Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Another day, another gorgeous park with breathtaking views!

TODAY WAS AMAZING!  Zion National Park really lives up to its name. Waking up to towering, sheer rock faces was quite the start to another epic day.  Our first adventure was to hike 1.5 miles (3 miles round trip) to the Emerald Pools.  These three successive natural pools, fed by tumbling waterfalls, supplied plenty of areas to explore, as well as a number of scenic viewpoints.  From there we at lunch in the shade of the Spearhead, one of Zion's many lofty peaks.  

After eating, we hopped back on the shuttle to hike the Narrows; our second hike of the day.  One of Zion's most popular trails, the Narrows meanders deep into Zion Canyon, gradually getting narrower as you continue onward(as you probably figured out by the name).  Although this was not a difficult hike, it was not without its rewards.  The Virgin River (the river that formed Zion Canyon) has many pools that our students took advantage of.  Many cooled their feet on the banks of the river, while a few brave souls completely submerging in the icy 47 degree water.  

The adventure continued with a quick stop at the Checkerboard Mesa to snap some pictures, followed by a trip to the Coral Sand Dunes.  Our awesome guides rented sandboards (a sled that the rider either sits or lays on while speeding down the soft sand) for the group to ride down the extremely tall dunes.  This was a lot of fun.  Although it took a little time for us to master the technique, we soon were riding quickly from top to bottom.  We wrapped up our day with a delicious dinner, and some time in the hotel pool.  The troops were just sent to their individual rooms for the night, so they can rest their bodies for another activity filled day.  See tomorrow's itinerary below:

Thursday April 10th

-7:45 a.m. Breakfast

-8:30 a.m. Depart for Horseshoe Canyon

-11:00 a.m. Rafting the Colorado River

-2:30 p.m. Depart for Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument

-7:00 p.m. Dinner at NiMarco's Pizza

-8:00 p.m. Lowell Observatory




Some of today's Greatest Pics!





































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