The Virgin River comes off the heights of the Colorado Plateau through a deep canyon.   Visitors to Zion National Park can go to the end of the road and then walk along the river path to the end of the trail.   From that point on, all progress is in the river on a route called The Zion Narrows.   Every day, dozens of hikers go up the river.

We returned to the Narrows in late October.   Snow had fallen on the mountains and the water was cold so we rented dry-suits, canyoneering shoes, dry bags, and a wading staff.   We entered the river and worked our way upstream.   The first part of the route is in the water about 50% of the time.   The upper part is in the water 100% of the time, most of it from knee to thigh depth.   It is hard work and the footing is unsure almost all of the time.

We did some scrambling in a side canyon (Orderville Canyon article), then proceeded upstream as far as we could for the time and energy we had left.   Some sections are open to the sun, some are in a narrow and enclosed darkness, some with reflected light from the cliffs above.   In all, we walked, hiked, and scrambled for about 5 hours.   The Narrows is always an unique experience, with some similarities to hiking, but with a number of new challenges too.   The number one challenge is dealing being wet and cold for the whole day.   The second is that your feet get beaten up with the river stones.   It is not easy to get good photos in the light provided and we always have to be careful not to fall in the river with our electronics.   The whole experience is tiring, but rewarding.  We hope to do the length of the Narrows next time, from top to bottom (10 hours+).

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