#152 Zion and boondock at Virgin Utah

Whenever our family of four visited the Grand Canyon many years ago we ended our 2-week Excursion at Zion National Park. We only stayed about half a day and walked in the Virgin River which is a very popular thing to do for visitors. After that, we drove to Las Vegas to get on a plane back to Wilmington. I think it's safe to say we wish we had spent a little more time so as we approach Zion this time, we did have plenty of time and wanted to spend two or three days at least if possible.

Boondocking can be so cool sometimes because sometimes places will be very popular and there's just no vacancy for RVs and then if you do find something it's terribly crowded and very expensive so sometimes boondocking is just amazing. I think Zion would be a good example of that.

At Zion, there was very little to nothing available and everything was 80 or hundred. Even if you could find anything would be extremely crowded.

Just before you got to the Zion Village 3 miles SE of Hurricane and 15 miles from Zion NP entrance was something called the BLM. The actual name is Bureau of Land Management. The elevation was 3,622ft.

It was in the town of Virgin Utah and Sheep Bridge Road is really what they referred to it as. The coordinates are 37.20508 -113.21022 and we found it on the Days End directory. We drove down a dirt road and it was just really a lot of very long and winding dirt roads. Since it was the dry season we weren't worried about mud or anything. We arrived during the week when it wasn't overly crowded so we practically had the whole area to ourselves. We went down into the BLM maybe a half a mile and went around a curve and there was almost like RV site just around behind a big dirt hill. I wasn't sure what the weather would be like but it seems like a nice windbreak. It seems like a nice way to be private because it's several miles away. We were at the foothills near a pretty nice neighborhood so I thought maybe being hidden behind the hill was better for the neighbors.

Before we went to the boondock we went to the Maverik gas station to dump our tanks and fill them with water. We settled into a really peaceful place and it was just a pleasure to have everything everybody else had even though we were dry camping. The view of all the nature and all the rock formations were gorgeous and the Virgin River was right down below us. It flows right through Zion National Park. We settled in and did whatever people do and just hung out. We didn't do much that day might’ve gone out to eat that night.

The next day we went on our excursion to Zion National Park and parked the truck at the visitor center. We hopped on the shuttle up the way towards the prettiest parts of the park.

There were several stops and we could have gotten off anywhere. We chose to get off for a hike that went up to a waterfall. It was more like a cliff face of a cave where water would be weeping like a gentle rain.

It was called Weeping Rock.

It was a very strenuous hike but when you got there you found yourself behind the water looking through a curtain of very continuous dripping water that made a very thin veil. The sun would hit it and make rainbows and it was just about as pretty as it could be. Grasses and mossy vegetation liked living within the dripping water and was streaming down like Spanish Moss.

After that, we got back on the shuttle and went up to the Virgin River hiking trail.

I kind of got a kick out of the way we collectively did all the same thing as humans. It was a little like a migration calling us all to walk upstream.

Sometimes India does everything and sometimes she skips a few things. Walking in swiftly flowing water kind of spooked her so she kind of just hung out on the edges this time. I encouraged Savannah to go with me upstream.

This is not criticizing India, she knows what her limits are and she knows that it would have been unpleasant for her. So she lets me go and says live and let live. She just knows herself.

There is a fairly long hike I'd say a mile at least to get to where the human river migration seems to start. There are hundreds of people doing this all at once. Sometimes they all get to a rather calm part of the river and they just kind of set up camp for the afternoon.

I don't really mean camping I just mean picnicking and swimming.

There are at least several hundred people just all over the river hanging out with children, the elderly, every kind of everybody.

The most adventurous have this migratory type call that says, You must walk up the river now. There are cliffs on the left and right which are very tall and the rivers flowing swiftly down the middle. It's only about 2 feet deep but it's moving pretty briskly. The rocks are smooth and river shoes are pretty important. If you having some walking sticks that help.

There are all kinds of fancy expensive ones but in this case, Savannah and me just used some sticks we found laying on the ground in the forest.

It gives you a third and fourth leg to be stable. Like I said there's a migration herd of people just strolling up the river.

The funniest thing is we have no goal in mind we’re just going as far as we can until we just are too exhausted to go any further. We just walked and walked and walked probably what for seems like a mile but it probably wasn't really that far.

