August

Last fall, a rare annular eclipse happened in the western United States, with the path going diagonally through Utah. I jumped at the opportunity to return to the Southwest and to my favorite state. After combing over the eclipse path for weeks, I found a great potential viewing spot in the southern end of Capitol Reef National Park. I flew out to Las Vegas a few days ahead of the eclipse, bought the cheapest used mountain bike I could find, and headed north. My only stop that evening was a short sunset hike at Valley of Fire State Park before I found a campground along the Virgin River in Arizona.

The next morning I had breakfast at the trailhead of a canyon hike near where I camped, then hiked the canyon and took my new bike for a test ride. The warm up was definitely needed as my next stop that day was Whole Guacamole, a bike trail along a mesa just outside of Zion National Park. And Holy Guacamole did that route kick my butt. I forget my phone in my car (after I had already started Strava), so I got lost continuously because the map was on my phone and I didn't have any photos from the very scenic ride. On top of that, I could barely handle any of the obstacles, and had to dismount once a minute on average. The loop was a thoroughly humbling experience and as I was still recovering from a concussion, I wasn't going to take any chances with the obstacles, which were frequent. After struggling for an hour, I bailed on the full loop and took the most direct route back to my car, with the help of multiple other bikers giving me directions.

This was a blessing in disguise as I now had an extra hour in my day and decided to attempt to see sunset from Observation Point. In the past, I had hiked up from the canyon, but a rockfall closed the trail and the only access is from on top of the mesa, requiring a drive outside of the park. I knew that if I was going to be there for sunset, then I would want to stay to get pictures of the stars and potentially do a timelapse. However, being October, the low that night was suppose to be around 20 degrees, so I wanted to be prepared, so naturally I brought everything. In my head, the hike was a flat 2.5 miles and I was rushing to throw my camera/cold weather equipment into a bag so I never double checked. In fact there was an extra mile I did not realize as well as numerous hills. In order to get there in time, I had to run/walk 3.5 miles, with a loaded pack, in under 30 minutes. When I arrived, the sun was setting over the west rim giving me just enough time to grab a few shots with light still hitting the east rim.

While the light faded to the west, I boiled water and made dinner, waiting for the stars to come out. Another guy was waiting to take photos as well, and per an app he had, the Milky Way was going to be aligned with our view of the canyon perfectly. I gave him a puffy blanket to wear as a cape while we waited since he was not as prepared to handle the cold. After it got dark enough, he took photos for a bit before leaving for the night. I stayed out longer, trying a wide variety of shots, including attempting to light up a tree. The temp was dropping quickly, I was getting cold, and so I packed up and headed out but made the decision I would return for sunrise. I woke up very early and hiked back in well before sunrise, and although I thought it was going to be popular, I had Observation Point to myself for an hour, including sunrise and 30 minutes after.

Walking out to Observation Point by myself in the predawn light, was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I think there is a good argument to be made that it's the best landscape view in US, and to have the privilege of enjoying that sight without the distraction of others and with stunning light was unforgettable. The view you see in the calendar shows Cable Mountain on the left, Zion Canyon down the middle, with Angels Landing down below on the right. I stayed until the crowd started to grow, then I hiked out again and headed to the Burr Trail to see the eclipse the next morning.