Zion National Park and Grand Canyon!

     So this weekend we were finally able to get away and go down to Zion for some camping and hiking. The weather was perfect for hiking during the day and we had a great time. We hiked Angel's Landing which was a blast since it had been forever since I have been down there and Blake had never been. The hike was a lot more intense than I remembered. I forgot that for a mile of the hike you have a 1,000 foot drop on one side or both sides with a trail only three to four feet wide (or less) and you have to hold onto to chains or you risk falling to your death. However, we made it to the top which gives you an awesome view of the canyon below. I was so proud of Blake because he has a little fear of heights but he did great and made it to the top! However, it was a little nerve racking on the way down since we found out at the summit that someone died last week on the trail but we completed the hike without any problems. We also did a couple other trails that Saturday...we went on the Watchmen Trail, the Riverside Walk, and the Weeping Rock Trail (about 10-12 miles altogether). I'm still a little sore after all that hiking but it was worth it.
     On Sunday we decided to go down to the Grand Canyon since neither of us have been. We had to take a little bit of a detour because the North Rim was closed due to snow so we had to go around the canyon to the South Rim. The view was amazing but it was really cold and it was snowing off and on while we were there (but we a little over 7,000 ft so we should have expected it). I wish we could have gone on a hike into the canyon but we were both a little tired and the weather was great for hiking so we started heading back. We stayed the night near Lake Powell which was another site I had never seen. Southern Utah and Northern Arizona have such amazing scenery it was great to finally see more of it. I wish we had longer to poke around but its good to be home too. My internship at the Museum is going great and I'm working on some cool projects including an Ancient Near Eastern exhibit case so it will be fun to get back to that this week. We are so blessed to be able to do so many amazing things!