National Parks

A few years ago I got the National Park virus. I wanted to visit and explore as many as I could. I bought a shirt with a list of all of the parks on the front that I could check off. Now I have completed a blog listing all of the parks I have visited (30 of 61) (now 32 of 61) (now 34). I have looked through photos, journals and letters to try and remember all of my visits to these parks. Zion is the most visited park on my list. I hope there will be many more updates to this blog. This life time pass should help.

Acadia National Park: Maine

April 2017.

After attending the American Association of Geographers conference in Boston I took a few days road trip up to the Canadian Maritime Provinces (where I visited Fundy National Park and Prince Edward Island NP) and then Maine's Acadia National Park.

See more photos and details at this blog post:
 http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-maritimes-and-maine.html

American Samoa National Park: American Samoa

Arches National Park: Utah

Fall 1994

Geography club field trip to Arches with Professor Dale Stevens who wrote a book about all of the arches in Arches, which he hunted down, described and measured. When he started his project there were 288 identified arches in the park and at the end of his semester of research he had found, classified and measured 450 arches in the park. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-05-mn-8483-story.html

We visited the north Devil's Garden area in the northeast section of the park which was reachable via BLM roads and then hiking into the park via no trails, just Dale's personal experience.  I do not remember the names (perhaps the two Natural Arches indicated on the map) of the arches we visited.

Dale Stevens and geography students. Tragically, a year after this field trip, 59 year old Dale was killed in a motor cycle accident as he rode to work.

2002. A short family vacation. 

2003. I helped host delegates from Indonesia to the BYU Law and Religion Symposium. They were high officials in the Department of Religion. Ross Marchant and I hiked them up to Delicate Arch not knowing that the oldest of them had a heart problem. Luckily he and the rest of us survived.

May 2016 Family vacation in which we visited Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks.

See more photos and details at this blog post:
http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2016/05/utah-rocks-arches.html

Badlands National Park: South Dakota

Drove through Badlands in June of 1992 on a drive west after leaving my job at DePaul University to start my new job at BYU.

Big Bend National Park: Texas

Biscayne National Park: Florida

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: Colorado

October 2021  

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2020/10/colorado-cruising.html

 

 

 

 

 

 Bryce Canyon National Park: Utah

1965 Family vacation to the four corners area with visits to Mesa Verde, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks.

Mom and Mary hiking in Bryce.

June 1967

August 1979

After graduating from USU, I worked teaching English to exchange students from Japan. After their studies I was their chaperone on their post study excursion to several National Parks and then Disneyland.

Summer 1986
Road trip from Virginia to California to Utah to Chicago

Summer 1990

Utah road trip with Bob Speer from Georgia. We met on a 1979 TWA trip to Israel. 

February 2013 Soccer tournament side trip on the way home from St. George.

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2013/02/mesquite-zion-bryce.html

February 2017

At a Soccer Tournament in St. George (we were staying at a hotel in Cedar City) with Joel and two of his teammates we had a Sunday to kill so since the two boys had never been to Bryce or Zion, Joel and I gave them the grand tour. There was recent snow which made Bryce extra beautiful.

Canyonlands National Park: Utah

May 2016

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2016/05/utah-rocks-canyonlands-dead-horse-point.html

April 2022

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2022/04/druid-arch-corona-arch-shafer-trail.html

Spent a lovely day hiking through the needles district to Druid Arch. 

Capitol Reef National Park: Utah

 March 2014

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2014/03/capitol-reef_23.html

Trip to Capitol Reef with the Young Men of the Spring Creek 18th Ward.  The trip was extra nice because we had Paul Bybee a UVU paleontology professor who lives in our neighborhood take us to some amazing sites with dinosaur remains. (check out the blog post link for more details)

June 2016

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2016/06/utah-rocks-goblin-valley-and-capitol.html 

 

July 2021

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2020/07/roads-less-travelled-by-upper-calf.html

 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park: New Mexico

Visited in the summer of 1972 near the end of a one month cross country youth bus trip.

No photos of the Caverns, but this is the group of Utah teens who were led by Seminary teacher Chad Wright from Utah to Nauvoo to NYC to DC to newly opened Disney World, to New Orleans to Carlsbad Caverns, to Utah.

Channel Islands National Park: California

Congaree National Park: South Carolina

Crater Lake National Park: Oregon

Summer 2008
In route to a beach vacation at Cannon Beach with Marie's sister Jeanne's family. On the way there we visited Lassen, Redwood and Cater Lake national parks. On the way home we visited Mt St Helen national monument. That trip has been dubbed the volcano trip. It represents an ideal compromise--road tripping to national parks for me and hanging out on a beach for Marie, with both of us liking all parts, but just at different levels of like.

