{"id":16139,"date":"2022-04-14T06:36:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T13:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=16139"},"modified":"2022-08-12T23:18:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T06:18:11","slug":"the-east-rim-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=16139","title":{"rendered":"The East Rim trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s not quite 7 a.m. on this cold November day<\/strong>. The trailhead parking lot only has a park ranger vehicle with a gent smoking a cigarette inside the cab. I politely ask him if this is the start of the East Rim trail. He smiles and points to a marker a few feet away and wishes me well. It is the only conversation I have with another human for six hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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No where close<\/strong> to the main attractions and views that one usually associates with Zion National Park, the East Rim is a quiet, if not a somewhat foreboding wonderland. I get going as rays of sunshine start to dance and play with the mountain tops. 15 degrees currently. I start the ascent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My limited research<\/strong> seemed to indicate that you can start hiking the East Rim and eventually make it to the West Rim, and maybe even find a loop. Additional research though seemed to indicate that rock falls and other weather related hazards have sections of the trail closed or marked as unpassable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decide to just try and go as far as my body will allow. One step in front of the other and let’s see where it will lead…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Almost six miles later, I make it to an outcrop showcasing the West Rim of the park. I would need to descend a couple of miles straight down to the valley floor though, with no guarantee of finding a way to loop back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t really want to do a descent only to find I would have to turn around and climb right back up the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I turn around and head back.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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