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Utah 2019: Days 9-11

5/11/2019

5 Comments

 
May 9th-11th, 2019
Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Utah

Day 9

Ian drove in from San Diego on Thursday morning and it's been a whirlwind three days since then. He's a very high-energy individual and it takes more energy than is normal for me just to keep him within sight. Forget about keeping up with him — that's not possible.

Ian's first stated goal was to hike Angel's Landing, the most iconic hike in Zion National Park, but also the most strenuous and dangerous. He set off on the hike while Alison and I stayed behind, content to explore vicariously through Ian. About an hour after he started, however, a storm came through (bringing cold, wind and rain) and the storm only magnified in intensity after another hour. The question for us was whether Ian would have the good sense to turn around or whether he would try to push through and finish the hike. Remember, this hike is dangerous in the best of weather and so we were quite relieved when Ian arrived back at the lodge after aborting his climb. He told us stories of what it was like on the hike, with grown women crying, afraid as to whether they'd make it back down in one piece.

In the evening, we watched The Dawn Wall, a documentary about a climbing expedition on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Picture

Day 10

The second day of Ian's visit was dedicated to Bryce Canyon National Park. Our trip to the park was complicated, however, by a snowstorm that settled over the park early in the morning. It took us by surprise, as we were not properly outfitted for the cold. But, we weren't alone in this fact, as everyone else visiting the park that day seemed to be in the same boat.

After going to all of the scenic viewpoints, starting with Rainbow Point, and finding all of them covered in snow and shrouded in cloud, we decided to have a leisurely lunch at the lodge. The hope was that by the time that lunch was over, the storm would have passed and there would be something for us to see. Luckily, our plan worked out and we had a three-hour window of clear, decent weather. Ian and I descended down into the canyon on the Queens Garden Trail while Alison stayed at the rim. She started down with us, but got quickly spooked by the slippery path and decided to play it safe up top.

Down in the canyon, Ian and I got some good, up-close photos of the hoodoos, the most interesting geologic formation at Bryce Canyon. They are ultimately a testament to the power of erosion. More specifically, they are formed by the constant freeze-thaw cycles in the canyon — over 200 per year — combined with different types of sandstone, each of which erodes at a different rate.

In the evening, we watched Free Solo, another documentary about climbing and 2019 Academy Award winner.
Picture

Day 11

Ian's goal for Day 11 was to return to Zion National Park for a second attempt at hiking the Angel's Landing trail. His hiking partner for the day would be Mick, the husband of Ian's Auntie Laura. Mick worked the night shift at Intel on Friday night, then got in the car and drove the six hours to Zion. Although he had only a couple of hours of fitful sleep in the car, he claimed that he was "good to go" for the hike and he was true to his word.

While Ian and Mick ascended to Angel's Landing, Alison, Laura and I tackled the far easier Pa'rus Trail, a 2-3 mile paved trail that tracks the contours of the Virgin River as it flows through the north-south canyon of Zion. Once we were all done with our respective hikes, we met at the Zion Lodge for beer and ice cream.

After dinner, we wrapped up our day with our third climbing-related documentary in a row, Meru. This documentary covered the attempted ascent of Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas, an ascent that had never been climbed successfully before.
Picture

Scale

​It is hard to comprehend the time required to create the geologic formations that we've visited over the last 11 days. Using very round numbers, it takes approximately 10 million years to make a substantial change in the landscape, like carving a canyon with a river. If a single human lifetime is around 75 years, that lifetime covers 0.00075% of that carving time. Or looking at it a different way, 133,000 generations of humans will have come and gone during that carving time.

Can you comprehend these numbers? I definitely cannot and, honestly, I find it quite unsettling.

Photos, Day 9

Photos, Day 10

Photos, Day 11

5 Comments
bev Bley
5/12/2019 07:00:39 pm

Again, what fabulous pictures. Thank you so much. I feel like I was on the trip with you all. Josh, you are looking great. So glad Ian joined you and Alison. Great memories.

