Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park

So, I’m an idiot and hiked Angels Landing without the memory card in my camera, so the few pictures I have from this world-class hike are from my iPhone. We then did The Narrows, but due to it being a slot canyon with water up to your knees, it’s dangerous to take a camera. Plus, most of the photos end up sucking without the right lens. At any rate:

This is The Subway. It’s a natural phenomena where water literally has carved a subway tube out of the rock. It’s pretty astounding, given the size of it and how it’s such a perfect oval. A little about the hike. To begin, you need a backcountry permit which wasn’t too hard to get given the off-peak season. Also, it’s not a requirement, but it is HIGHLY recommended by Outfitters and the author/photographer to get water shoes. This is because the entire hike is up a shallow river. You spend a lot of time on the banks climbing boulders and whatnot, but it is significantly easier to just suck it up and walk up the water. Not to say that the hike was easy at all (3.5 miles took 3 hours each way), but when you’re on the banks of the river, you’re spending a lot of mental energy keeping your balance and searching for your next step. Aside from being in the river, the hike includes a beautiful decent into a river valley and you encounter some absolutely stunning waterfalls. The diversity and adverturousness of the hike really makes it one of my favorites to date. I can’t recommend it enough.

One of the pools deeper into The Subway. It’s tough to tell, but theres a thin layer of water that stretches the entire way back. A hike well worth it.

Zion Canyon from Observation Point. 4 miles, 2100 feet of elevation gain. This shot was taken at about 6:45pm. The moon was pretty bright which gave the canyon some good light. I freakin love this photo.

Lexie overlooking Bryce Canyon around Sunset. Upon arriving, we brought out my chairs, a bottle of wine, and my tri-pod and just hung out. Definitely one of my favorite moments from the trip so far. This photo does not to the scenery justice, as Bryce is just insane.

The night sky over Bryce Canyon. This wasn’t late at all, maybe 6:30pm. Bryce is fantastic for night shooting due to an extremely dark sky, but it’s also SUPER cold. Neither Lexie or I wanted to be out very late. We prefer snuggling up by a fire.

We hiked the Peek-a-boo loop at Bryce Canyon NP to get a better look at the hoodoos. Not too long (5.5 miles, we did it in 2.5 hours, only incline is at the end) and Bryce Canyon is just a really cool place to explore. There is literally no where like it on earth.