HIKE TO WEEPING ROCK

Yesterday was a rainy day around here.  It didn't start out that way but I knew it was coming and the skies were pretty cloudy when we started out. 

We are staying right outside Zion National Park.  There is a town shuttle that takes you to the park entrance but all the shuttles get pretty crowded so we decided just to walk to the park.  I had told Mr. W that I wanted to see the Weeping Rock.  Weeping Rock is called that because water "drips" through the rock all the time and green vegetation grows in and around the rock because of it.  It was rated an easy hike.  Of course when we got off the park shuttle bus, the bus driver announced that the trail was paved but very steep.  About the time we started up the trail, it started to rain.  Luckily, we remembered to pack along our "fashionable" rain ponchos.  I mean isn't looking good while you hike what it is all about?? :)

Looking down at the start of the trail from the bridge.

It was a very steep walk, but evidently the rain scared everyone away.  Mr. W and I were the only ones at Weeping Rock when we got up to it.  It is like a big alcove cut in the rock and it was the driest place to be while it was raining.

See the line of green vegetation growing around the rim at the top.

The rain only lasted about 15 minutes and I spent that time taking pictures.  Pictures have a whole different look with the rain.

 

 

As soon as the rain quit, people starting hiking up and it started to get a little crowded.  So, we took off our fashionable rain panchos and headed down.  The wind had definitely picked up and it was starting to cool off.

 

 

 

We went back to the Lodge and sat outside and ate our lunch.  The temperature started dropping more and the rain started up again.  We decided to call it a day and got on the shuttle bus to ride back to the entrance.  As we were riding the bus, we saw 2 guys just starting their journey up the face of the mountain.  The bus driver told us that it will either take them 1 day to get to the top, they will spend the night at the top and tomorrow they will come back down.  Or, since they were late getting started, they might climb part way, make a ledge that they will hang from to sleep on tonight and finish tomorrow  and come back down.  Either way, can you spell C-R-A-Z-Y??? No way, Jose.