The Narrows

In May 2014, we did a two-day, one-night backpack trip through The Narrows in Zion National Park, Utah. John was 61 and I was 60.

Most people day hike in the Narrows from the bottom up (meaning they wade up the Virgin River). Hiking the entire Narrows from the beginning is done as a long day hike or a multiday trip. Given the depth and cold temperature of the water, hikers can rent specialized gear in Springdale. We had heard that the water could be more than waist deep in places, so we opted for Farmer John wetsuits, neoprene booties, and canyoneering boots.

The first day involved a lot of wading in the Virgin River, but it was shallow, so we kept the wetsuits in our packs—which was great because neither of us relished the idea of putting on a cold, damp suit in the chill of the dark canyon the following morning.

The farther we went down the river, …

… the higher the walls became and the narrower the canyon.

We encountered this small waterfall created by a boulder-and-log jam.

Fortunately, there is a narrow crack through the adjacent wall. The dark canyon can feel oppressive …

… but closer to midday when the sun was directly overhead, we got glimpses of welcome sunshine.

Deep Creek joins the Virgin River not far above where we would camp.

Whereas the river had been clear, the creek was cloudy with fine silt. We relied on a SteriPen for our water treatment and weren’t sure how effective it would be in cloudy water, so we used iodine tablets instead. Unfortunately, iodine is not effective against Cryptosporidium, a waterborne protozoan, and we both apparently picked it up on this trip.

The next morning, we donned our thankfully dry wetsuits and headed down the river again. I discovered that not only did the silt make the water cloudy, but it caused the rocks to be slippery. When we rented our gear, we were also provided with a stout staff. Some people use trekking poles, but the staff was highly recommended. John has better balance than I do and is less paranoid about falling, so he moved more quickly down the river. On the other hand, I gingerly picked my way and relied heavily on my staff. Fortunately, he stopped frequently to take photos, so I didn’t fall behind. I even got ahead sometimes.

Along the way, more springs flowed into the river, increasing the volume.

About midmorning, we started getting passed by speedy day hikers headed downstream. I chose poorly about where to cross the river and was having trouble moving back upstream away from a particularly deep spot. A young couple showed up at that moment. Fortunately for me, the fellow (in the middle of the photo below) offered me (to the right) his hand and used his body to shield me from the current, which I greatly appreciated. He had been holding the girl’s hand …

… but, unfortunately for her, he momentarily let go and she started to float downstream (she is just visible to the far left).

We enjoyed our remaining solitude as we knew it would soon end.

We could tell we were really getting close to the end when we encountered hordes of scantily dressed girls exclaiming about the cold water and gingerly picking their way. This is a very popular hike and sometimes appears on lists of the best hikes in the world. I don’t think we would go so far as to say that, but the Narrows is certainly a unique hike and worth being on some sort of list.

All photos from this trip are on Flickr.