Ireland Came to Zion
September came this year trailed by the memories of our planned wedding in Ireland, disrupted alas, by the plague. We were determined to meet it with gratitude and with romance nonetheless! Having a getaway week was important, and so we hired a jeep and hit Canyon Land.
Zion National Park is incredibly unique. The Virgin River runs through it, giving the wider canyon lush greenery and trees. As you venture deeper into the canyon you hit the Narrows - a famed hiking trail in a slot canyon, in which you trek through the river water. One day the Narrows will widen with erosion, but it winds hikers for miles, and in some parts you have to swim for shallower footing. Jamie and I enjoyed the twists and turns of this dramatic hike, slipping on rocks as we crammed our necks looking at what was a cathedral of sandstone and colorful cliff sides.
This park also has another infamous trail: Angel’s Landing. This hike we did on our first full day, and at the top, along the West Rim Trail, we witness the closed off 0.5mile trail of Angel’s Landing. The trail begins with a narrow foot path and a chain to hold onto, as both sides drop into oblivion. I was happy it was closed off — it prevented Jamie from asking me to join her. But alas! The ranger sitting beside it told us it was to open in two days — to which Jamie’s eyes lit with adventure. And when two days came to pass, Jamie jumped on a bike at 6am to get there before anyone else. While I got to enjoy a morning by the pool, avoiding one of the most dangerous hikes in the world, I did it knowing that Jamie is hiking along a narrow cliff side. Alone. Does anyone remember Austria?! She did in fact survive, and it ended up being her most memorable hike.
We spent a week in Zion, staying most nights in a glamping site — fancy pants camping. In a safari tent we slept under the stars in a wooden four poster bed. The food was delicious, and we were surrounded by nothing but views and coyote sounds. One day we woke up early for a bike ride, one in which Jamie convinced me to dress up for. She planned to take photos on the day we were supposed to get married, and so in a dress and tights, I pumped the pedals of an E-bike behind a bike tour guide Jamie also hired.
It turned out to be a surprise — the bike tour guide was not actually a tour guide at all. Just a pro-cyclist who was dating the photographer that trailed us. He spewed facts of the dinosaur tracks we were biking to see, while leading us to a slot canyon to hike down into. At one point he stepped aside and I took the lead, where upon I came to a romantic set up of candles, balloons, a blanket, and a computer.
In retrospect, I should’ve known Jamie would do something elaborate. She gave me my engagement ring in that slot canyon, and had a video of family and friends prepared to send us love and well wishes for a wedding that will happen in the future. It was so sweet, so beautiful, and such a fun story. We learned from the Photographer, who is well established in the small community of Zion, that the town was in on it. The post office woman held onto the package Jamie had delivered from Ireland (a stuffed Bear with my name on it), and the biking company that supplied the bikes worked to orchestrate the event. Later that same day we stopped by each place to thank them as we biked into the park, riding to the Narrows and back.
Zion will always be special to us. The sunrise hidden by mountains; the winding river and prosperous foliage in a land of desert and cacti; the bright moon beyond the canvas tent; the lesbian group of older women who promised to drink on the night of our upcoming wedding; and our photographer who sat amongst the cactus with us and talked about love. Ireland was brought to Zion that week, and we celebrated that which we will wait patiently for.