Along the way, there would be really pretty waterfalls coming down the side of the cliff and we would drink the water right out of the spring-fed waterfall. I realize some people say don't drink the water but, in these places, and they say virgin ever I mean wow this water is as pure as it can get. It doesn't get any cleaner on the planet than right here. There is no development whatsoever above us. It's all nature for what seems like thousands of acres, I drink the water every time.

Well, we went and went and I think Savannah pooped out on me and got tired and went on back. I just couldn't get enough so I went on further, further must not stop.

The coolest thing about this moment was I had done the exact same thing with Ben several years ago and seeing him with his hiking stick looked just like some Grizzly Adams character. It really turned me on and now to see Savannah was doing the same thing, she had skipped it the first time years back.

She went on back and found Mom and after another half an hour or so I gave it up.

So here comes the funny part. Walking back takes a long time and so I had seen some other people doing sort of a butt walking thing on the fast-moving water.

If you lay down flat on your back and we become straight as a board you can just fly down the river because it's only 2 feet deep.

Eventually, I use my sticks to keep my butt from hitting the bottom rocks.

I was zooming by everybody that was walking and occasionally I would get some takers and they would all join in and start zooming by with me. It was really fun to affect people with peer pressure in this positive way.

It took an hour to get from the beginning of the migration to where I got ready to go back. It took about 10 minutes to get back flying down the river on my back.

There's also another thing to keep in mind. At first it's extremely refreshing to be in the cool water. After a while, you start feeling like you're freezing so it's about time to get on the back and warm up.

Well, I got them back I found the girls and we went ahead and hiked back to the shuttle. It was a nice day at Zion.

I think we eat ate out most nights because we weren't paying anything for the site. We felt like we could rationalize eating out because the price of the site was just about right at zero.

The next day the girls just kind of did little or nothing and that's fine but what I did is a pretty good little hike along the river. It was a really big drop from where you could see the river down to where you might visit with it.

I looked for the longest time and there was no good way to get down there and then I just kind of followed a trail for a while. I guess I was “marching to Zion” on the Virgin River.

Eventually, I saw what looks like a cat path that went down towards the water. It wasn't real straightforward but it was doable like a sloping hill.

I got on down to the river and it was kind of a beach area. I even saw some kids shovel where somebody has been playing in the sand. I believe I remember keeping that and taking it to the recycling bin as it didn't belong here in nature.

I was alone so although I like having fun in an extremely swift-moving river I wanted to keep in mind there was a little danger here too.

I found a place that was probably about 4 feet deep or more but there were so many rocks and boulders that you can kind of walk across without getting in trouble.

I kind of wanted to pick a place that had a lot of Boulders so I wouldn't get swept away. I kind of methodically made myself out to the middle of the river with these huge boulders making kind of a natural dam.

I sat down in the middle of the river where I was sitting right on the river bottom and my shoulders were about the height of the boulders. and I was pinned there nicely by the force of the water pressing me against the rocks. Now I could just extend my arms out left and right lay my head back and then we would just flow across me. You don't want to get water up to your nose but it was just flowing over me and it was about as amazing as it gets.

Even though the weather was probably nineties this water felt like it was like 60 so it was just a very cool /really like cold experience. Being quite exhilarated and happy with that I have just strolled up a nice sloping hill to the other side of the road to a kind of ATV path. It wasn't wide enough for cars but it was perfectly good for walking. I went on back to the camper and I didn't need a shower. Like I said this is as clean as the water gets and I was very washed.

That night we went into Hurricane Utah and had some dinner and I caught some great sunset pictures.

I remember emailing Sheila, my sister a picture of the river and telling her how much I enjoyed being there.

Here is the email that I sent her while I was there.

We are in Utah at the foothills of Zion National Park we ended up at a Boondock that is gorgeous and I hiked down to the Virgin River last night. I'm not sure how he got its name but I suppose untouched comes to mind and everything was named by men so that's all they could think about.

I will send you a few pictures later.

When we looked around Zion there were no campsites with any vacancy so we stayed here as a forfeit but now that I look at it it's amazing and I have no reason to complain and it's free via the Bureau of Land Management and we have 4G internet and 15 television stations we have a generator and inverter so life is pretty good. This will be my home for 2 nights and when I'm in public lands I say all this belongs to me so this is one of my Utah properties.

Been thinking about picking up a couple of Sister Wives but India's not so sure if that's a good idea

That about wraps it up for Zion