Epic Zion Park Hike - 50 Miles In One Day

Michael Lanza has written an interesting article about a mega-day hike, across much of Zion Park in just one day. Here is the title, then a couple excerpts, then a video from the trip. Some of the video is shot before daylight and so the first half doesn't show much scenery. The article is illustrated by many very nice photos - it is worth clicking just to see them.

Mid-Life Crisis: Hiking 50 Miles Across Zion In A Day

A hike this long is no leisurely stroll. I had laid out target times for reaching key points: meeting up with Mark’s wife, Lisa, their daughter, Skye, and friend Amy Mingels, who would have water and food for us when we reached Hop Valley Trailhead at mile 13 around 7 a.m.; meeting them again at Angels Landing by around 4 p.m.; and reaching a water cache on the West Rim Trail by mid-afternoon and an energy-drink cache on the East Rim Trail in the evening. My friend Mark Godley hauled both of those liquid loads into the backcountry yesterday and plans to rendezvous with us in Zion Canyon to hike the final 11 miles tonight.

Unfortunately, as we descend toward Angels, my left knee feels like nails are being pounded into it; David’s feet are fairly trashed with blisters. We slowly come around to the idea that hiking all the way across Zion is not in the cards for us today—that we will exercise the bailout option of catching a park shuttle bus in Zion Canyon back to our hotel in Springdale, just outside the park’s south entrance.

All five of our comrades will continue late into the night to complete the full traverse around midnight (some before, some after), in roughly 21 hours, toasting their achievement with celebratory beers that Lisa and Amy deliver when picking them up at the East Entrance Trailhead...