Trip Report
This was my second climb of Angel's Landing. My first was 2 years ago, read about it here.
Angels Landing is a world famous hike located in Zion National Park. The peak rises 1500' feet straight above the Virgin River and got its name from Frederick Fisher, who exclaimed in 1916 that "only angels could land there". The peak is in Zion National Park. Most of the year, this means that you must take a bus to the trailhead. The peak is the 10th steepest in the lower 48 according to ListsofJohn.com.
The trail to the peak is a construction marvel. At first it is a normal trail following the Virgin River. There are cottonwoods, grassy meadows, and gorgeous views of Angels Landing and surrounding peaks. Eventually the trail winds it way to a rock wall. The trail is paved in this section and you can tell a lot of effort went into making this section hikeable, as they cut away rock, built up the switchbacks with stone, etc... Just like my first trip, this section was in the full afternoon sun, so when we reached Refrigerator Canyon, the shade and coolness were welcome relief.
Refrigerator Canyon is a section of trail in a canyon between Cathedral Mountain and Angels Landing. It is a narrow canyon and provides lots of shade! It is also not as steep, so use this section to cool and rest in. The red rock and greenery in the section are very nice as well.
At the end of Refrigerator Canyon, you reach Walter's Wiggles. Walter's Wiggles is a section of 21-tight switchbacks.
At the top of Walter's Wiggles, the trail reaches Scout Lookout. Here the trail splits, with the right fork heading to Angels Landing. Like my first trip, there were a lot of people on the route to the peak and hanging out in the saddle.
Carrie was amped and ready after a quick break at the saddle. I knew the big issue would be having to deal with others as we climbed.
We plodded up the peak, waiting for others at times and then moving fast when we got empty stretches. We had a great time snapping photos and chatting while we worked our way to the top.
Carrie was as impressed as I was with the views. We took them all in, hanging out for nearly half an hour. The skies were partly cloudy, making for stunning scenery. Eventually we headed down, both impressed with the scenery and the fun scrambling and hiking. It was fun sharing this special hike with her. She thoroughly enjoyed it!
This hike is commonly named one of the top 10 in the world for scenery and danger. I firmly believe that it should be on everyone's life list!
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