arnellfam
07-11-2011, 01:34 PM
I took a boy scout group on the West Rim trail in Zion this past weekend (Thurs-Sat) to fulfill one of the Backpacking merit badge 3 day/2 night trip requirements. Beautiful location, gorgeous vistas and excellent preparation for our 50 miler later this summer.
We had a shuttle take us up Thursday and pick us up on Saturday. We camped Thursday night at Lava Point campground south of Kolob Reservoir. We finished our Friday hiking much earlier than expected, but that gave us plenty of time to set up camp and review/pass off knots, first aid, cooking skills, etc. We camped at site #4. Saturday we did Angels Landing to get the full 15 miles in. We were rained on the first night and then again Friday afternoon. The boys gained lots of good experience regarding proper footwear, rain gear, sleeping equipment, backpacking stoves, what not to bring next time, etc. I really feel like this trip and location helped take our troop to the next level in experience, maturity and solidarity.
The West Rim was very quiet - we didn't see any other hikers till Friday afternoon. Angels Landing, of course, was jam packed. The wild flowers on the Rim were beautiful. We ended the day by jumping in the Virgin River.
One logistical hurdle to consider is the permit system. I highly recommend becoming an express permit holder so you can take care of everything online. This requires an advance visit to the main Zion visitor center. If you aren't an express permit holder you must obtain your permit on-location at either the Kolob or main Zion visitor centers both of which can be inconvenient if you're starting at Lava Point.
We did hang bear bags each night, but ironically, we ran into problems at Scout Lookout in the middle of the day. We left our packs there to do Angels Landing and came back to find holes chewed in two of our packs where chipmunks had sniffed out some trail mix. One hiker also found a baby scorpion on his shoulder pad as he went to put it back on. If you have a heights-adverse hiker I recommend leaving him/her with your packs to keep the squirrels away.
This was my first backpacking trip since I was a scout 20 years ago and the first real one (end-to-end w/o vehicle support) for our troop in the five years I've lived here. Tons of time required to get up to speed, research equipment, plan logistics, purchase food and supplies, etc., but I expect a lot of that effort to payback on future trips. Our 50 miler is in late July and was originally planned to be vehicle supported every night. Now I wish it wasn't. There is a real feel of independence, self-reliance and freedom that comes to your group when you're carrying everything you need day after day. I've revisited our 50 miler hike plan and have been able to sneak in two of five nights as take-everything-with-you overnight jaunts which I think we'll all enjoy. I'm hoping to make our next 50 miler (2013) a fully end-to-end independent trek.
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We had a shuttle take us up Thursday and pick us up on Saturday. We camped Thursday night at Lava Point campground south of Kolob Reservoir. We finished our Friday hiking much earlier than expected, but that gave us plenty of time to set up camp and review/pass off knots, first aid, cooking skills, etc. We camped at site #4. Saturday we did Angels Landing to get the full 15 miles in. We were rained on the first night and then again Friday afternoon. The boys gained lots of good experience regarding proper footwear, rain gear, sleeping equipment, backpacking stoves, what not to bring next time, etc. I really feel like this trip and location helped take our troop to the next level in experience, maturity and solidarity.
The West Rim was very quiet - we didn't see any other hikers till Friday afternoon. Angels Landing, of course, was jam packed. The wild flowers on the Rim were beautiful. We ended the day by jumping in the Virgin River.
One logistical hurdle to consider is the permit system. I highly recommend becoming an express permit holder so you can take care of everything online. This requires an advance visit to the main Zion visitor center. If you aren't an express permit holder you must obtain your permit on-location at either the Kolob or main Zion visitor centers both of which can be inconvenient if you're starting at Lava Point.
We did hang bear bags each night, but ironically, we ran into problems at Scout Lookout in the middle of the day. We left our packs there to do Angels Landing and came back to find holes chewed in two of our packs where chipmunks had sniffed out some trail mix. One hiker also found a baby scorpion on his shoulder pad as he went to put it back on. If you have a heights-adverse hiker I recommend leaving him/her with your packs to keep the squirrels away.
This was my first backpacking trip since I was a scout 20 years ago and the first real one (end-to-end w/o vehicle support) for our troop in the five years I've lived here. Tons of time required to get up to speed, research equipment, plan logistics, purchase food and supplies, etc., but I expect a lot of that effort to payback on future trips. Our 50 miler is in late July and was originally planned to be vehicle supported every night. Now I wish it wasn't. There is a real feel of independence, self-reliance and freedom that comes to your group when you're carrying everything you need day after day. I've revisited our 50 miler hike plan and have been able to sneak in two of five nights as take-everything-with-you overnight jaunts which I think we'll all enjoy. I'm hoping to make our next 50 miler (2013) a fully end-to-end independent trek.
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