahead . . .” and so we continued to see the cave (just up ahead was quite a bit farther than “just”). The boys, of course, made it there in practically no time—they were mountain goating up hills that were not on the trail (shhhh, don’t tell!) causing mini landslides of sandstone debris. (Aside: Oh, that reminds me—on the drive out to Utah, we saw a couple herds of long-horned sheep in the mountains, antelope on the plains, and bald eagles near the water!)

We heard the boys making whale sounds in the massive echoey chamber long before we rounded the bend. What a beautiful sight that was, and soo much cooler in temp. “Like a blast of air-conditioning,” another hiker encouraged as she made her way back towards the trailhead. The trio of older friends arrived soon after Buck and I did. The guy in their group started an operatic something in Latin (probably) and it sounded amazing! As we took turns taking pics of each other, he rang out, “How Great is Our God!” Beyond imagining, is how great is our God! Wow, what an amazing pocket of the planet to find ourselves in, surrounded by coolness tucked away from the hot desert sun. 

We didn’t realize until we’d slowly retraced our steps to the parked vehicle an hour.5 or so later, that we had indeed reached the end of the trail (roundtrip three hours instead of the advertised four)! We thought we’d stopped short of it, but how glad we were that we didn’t stop at the cabin! We chugged some water, grabbed some sandwiches to refuel, and then headed towards the visitor station to get the Jr. Ranger badge (I forgot to mention Buck found the allotted five pieces of trash! One strip of black tape on the first trail, and four additional items in the Overlook parking lot—I’ve blocked that section of the visit from my memory due to the restroom facilities available on a mountain top. Bleck!) Some rangers are great others are not-so-much, but the crew at Kolob were fantastic. Yes, they made me take the pledge, but they also honked a bicycle horn when I got my badge, lol! Worth it!

About this time we hit a pocket of mobile data that started a long series of bings and pings, followed by a phone call from Caelan saying that the car they’d rented to drive to us from the airport in Vegas could not be rented to them because, despite the rental car company allowing 21-year-olds to rent vehicles, this particular branch wouldn’t allow it for those under 23. That meant they had to wish for a refund while standing in line at neighboring rental companies, hoping one of them would come through. Eeek! It was, I think, the third try that was finally successful. It sounds like they almost had to wrestle other renter-wannabes for keys as the cars screeched up one after another to their mostly-empty-garage location. Quite an experience! The hiccup delayed their arrival to the VRBO by a couple of hours, but they still made their intended stop at In-N-Out Vegas to refuel from their long morning of travel.

I was so glad to see that blue Malibu pull into the parking area in front of our castle! Buck used the freshly filled propane tank from the previous evening to grill brats and sausages for dinner; I helped with mac and cheese, salad and fruit, and for desert--the astonishing quantity of ice cream treats stocked in our freezer. It was quite a feast! 

After dinner, I took the new arrivals on a tour of the clubhouse, gym, and pools. They decided they’d like to swim before bed and we effectively chased out the younger families (who had hogged the pool all day) with our arrival 😉 Just joking, we were too busy to use the pool much—but the four young guys did take turns making a splash, and then joined forces to make a tidal wave! It was nice to sit out in the warm dark and look at the stars and chat with the girls. Relaxing vacation time that we all needed!

Splash!