As the kids and I headed out to this point to get a look, Marie, bringing up the rear, thought for sure I was leading the kids to a certain death over the "precipice".

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Ohio

Death Valley National Park: California, Nevada

January 2017 Sunday outing between soccer games at tournaments in Vegas for both of the boys.

https://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/01/death-valley-and-las-vegas.html?m=0 

Denali National Park: Alaska

Dry Tortugas National Park: Florida

Everglades National Park: Florida

April 1991

Prior to the AAG conference  in Miami, fellow geographer Curtis Thomson and I explored the Everglades and down to Key West. Each day we tried Key Lime pie in our quest to determine where and what type was the best. A bakery in Marathon Key had the best.

Gates of the Arctic National Park: Alaska

Gateway Arch National Park: Missouri

Summer 1973

In 1973 we loaded up our new Ute Liner motor home for a trip to see Elder Bill Emmett who was serving the last portion of his mission as a guide in Nauvoo. We also visited his mission areas in Kentucky and Tennessee (Opryland) and the Gateway Arch (only made a national park in 2018) in St. Louis. I can still remember arguing with my siblings over whose turn it was to carry dad's heavy camera bag as we walked from the Arch along the Mississippi water front. 

May 2014.
Family road trip in a Dodge Caravan Van (borrowed from Marie's sister) "back east" to see church and national historic sites.

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2014/05/road-trip-liberty-to-north-of.html

Glacier National Park: Montana

1962

Our family caravaned in our station wagon with my Grandma and Grandpa Fife and Grandma Emmett in their Buick up through Montana and Glacier to the  Seattle World's Fair.

Grandma and Grandpa Fife with younger brother Jake and a Glacier viewpoint. When us kids were young and with grandparents were traveling with us we were mostly a loookout kind of tourist.

Chad (left), Jake and Bob doing some "rock climbing."

June 2019 Nine National Parks road trip.

https://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2018/06/springville-to-glacier.html

Grand Canyon National Park: Arizona

1965 Family vacation to the four corners area with visits to Mesa Verde, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks.

One of my most vivid memories of this family vacation was me getting lost in the trees one evening as I roamed beyond our cabin at the North Rim. I don't know who took this photo of me, all of us boys had our own little Kodak Instamatic cameras with which we took assorted odd photos.

Fall 1981

Summer 1990

with the Japanese exchange students

2012 Spring Break April 14-15

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-break.html

 snowball throwing

Grand Teton National Park: Wyoming

June 1970. We drove up to visit brother Bill who was working for the summer at Signal Mountain lodge.

June 1991

Here is what I wrote in my July 1991 submission to the Emmett Family Quarterly:

 "Speaking of snow and mountains--I decided a trip with the Emmett brothers and party to the Tetons would be a good reward for mailing off my dissertation draft. Tom and Bill were my outfitters and Ray Elliot the guide. I was a little concerned the evening before the hike as we looked up at the steep sloped of rock and snow on Teewinot, but Bill [who had summited the Grand Teton] assured me that there was nothing to it. Nothing to it! The bushwhacking hike up was fine. A bull elk and its large harem roamed the hillside covered with daisies. Even climbing up through the snow fields was do-able, especially with iron legs Tom and Bill kicking in the foot holds. From the snow fields, those with brave hearts, stout legs and unclentching finger holds scampered up the rocky slope (not quite a cliff) towards the summit, with a hesitant Chad and a frightened Dan Roskelly creeping up behind. Dan eventually opted to wait out the final assent but I forged onward. Luckily storm clouds were a brewing and time was running out, so we decided to forego reaching the summit, opting instead for caution. Delighted at first to know that my weary legs could start the descent, I soon realized that climbing down rock and down the snow fields is not as easy as going up. Ray had taught us all how to glissade down the snow fields using the ice pick as a brake and then how to 'self arrest' when the going gets going to fast. To self rest from a sit down glissade you roll over, extend you arms and dig your ice pick in to the snow, kick you toes into the snow and pray that it brings you to a halt. I am here to testify that it does work, but only after much panic, much digging in and several yards of downward motion. In hindsight it was a great hike. The view was spectacular and my legs returned to normal functions after only a few days rest."

