Camping in Zion

This weekend Kyle, Casey, Janice and I all took a camping trip down to Zion's National Park in Southern Utah. It was the perfect getaway and it had been too long since any of us had actually gone. Above is us at an Indian Trading Post store at the nearby town. There were some fine hats to be worn and they had some interesting trinkets.When we got to camp we set up our tents and enjoyed sitting by the fire while kyle serenaded us...what kyle does best. Casey played the ukulele while Janice and I rocked out on the egg shakers.
Tent buddies
We made some tin foil dinners to roast in the campfire and they were by far the best meal we've had away from our mothers all year! We weren't sure if it was the fact that we were starved or that they were really good.
The next morning we got up and packed our backpacks for a hike in Zion's called "Angel's Landing." We had originally planned to hike the "Narrow's," but when we told the rangers where we were headed, they laughed and said that we'd better take a kayak because the hike was well under water. So we ventured on to hike "Angel's Landing" and we all underestimated the hike. I worked muscles I didn't know i had. The hike went pretty high with parts of the hike being next to sheer cliffs. This sign (in the picture above) we saw a few times on the trip...."watch for falling people." Ha, just kiddin, but it should've said that.

We look high here, but we found we were only half way up! And yes, we were in swimsuits due to the fact we planned on hiking in water.
Towards the last part of the hike there was no trail, just rocks. So we had to hold onto these chains that came out of the rocks so we wouldn't be one of those "falling people." Not gonna lie, it was kinda scary. I figured the reason it's called Angel's Landing is because you hike so high you feel you are practically in the heavens.
The steeper part of the climb...we look like lizards here. This is actually the top!
The best part of the hike was the top, not only for the view, but for the smashed PB &J's we packed along. We all agreed the best sandwiches are the smashed ones.
It was the most BEAUTIFUL scene and we felt our nothingness compared to it all. We sat at the top for awhile, looking over the amazing landscape. It was one of those moments, as we all talked about, when you can't help but know that God does exist and that the earth was made for our joy. It is too magnificent to be anything else. We all decided that camping is the best medicine for those times when we get too wrapped up in the things that don't matter and forget about the things that really do. 

This is our mountain we conquered. It looks a lot smaller here.
After the hike we went swimming at a nearby motel and found our way back into town where we found some ponchos. It was definitely the best purchase of the day. And we looked really cool walking around town in them.

Zoolander anyone?