I really didn't feel like getting up at 6am when the alarm went off but somehow we managed to get ourselves up and in the car by 6.20 to head back up to the Park. Our plan was to run up to Angel's Landing, climb the peak before the crowds arrived and then run back along the Kayenta Trail to the Emerald Pools. One problem was that the park operates shuttle buses only at weekends, no cars. In order to get round that problem we had planned to cycle in. However, when we reached the junction of the scenic drive and State Route 9,which was as far as we could drive, we decided that by the time we'd got the bikes out and put them back together we might as well run in.
It was only just getting light as we set off and there was quite a strong head wind as we ran the first mile and a half. Martin then noticed the first shuttle bus of the day stopping behind us so we copped out, rushed back and jumped on. There were quite a few hikers on it and they all appeared to be headed for Angel's Landing as they got off at the Grotto Trailhead. The race was on!
We hit the ground running and headed up the trail which seemed a lot steeper today than it did when we walked it 2 days ago. Once we passed Scout's Lookout we dropped back to a walk. Climbing Angel's Landing was a serious matter and not one that we intended to take lightly. It demanded respect, the route in itself was not very difficult. It was a steep and strenuous climb and there were some slippery parts but nothing worse than we had done several times over in the past weeks. The difference was that one false step here could lead to falling 1000 feet - there have been 6 fatalities here already.
As we climbed up it got colder and colder and the wind was quite strong. Even with gloves on my hands were freezing and I must admit to a strong sense of apprehension. I have a fair head for heights but this was scary. It was only half a mile to the top but it took about 30 minutes to reach it and I must admit to nearly giving up and turning back before we got there. I'm so glad that I didn't. There was a broad platform of rock at the summit which meant feeling a lot safer and the views were amazing. We were so glad that we had postponed this experience until we could have it all to ourselves! However it was freezing cold and we also wanted to get back down before too many people started up since passing would not be easy and would mean delays. Going down was a lot easier than going up and not nearly as bad as I had expected. I had visions of getting stuck and having to be rescued by the Park rescue vice which would not have been a fun experience.
We didn't quite make it back to the Lookout without meeting the first few people on their way up but we were passes the trickiest parts. Once back on more solid footing we descended to the valley floor at 6.45 pace, it felt good! Back at "ground level" we picked up the Kayenta trail and followed it up and along the valley to the lower Emerald Pool. This was not particularly scenic, it was a paved trail and it was already quite busy. We followed it back down to the park road and then ran the couple miles back to the car. It was great running down the road and not having to worry about traffic! We were on a tight schedule now - we had to get back down to Hurricane and checked out by 11am. We got to the motel at 10am and went straight into see if there was any breakfast left. We were too late really but managed to scavenge the dregs of the coffee, some cereal (no milk left) and some toast. We took it back to our room where fortunately we did have some milk and ate whilst we changed, packed and got ready to leave.
At 11am we were on the road to Flagstaff, 289 miles of driving ahead of us. At first it was scenic and interesting as we left Zion behind heading south east on 59. We stopped in Fredonia at a store with a sign outside saying "Lotto, Guns, Ammo, Beer"!! We resisted these tempting wares and contented ourselves with fresh coffee before continuing with stunning views of the Vermillion cliffs alongside us. We followed the line of these for many miles and as they were on Martin's side of the car we perfected the art of me steering from the passenger seat whilst he took photographs. We passed Cliff Dwellers, Lees Ferry and then reached the Colorado River which we crossed by way of the historic Navajo Bridge. This necessitated a brief stop to admire both the bridge, which is amazing, and the beautiful green waters of the Colorado flowing slowly past way below. We were now on highway 89 and after crossing the river it finally turned and headed in the direction we actually needed to go. Most of the rest of the way was tedious, long straight stretches of road as far as the eye could see and flat prairie like land either side. We passed through a few small settlements but decided to save time and eat on the go which involved me scrambling around in the back of the car, assembling our last few morsels of food and chasing cherry tomatoes around the floor.
The scenery became more interesting as we finally approached Flagstaff with mountains in the distance and woodland either side. We had planned to fit in a bike ride but it was already 4pm by the time we reached our motel and we were both tired after the early start. After the usual settling in period we headed over to Safeway to get the necessary supplies for the next camping trip. This time we wanted to be better prepared so that we didn't get ripped off for absolute necessities at the camp store. Since last night's celebratory meal had not exactly panned out we had decided to treat ourselves to another night out tonight, a decision heavily influenced by our previous experience at the Beaver Street Brewery.
As it was a bit far from the motel we drove down there with the agreement that I would drive back so that Martin could overindulge in beer. We put our names on the list and settled in for the 30 minute wait for a table. As expected it was well worth the wait. They have an excellent raspberry flavoured wheat beer which I was able to have a small amount of and making a choice from the extensive menu proved to be every bit as difficult as expected. Finally I chose the Enchanted Forest pizza (Brie, walnuts, spinach, roasted red bell peppers, artichokes, olives, Portabella mushrooms, Parmesan, basil) and Martin had Firecracker Shrimp Gordita platter but we could go there every night for a week and not work through all the possible choices. It was a fabulous meal and eating camp stove and motel microwaved food for a week made us appreciate it all the more. One final challenge remained - me driving the left hand drive car on the right hand side of the road in the dark in a strange city back to the motel. The thought of it was worse than the reality and we made it unscathed and with our nerves intact although having consumed a pitcher of beer Martin was probably completely oblivious to my concern!
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