This was my first time ever hiking on snow with an ice pick. By the time we started down the snow field, the snow had softened and was less stabled. To safely descend we used the technique of kicking in a heal hold and then stepping down into the hold. I managed that technique OK, but one heal hold gave way as I stepped into it which sent my feet flying out and my body flailing onto the snow field back side down as I started a quick slide down the steep slope--which ended in a big rock field. My ice pick which was used to steady each step down, was strapped on my wrist so I did what Ray had taught. I rolled over onto my stomach, extended my ice pick and arms up slope and started to pound it into the snow while instinctively starting to kick my toes into the snow. Such efforts eventually brought me and my pounding heart to a stop.


Mt. Teewinot (Center) with the Grand Teton to the left.  We climbed up the upper half of the longest snow field on the right (north) side of the mountain face.

The hike up Teewinot.

Gros Ventre (Big Belly) valley at the base of the Gran Teton (Big Tits) mountains--named by French trappers who must have been missing their women.

 (left to right) Tom, Chad, Bill and Bob

 Beginning the climb up the snow field.

 This was tough and scary going for me.

July 1996
After attending a wedding in Idaho Falls I spent a few days exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton where I joined Bill and Tom and some of their friends for a 20 mile loop hike from String Lake up Paint Brush Canyon to glacier melt filled Lake Solitude and then down Cascade Canyon (on the north side of Teewinot).

Tom, Bill and Chad

Solitude Lake. A beautiful setting for some very cold skinny dipping.

Summer 2006

We held a John and Norda Emmett family reunion at Grand Targhee resort--site of many fun ski vacations growing up.  One day we all rode the life to the summit which offered this spectacular view of the Tetons from just out side the park.

2018

Eight Parks Road Trip

https://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2018/06/springville-to-glacier.html

Great Basin National Park: Nevada

June 1991

First visit. Here is what I wrote in the Emmett Family Quarterly:  "The first major trip in the car [my new, blue, Ford Escort Wagon] was with three friends through Eureka and Delta past Sevier Lake to Great Basin National Park for hiking, camping and a trip through Lehman Caves. It was early June so the streams were full with snow melt and the wild flowers were in full bloom. The park centers on Mt. Wheeler, which was green and beautiful and still snow capped--quite a contrast to the dry desert basin surrounding it.

April 2012 Spring Break

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-break.html

The road up to Wheeler Peak was again closed by snow so we just visited Lehman Caves.

October 2019

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2019/10/great-basin-national-park-and-pony.html?m=0

A fun weekend road trip (solo) that included a hike among the bristle cone pines near the summit of Mt. Wheeler.

Great Sand Dunes National Park: Colorado  

October 2021

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2020/10/colorado-cruising.html

 

 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Tennessee, North Carolina

Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Texas

Haleakalā National Park: Hawaii

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park: Hawaii

January 2015

Hawaii was our first stop on our 2015 Semester at Sea voyage from California to England via stops in Hawaii, Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, India, Mauritius, South Africa (where we visited Table Mountain National Park), Namibia (Etosha National Park) and Morocco.

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2015/01/hawaii.html

Hot Springs National Park: Arkansas

Indiana Dunes National Park: Indiana

April 1987

While in graduate school at the University of Chicago I served as the scout master in our ward. On Good Friday in mid April we went camping at the Indian Dunes State Park, which at the time was enveloped by Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  In 2019 Indian Dunes National Lakeshore became the 61st national park.

Most if not all of these photos were at the state park.

Isle Royale National Park: Michigan

Joshua Tree National Park: California

June 2017

Southwest parks and recreation family vacation from Disneyland to Mesa Verde.  

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/06/southwest-parks-and-recreation.html

Katmai National Park: Alaska

Kenai Fjords National Park: Alaska

November 2003, First trip to Alaska for the Middle East Studies Association in Anchorage. Not sure when I'll ever be able to visit Alaska's many other parks.

Kings Canyon National Park: California

 

July 2021

 

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2021/08/california-adventure-iii.html 

 

 
Kobuk Valley National Park: Alaska

Lake Clark National Park: Alaska

Lassen Volcanic National Park: California

2008 Volcanoes and Beaches family vacation

 Bumpass Hell.

Mammoth Cave National Park: Kentucky

Mesa Verde National Park: Colorado

 1965 Family trip.

Dad, Bob, Chad, Jake, Bill, Mom

Four Emmett children at center of photo.

Mary with the boys.

Summer 1972
Stop on the cross country youth bus trip. 



June 1973

Mom, Chad and Tom

June 2017

Southwest parks and recreation family vacation from Disneyland to Mesa Verde. 

