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Day 4: Angel's Landing at Zion National Park

For our second day at Zion, we decided to tackle one of the most popular and more dangerous hikes in the park: Angel's Landing.  This is one of the toughest hikes I've ever been on.  First it's a long way up just to get to the base of Angel's Landing and then to actually get to Angel's Landing you are scrambling over a narrow pathway of rocks.  The pathway is about a foot or two and there are places on the trail where it's less than a foot so they provide you with some heavy duty chains to hold on to.  On the other side of the path?  A sheer drop off the cliff.  There are many warnings (over the PA system of the shuttle, at the start of the trail and at the base of Angel's Landing) for those with a fear of heights to not do it.  I think one of the signs actually said 9 people have died doing this hike in the last 10 years, so I just hoped I wouldn't be the one for 2014 since the fatality rate seems to average 1 a year.  BUT you are rewarded with some spectacular views!

This is just to get to the base of Angel's Landing.  A ton of switchbacks to get you up the plateau.

Midway up.  What a view!  I wonder if the first people to settle Utah laid eyes on a similar scene.

And from the top.

This is at the top of the plateau and these were the kinds of rocks we were scrambling over.

Our little airstream (keychain) made it up the top too.

Closer look at mini airstream.

Looking right off the side.

And here's a better perspective from the base of Angel's Landing which is straight up at the top.