East Rim Trail: American Canyoneering Association Zion Rendezvous

I stayed on an extra day to hike with these two. Plan was to do The Subway; plans nixed by a lack of available permit spots for it. On a Monday!! In April!!! With the river up (Orderville out) and Jerry challenged by the technical stuff, we decided to hike the East Rim trail, from the East Entrance down Echo Canyon, as a consolation prize.

Here’s Brian Frankle, proprietor of ULA on the left; and Jerry Goller, proprietor of BGTon the right, enjoying the view at the head of Jolley Gulch.

This must be one of these vapor-ware type springs…

A nice hike. Not too exciting by Zion standards. We pull into some shade in the woods to grab some lunch and take a short siesta.

And then on to Echo Canyon. Some nice views down into this fork, but it did not really look like much of a canyon to descend.

Down and down we go, finally into the shade. Jerry enjoys the shade in the cut tunnel above the end of the Middle Echo Narrows.

We poke our noses into Echo Canyon. A bit of water, and no one real psyched for a swim. We try the upper section, and Brian and I get in far enough to get to some good snow. When we had to swim in icewater, we decided that getting down and drinking beer was a higher priority.

A bit of snow in the bottom of that canyon.

Weeping Rock parking lot, end of the trail. Seems a whole lot like summer in Zion. Another fine day in the sunshine, enjoying the company of fine friends.