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/06/southwest-parks-and-recreation.html

Mount Rainier National Park: Washington

June 2018

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2018/06/vancouver-to-home.html

Last national park on our epic visit to nine national parks in the US and Canada: Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton, Banff, Kootney, Yoho, Jasper, and Mt. Rainier.

North Cascades National Park: Washington

Olympic National Park: Washington

May 1997 First leg of our honeymoon was a stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Port Angles then took a ferry to Victoria and then to Vancouver. One day we drove out to Olympic National Park to Second Beach and the Hoh Rain Forest. Marie was puzzled by my taking scenery photos along the way. She has since learned that that is part of the package.

The lovely bride.

2011

The AAG annual conference in Seattle this time coincided with the kids' spring break so we drove to Seattle with a stay in rainy Forks from where we introduced our honeymoon spots to the children. 

Petrified Forest National Park: Arizona

Summer 1986
Road trip from Virginia to California to Utah to Chicago

June 2017

parks and recreation trip

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/06/southwest-parks-and-recreation.html

Pinnacles National Park: California

Redwood National Park: California

April 1994

After attending a political geography conference in Eugene Oregon, several of us geographers drove down the Oregon coast to the main AAG meeting in San Francisco. We stopped in Redwood NP.

2008 Volcanoes and beach trip.

Rocky Mountain National Park: Colorado

August 1980

On our way home from a road trip in my new Toyota Tercel to Texas with roommates Gary Gabriel, and Bob DeWitt and long time friend Mark Ellsworth we "had a scenic drive through Rocky Mountain National Park" where we "took time for a short hike in the high mountain tundra. Beautiful in its own way." (September 1, 1980  journal entry)

Saguaro National Park: Arizona

December 1996

I spent Christmas with Bob and Annie and family in Irvine CA and then drove home to Orem via Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Saguaro NP in Arizona.

June 2017

Southwest parks and recreation trip. 

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/06/southwest-parks-and-recreation.html

Sequoia National Park: California

 

July 2021

 

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2021/08/california-adventure-iii.html 

Shenandoah National Park: Virginia

May 1981

Washington Seminar

From my journal: "Saturday May 16th. 4 carloads [of BYU students] set off across Virginia to Shenandoah National Park. We drove the entire length of the Skyline Drive. The girls in Elaine's car were cold and didn't want to go on a hike as planned so they went on to Monticello. The other 15 of us (who planned ahead and brought jackets and sweaters) had an enjoyable hike in to Dark Glen Falls. We ate our lunch at the bottom of the falls. Miriam, Todd and I were the avid photographers. Eastern woods and mountains are quite a bit different from the drier Wasatch Range, so we all enjoyed exploring the woods. Todd and I found an interesting swamp, unusual for a mountain top, and a hollowed out log--just like the bears sleep in in the movies. The dogwoods were in bloom, the while blossoms really added to the beauty."

September 1984 Silver Spring Maryland Stake Youth Hike up Old Rag

From my Jounral: "Saturday September 22nd. Up at 4:30 to Flower Ave. by 5:30. Picked up Liem first. We've been trying for weeks to encourage the young men [of the SE Asian Branch] to wear ties to church--so what does he have on at 5:30 in the morning to go climb a mountain? A shirt and tie! What a riot. He hurried and changed. Some of the [other] kids were ready--others weren't....We finally got to the meeting place just in time to leave at 6:30. We had 12 Asians guys and 5 girls go plus Elders Neville and Hernandez. What a fun day. We drove to the Shenandoah Mts where we climbed Old Rag Mt. first through trees and then on rocks with crevasses etc. It was a challenging, fun, beautiful climb. Sunny but not too hot. Lunch on top....The kids had fun. There was little intermingling with the 60 other kids from the stake--but at least there was exposure to each other....The Asians practically ran up the mt. They love it, but were tired on the way home. All the hassle of arranging rides was worth it. We al had a great time."

Atop Old Rag with youth, leaders and missionaries from the Southeast Asia branch (mostly Cambodians) of the Maryland Silver Spring Stake. I'm wearing my BYU Folk Dance t-shirt. Eloise Routhier in red was the Young Women leader. I was a councilor in the branch presidency. For more on the Cambodian experience see this blog post. http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2011/11/memories-of-cambodians.html

During my two year stay in Maryland working for the National Security Agency I remember driving the length of the park to see the fall colors and one other hike up Old Rag with some friends from the singles ward.

Summer 1986
Intensive Arabic Program at the University of Virginia.

