Zion’s Camp
There are too many cool places to visit in the world.
The problem is, a lot of them take an arm and a leg to get to—and I don’t mean just a physical arm and leg, although that’s always useful. I mean lots of money, planning, and PTO. Hence, you kind of only visit those types of places every not so often. But, I’ve found that the National Parks in southern Utah make a good backup option to Ireland and Australia.
This time a group of us ventured down to the nether regions of the state, close by Zion National Park. Our intention was to grab a campsite at the Red Cliffs Campground. But, as luck (and the Valentine’s Day weekend) would have it, they were full of trailers† and other paraphernalia.
Alas, we ventured on and with a little dose of serendipity, we came upon the last unusedcampsite (after driving up a dirt road for 10+ miles, but whatevs) with room for 3 tents and 3 cars, and a cozy fire-pit.
† I don’t quite understand why you need to use a campsite if you have a trailer. It’s that whole ‘camping’ part that gets me, but what do I know?
↑ After we got the tent, our temporary kitchen set up, and a fire a’roarin’, Kagen and I tried our hand at some astrophotography. My EF-S 10-22mm could have performed better but it’s tricky with the 3.5 f-stop. Can’t handle it? Buy me one of these bad boys: Rokinon 24mm 1.4
↓ The next morning we broke camp and joined the throngs of other clever people who decided to flee civilization on v-tines day.
↓ There was a slight miscommunication among the troops about where to meet to start our hike to Hidden Canyon, so some of us wandered around Weeping Rock and ate Olive Oil/Rosemary Wheat Thins for a while. Which, in hindsight, there are worse ways to spend your time.
↓ But we eventually got on the road and had a delightful time hiking up the face and into Hidden Canyon.
The trail seemed to go on forever so when it got past lunchtime, we all decided it was time to head back.
A few bold members of the party decided to head onward to Angel’s Landing, while the rest of us, content with our respective physical exertions, drove back to the quaint town of New Harmony, where we got some short R&R at the local B&B.
↓ After loading up on rounds, pigeons, and milk jugs, we set up shop on a dead-end of a dirt road and went to town with the 7 guns we had brought along. I mean, let’s be honest, what says ‘I love you’ more than shooting inanimate objects with bullets? #vtines2015
↑ Pic of the Post #1: 1/2500, f/4, ISO 250, 70mm (70-200mm f/4L IS) — The shell popping out on this one just makes my heart pitter-patter a little bit.
↑ Pic of the Post #2 (because I can have two if I want to): 1/80, f/1.8, ISO 3200, 50 (EF50mm f/1.8 II) — And this one has some double hand-gun action. And some serious noise as well. Thanks Obama.
Another day. Another hike. This one was a little more brisk seeing as the Kolob Canyons are in shadow until the afternoon.
↓ But that didn’t stop us from taking some epic silhouettes at the end of the trail.
↓ And the classic groupies before we bit the proverbial bullet and headed back up northward.
Location: ★★★★½☆
Photography Opportunities: ★★★★☆
Fresh-Off-The-Farm Cooking: ★★★★★
Overall Adventure: 9/10
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