Reply
Kathy Wommack
5/13/2019 07:51:52 am

What a treasure trove of memories! The photos are phenomenal! Great family time! What a wonderful adventure!
Safe travels!
❤️⛰🧗🏻‍♂️🧗‍♀️❤️

Reply
Beth Davis
5/13/2019 10:57:10 am

AMAZING ADVENTURE.....thanks so much for the narrative as well as the pictures...and Meru and Free Solo are two of my favorite movies!!

Reply
Dave
5/16/2019 06:43:43 pm

We are having similar geologic encounters in Iceland at the moment. We must compare notes (and pics) when we get together next. I also find geologic time, like cosmic distances, to be mind-boggling.

Reply
Joshua Golub
5/18/2019 04:58:57 pm

Great idea. Let's definitely compare. See you next weekend...

Reply



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    Joshua Golub

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  • Home
  • Family
    • The Coles >
      • Cole Rehearsal Dinner
      • Cole Wedding
      • Delisio Thanksgiving 2017
      • Coles in Lexington 2018
    • The Delisios >
      • Delisio Orlando 2001
      • JP's College Graduation
      • Becca's 21st
      • Liesl's 50th
    • The Dropplemans >
      • 2011 Droppleman Reunion
      • 2005 Droppleman Reunion
      • 2010 Droppleman Reunion
      • Nanny's 70th Birthday
      • Random Collection
      • David's Camera
      • Droppleman Thanksgiving 2017
      • Dave's 80th Birthday
      • Corrotoman 2020
    • The Golubs >
      • Holiday Letters >
        • 2020
        • 2012
      • 2021 >
        • Josh's 56th
      • 2020 >
        • Bethlehem 2020
        • Circle Quilts 2020
        • Ginger's Shower 2020
        • Josh's 55th
        • Reservoir Hollow Trail 2020
      • 2019 >
        • Christmas 2019
        • Eli's Sendoff 2019
        • July 4th 2019
        • Madagascar 2019
        • NYC 2019
        • San Diego 2019
        • Santa 2019
        • Thanksgiving 2019
        • Tucson 2019
      • 2018 >
        • Alison's 56th
        • Botanical Garden
        • Christmas 2018
        • Cincinnati 2018
        • Dad's 75th
        • Easter
        • Eli's College Graduation 2018
        • Rachel 2018
      • 2017 >
        • Alison's 55th
        • Brooklyn Golubs in Lexington
        • Indianapolis
      • 2016 >
        • Matt's Graduation
        • Nathan's Pets
      • 2010 >
        • Rachel's Wedding
    • The Immigs >
      • Aunt Eileen's Memorial
      • Uncle Bill
      • Chaz's Wedding
    • The Normans >
      • Dave's 65th
      • Nancy's Bridal Shower
      • Nancy's 27th 2017
    • The Roberts >
      • Mom's 75th
      • PopPop
      • PopPop's 60th
      • PopPop's 75th
      • The Roberts Random Collection
    • The Scarpellos >
      • Lucia's First Birthday
      • Baby Joshua Joseph Kenneth Scarpello
      • Josh's 3rd Birthday
      • Josh's 5th Birthday
    • The Simmons >
      • John and Alan's Wedding
      • Camping with Will and Stacey
      • Cam and Nancy's Wedding
      • Panama City 2004
      • Ian Fall 2020
      • Maggie 2021
      • Ian Summer 2021
    • The Zbars >
      • 2006 Zbar Reunion
      • Uncle Bert's 80th
  • Friends
    • Otters
    • 2021 >
      • The Johnsons 2021
      • The Walkers 2021
    • 2020 >
      • Carson Trexler 2020
      • Girls Walk 2020
    • 2019 >
      • Edenton 2019
    • 2018 >
      • Ingersolls in Richmond 2018
      • With Beth at River 2018
    • 2017 >
      • The Steps of Church Hill
    • 2016 >
      • Michael Zacharias Wedding
    • 2011 >
      • Marie's 50th Birthday
    • 2010 >
      • Edenton 2010
  • Blue Dove
  • Blog