Zion National Park - LaVerkin Creek Trail - August 21, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Zion National Park - LaVerkin Creek Trail |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Utah |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | August 21, 2010 |
| Duration: | 12 hours, 35 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Good |
| Trail Traffic: | Light |
| Trip Weather: | Sunny |
| Trip Winds: | Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 81-90, Low: 61-70 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | I had one of the most marvelous nights camping I can remember. The nearly full moon lit the campsite up like a street light for the first few hours of the night. I slept on top of my sleeping bag for about half the night, very comfortably. A fine breeze ventilated the tent nicely for much of the night and it never got too cool nor was it overly warm. The star show was magnificent after the moon went down. I was awakened at 600A by the headlamps and noise of the 3 guys in #12 as they crossed LaVerkin Creek and commenced hiking up the canyon. Obviously, they are going farther in and are trying to beat the heat. Good idea. I went back to sleep for another half hour and then I pulled out the map and studied it. I had hoped to explore at my leisure all morning, and then hike out in the afternoon. But I had seen a lot of the canyon the day before and I knew the trail up into Lee Pass would be a scorcher today. So, I decided to have a casual breakfast, replenish my water, and pack up for the hike out. By time I hit the trail it was nearly 900A, and I soon found that all of the other backpackers in the LaVerkin Creek campgrounds had departed before I did. As far as I could tell, I had the entire canyon to myself. Later I discovered a couple had set up camp at #6 after I passed the afternoon before, and they were still there when I went by today. Every time the trail brought me out into sunlight while I was still in the canyon, I could easily tell that it was going to be hotter today than yesterday. The first climb was the ridge between LaVerkin and Timber Creeks, and that was hot as expected. After coming down on the Timber Creek side and commencing the slow ascent up that creek, the harsh sunlight combined with the rapidly rising temperatures to sap my energy. My water bottles were already as hot as bath water again. I poured some sport drink powder into one of the liter bottles and guzzled the hot liquid down, about half of it anyway. That perked me up some so I strode off with renewed vigor following the 20-minute pack off break. I started encountering day hikers as I began the steep ascent into Lee Pass. Seeing the pass gave me an additional boost and I actually picked up the pace a bit on the climb. It was 1230P when I arrived at the trail head feeling strong and invigorated. I had beat the worst heat of the day, but it was still 90 degrees with a great breeze blowing. Give me more trails like this one – well, turning the heat down 10 degrees could have made it a perfect hike. |
There are no comments yet.