During the summer program in Charlottesville, I ventured into Shenandoah National Park a couple of times. Early in the summer I had met Kathie Pett, a Park Ranger, at a LDS young single adult dance in DC. We found out that her grandmother's sister was married to my grandfather's brother. A few weeks later I drove up to spend some time exploring the park with her. Later I returned to the park once again, this time for solace. A recent comment in a letter from my grandma about me not being married (in reference to my letter to her about meeting Kathie) and a ward conference discussion about marriage had really stirred me up and sent me to the hills right after church. On July 27th 1986 I wrote this in my journal: "I knew I needed to get away for some peace and quite to sort out the up and down events of the week and all of my thoughts on marriage. I drove up to Shenandoah National Park and hiked 6.5 miles round trip down the wooded mountain past one set of falls [Jones Run Falls] then back up the other creek [Doyles Creek] past two sets of falls. At the bottom where the two creeks merged I ventured away from the path. it was 4:00 pm so most hikers were heading back. I sat on a rock by the stream near a large log which had fallen across the stream where it rested on the banks a few feet above the stream bed. ....I talked with Heavenly Father about my desire to be married, my frustrations about not seeing any results....and not knowing how my future and the marriage factor would work out....While praying and talking and thinking, I didn't receive any revelations as to who to marry or actually feel much of anything. I did feel calm and it did feel good to express my feelings, hopes and fears. After about an hour I stood up to go. I took a few steps up the creek and ended up standing on a rock in the middle of the stream to admire the beautiful setting. The all at once the spirit descended. My heart was ready to burst as warmth spread within and chills tingled without. Tears came to my eyes for I knew God loved me...It was a wonderful comforting experience. I still have no answers about who and when, but I'm not worried. All I need to do is to continue to try to do my best---and all things will work out.""

My journal entry also included this about my hike out: "I stopped at one of the falls to eat cantaloupe and drink V-8 juice. I was all alone but not afraid or lonely. Along the trail I noticed colorful millipedes, centipedes, red daddy long leg spiders, various butterflies, squires, beetles, a rabbit, fish etc. plus seven deer driving and walking along Skyline Drive. It was hot and humid but cooler that Charlottesville." The last section of the hike was done in a hurry to keep "flies and gnats from buzzing around my head" and to out pace an approaching thunderstorm.

April 2019

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-geographer-and-his-family-in-dc.html

A few months after Sarah returned from her mission and a few months before Joel left on his mission we decided to take Spring Break trip to DC where I had an AAG conference to attend. One day we visited Fort McHenry National Monument, where I bought my senior lifetime pass, and then we visited Shenandoah.

 Old man with Old Rag in the distance.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park: North Dakota

Virgin Islands National Park: United States Virgin Islands

Voyageurs National Park: Minnesota

Wind Cave National Park: South Dakota

Drove through the park in June of 1992 on a drive west after leaving my job at DePaul University to start my new job at BYU.  Didn't go in the caves but did see some buffalo.

Wrangell—St. Elias National Park: Alaska

Yellowstone National Park: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Yellowstone August 1968

One of the few times in my life when I have "gone fishin".

 
Grandpa Bill Fife

While in Yellowstone we were all very careful to not feed the bears or any other animals.



On our way home from Yellowstone we drove through Thermopolis Wyoming. We saw signs advertising a herd of buffalo that you could drive in and see. We were caravaning with our grandparents. The herd seemed very docile so my grandpa Fife who once worked trucking cattle, climbed out of the car telling us he was going to go get us some buffalo burgers. I followed along. We didn't know that one of the bulls was new to the herd and not used to visitors and that motorcyclists had recently tormented the herd by riding rings around them. Grandpa got too close and the new bull started to charge. I was further away and started to run first. Grandpa was about 10 yards behind me. I remember looking over my shoulder and seeing the bull gore grandpa in the lower back, nearly puncturing his kidney. The bull then stopped and flipped grandpa off his horn and onto the ground breaking his arm in the process. Having made his point, the bull then backed away. My doctor dad and oldest brother Bil then hustled out and scooped up grandpa, put him in the back of the station wagon and drove him to a nearby hospital where he convalesced for a week before being flown back to Brigham City. Moral of the story in both Yellowstone and Thermopolis--stay clear of the wild animals.

July 1996 After attending a wedding in Idaho Falls I spent a few days exploring Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

New growth after the 1988 fire.

2006

Instamatic camera.

2018

Nine parks trip

https://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2018/06/springville-to-glacier.html

Yosemite National Park: California

1980

Family vacation in the motor home.

