Utah - Day 7

bethpereira865
Jul 8, 2021
3 min read

Today's hike was possibly the most mentally and physically challenging thing I've ever done in my entire life. No joke.

Angel's Landing - Zion

Before we even started the hike, I heard it was going to be "kinda" scary. That was the understatement of a lifetime. It was mortifying. The kind of mortifying that if you let go of the chain that you're holding onto, it's a thousand foot fall down the mountain. I didn't take too many pictures because I was too nervous to take my phone out of my bag! Most of the pics below are from my fam. However, Ein brought his GoPro and got some really cool videos and pictures.

In the beginning, it was a steep climb, but nothing frightening. After hiking several switchbacks a guy who was coming down says to us, "you're almost there to the almost there-point!" HAHA. Hilarious. I didn't have the slightest clue, how cruel that saying we be...(lol) A couple of minutes later a group of athletic, middle-aged women run by us down the mountain, cheering everyone on. In my head I'm thinking, "Well dang, if they can do it that easily, it must not be that bad." Boy, was I wrong. As soon as we got to what I thought was the top, there was this lady, mediating near the edge of a cliff. When she heard us question if this was the top, she responded that there was about .5 mile hike left. 1/5 a mile? NOT BAD.

The very beginning:

The switchbacks:

And then we got to the part where little chains ended up being our lifeline. You better believe I was muttering all the Bible verses I knew all the way up and back down. I had to maintain the mindset of "every man for itself" and "no emotions at all". I was basically channeling my inner Spock. I knew as soon as I let any kind of fear slip into my brain, my hands would start to sweat and I would have a nervous breakdown. BECAUSE IF MY GRIP ON THE CHAINS WERE COMPROMISED, IT'S ALL OVER. (It wasn't that bad, but that was definitely what I was thinking.)

I can usually handle heights, but it's something different when you're with people you care about, there's a several thousand foot drop on all sides and the chain is all you've got to hold on. Also, on the way up, many people had to go around us on the edge because there were so many people trying to go up while people were trying to get down. (Horrifying. I know.)

Here's a video of me climbing up one of the scariest parts on Angel's Landing.

My mom walking across THE scariest part of the hike.

The view up top!

My mom's video at the top:

Tips + Tricks

This hike is not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend it. It challenges you mentally and physically and is SO rewarding when you finish it. If you have a GoPro, bring one! You can wear a chest mount or a stick, I wouldn't recommend just holding it though...WELL, unless you feel comfortable holding onto the chain with just one hand...EEEEK (My hands are sweating just thinking about it.)