What an adventure! - Along and in the "raging" Virgin River in Zion National Park

La Verkin, just outside the gates of Zion National Park, is the starting point for a very special hike that we have been planning since 2017.

In 2017, we were at Zion National Park for the first time and that was when we learned about the possibility of hiking through the Virgin River from a certain point. Back then, our attempt failed miserably because we weren't prepared - we didn't have the waterproof equipment needed for walking on the rough stones in the riverbed. The camera bag was the reason for me to turn back after only a few meters because we didn't want the bag to fall into the water and destroy all the pictures (and the camera itself).

When it was certain that we would be near Zion again this year, it was clear: The Narrows - here we come. "The Narrows" because the river is very narrow in some places and there are towering cliffs hundreds of meters high. This narrowness also makes the river very fast and raging.

Since hiking through the Narrows depends on the amount of water flowing through, it was not clear until a week before if we could attempt the hike. The Narrows are closed when the flow rate is above 150 cubic feet per second (cfs). On June 17th, we finally received the good news that the hike was possible. Before that, the Narrows had been closed due to heavy snowfall during the winter. But now it looked good for us! We were hoping that the flow rate would drop below 90 cfs, then it would be considered "moderate" and it would not be dangerous to hike through the river. Luck was on our side and on the day of the hike, the flow rate had dropped to 80 cfs.

Equipped with a floating backpack, old sports shoes, a long leggings and shorts on top, we set off. We had also brought lightweight aluminum hiking poles from home as support.

At first, we had to overcome the feeling of going into the cold water with our clothes on. We are not fish after all ... But we quickly got used to it and it was exciting to walk the path. The goal was a junction of the Virgin River and the Orderville Canyon, more than 3 miles away. That's where the "Wall-Street" began, where the river became even narrower and the cliffs even higher.

The hike was not easy. We could easily lose our balance and fall. After all, we weren't walking through calm waters, but sometimes through raging currents. We could cross some parts of the path on large stones by the river, but often we had to cross the river and then it was a matter of standing against the current and trying to keep a "stable" foothold on the riverbed. That wasn't easy. At some points, the river was so deep that we were standing chest-deep in the water and had to fight against the current. But actually, it's all just a matter of mindset: what could happen? We had our few important belongings in waterproof containers, we used our smartphones as cameras, and the clothing on our bodies could get wet. We also had dry clothes with us for after the hike.

After 2.5 hours, we reached our destination. The junction of the Virgin River and Orderville Canyon was the end of the hike for many people. They took a break and started the return journey.

We were surprised by how many people had chosen this path. At the river entrance, there was a crowd of people of all ages. Although we wondered how someone could decide to hike through the Narrows if they already found the path on the road difficult ... we think that the natural forces quickly made the decision for those who were less mobile ... During the 2 miles, the crowd thinned out a bit, but many people were still with us at the end ...

After a short break, we started the return journey. The idea that the return journey might be easier than the outbound journey turned out to be wishful thinking. After a little more than 2 hours, we were back at the starting point. Super happy that we had taken on the challenge and accomplished it, and richer for having had such a great experience that we had never been able to enjoy in this way before, we got out of our wet clothes and changed to dry ones.

Aside from being an amazing experience, the entire hike was also extremely exhausting. Handling the poles with great concentration for over four hours, searching for solid ground in the currents while maintaining balance so as not to "dive". We will definitely feel the muscles in our feet and legs tomorrow. But it was all worth it.

This blog deserved many more pictures because the nature there is incredibly beautiful, but there comes a point where you have to stop looking at pictures...