2012

Part of our June 2012 California Adventure.

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2012/06/california-adventure.html

Zion National Park: Utah

 1965



I'm not certain, but I think this is at Zion and I think it is back when you could stop in the tunnels at Zion and look out the portals. Years later after having hiked the Narrows for the first time, I realized that as a child we didn't do much hiking in national parks, just viewing.

Summer 1986
Road trip from Virginia to California to Utah to Chicago

Early summer 1990

Summer 1990

Utah Road trip with Bob Speer

Me in the narrows. We hiked four hours up and back in the Narrows from the Temple of Sinawava. This was my first time hiking the Narrows. Loved it.

July 1991
Fun trip with roommates Curtis Thomson (also a new BYY adjunct Professor) and Troy Scotter (BYU grad student), Logan and Chicago friend Lauri Hlavaty and BYU grad student friend Kirsten Christensen. This trip was just a month after the Teewinot climb.

The first day we hiked Angel's Landing. My first time.  Loved it.

Looking north from Angel's landing to the Narrows.

 https://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/narrowsdownmap.php

To hike the Narrows (red line from top right corner) we parked Kirsten's car at the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the hike and then we drove up and parked my car at Chamberlain's Ranch to begin the hike.

Here is my Emmett Family Quarterly report:

"With high adventure still in my heart, I decided to organize a trip to the Zion Narrows last week. It is a twelve hour, 16 mile hike through the narrow canyon carved by the Virgin River. Sometimes the rock walls tower 1,000 feet above the canyon floor. Much of the hiking is done right in the river because the rock walls leave no room for a trail. It is like hiking on a river bed of wet bowling balls. It is a spectacular hike. Half way through thunder clouds appeared over head. The rangers always warn of flash floods and so we hurried to try and make it through the longest section of shear cliffs and no protective high ground. For this section, the rangers [and a topo map I was using] suggest that if a flash flood does happen 'it may be possible to wedge yourself into a crack above the water level' until the water level drops which is 'usually after 24 hours.' Luckily we never had to wedge and wait, because the thunder clouds only thundered. The only minor problem of the day arose when Kirsten, the owner of the car we left at the bottom of the trail to then shuttle us back the 90 minute dirt road drive to my car, in a moment of stupor left her car keys in [the glove box] of my car. We made this discovery half way through the narrows. We finished the hike at 8:00 pm, but had no way of getting back to camp or to my car. Luckily we had met a German man hiking in the narrows who was traveling cross country alone. [Kirsten had served a mission in Germany and was getting her MA in German--which helped foster a friendship]. We asked him if he had nothing better to do than to spend three hours retrieving my car. Like a good Samaritan he agreed. We bribed him with the promise of dinner in Springdale afterwards, but by the time all of the cars had been retrieved it was too late, so he joined up for breakfast the next morning and accepted money for gas."

 Upper Virgin River before it drops into a narrow canyon.

(left to right) Curtis, Kirsten, Laurie and Chad

September 1993

One of my first BYU geography department assignments was to be the advisor for the Geography club. Back in the day it was easy to go on field trips, we just met up and car pooled. That soon turned to needing to drive a BYU Van and now it is almost impossible to go on any type of student/faculty outings. For my first faculty led outing I suggested Zion. We planned to hike the Narrows, but it was a rainy Saturday so we opted to hike up Echo Canyon and then along the East Rim trail which was not prone to flash flooding.

Atop the East Rim with BYU Geography students.

September 1994
The next year we field tripped to Zion again. This time the weather cooperated and we were able to hike up the Narrows.

Fall 2000 (or so)

Joined the youth and leaders of the Spring Creek 12th ward for an overnight hike in the Wildcat Canyon area of Zion.

February 2013

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2013/02/mesquite-zion-bryce.html

A short outing on a Sunday afternoon during a soccer tournament weekend in St. George. 

June 2014

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2014/06/keyhole-canyon-and-zion-narrows.html

A most excellent trip with the young men in our congregation to rapel down through Keyhole Canyon (amazing) and then up the Narrows.

The Narrows

February 2017

Another soccer tournament trip to St. George. After a drive through the park, I dropped Joel and his two teammates off to hang out with other teammates staying nearby and then I explored out and around the watchman campground.

September 2017

http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2017/09/angels-landing-and-kolob-canyon.html

A family weekend trip. We explored Kolob Canyon on the way down and then the boys and I hiked Angel's Landing the next morning. It was their first time.  

Hopefully there will be many more happy trails to come.