The time has come at last for a walk in Zion National Park. This is an iconic hike, like Half Dome at Yosemite. On hikes like this I begin with images already in my head, which makes the experience quite different from most hikes. The imagery matches my mental image, which almost makes it harder for me to really see it. Going barefoot helps – adding a dimension to the hike I couldn’t possibly predict, which helps me keep me in the moment among the incredible cliffs in all directions.
Angel's landing barefoot
At the famous exposed ridge section on the top, however, an unwanted consequence of going barefoot arises. Of course people notice and I talk about it a lot, but atop a thousand foot cliff I get nervous about people looking at my feet – and not their own! Fortunately on the really scary parts my feet aren’t a powerful enough stimulus to break people’s concentration, but once a woman has to purposely stop looking at me to complete a sequence. The drop-offs really are mind-numbing, and the hand-chains by the steps seem like scant protection. Most of the conversations are thankfully not about my feet, but about how unbelievable it is that people aren’t always falling off of this thing.
Exposure
We also hike away from the Angel’s Landing formation on the West Rim trail, which provides views of Angel’s Landing itself, which are hard to appreciate while on top of it.
Angel's Landing Ridge
We hike to an ice cold stream before it plunges off a cliff before turning around for the day. Strangely, the icons in my mind are still there, but they are now enhanced and amplified by direct experience.
4 responses to “Barefoot to Angel’s Landing”
We’ve already earmarked this hike for July! (though I don’t know if Liz will do it barefoot…)
I wonder how different it will be in the summer – certainly some of the high misty waterfalls will be gone. But probably so will the floods! We’re in a rainstorm in St. George right now, and people are talking about closures in the park.
Confession: I did not do this hike. Wayyyy too exposed for me! I’d rather be at a hanging trad anchor in the middle of four pitches than hike this!
I enjoyed the section we did on the West Rim just as much – maybe more because you were there.