Hiking the Emerald Pools at Zion National Park

We took a couple of days over spring break and headed south to warmer temperatures and Zion National Park.  I had not been to Zion in many years, and I was looking forward to re-acquainting myself with this wonderful park.  The shuttle system was up and running as the park geared up for peak tourist season, and so we parked at the base of the canyon, hopped a shuttle, and headed into Zion.

 

Shuttle at Zion National Park

The shuttles run frequently and stop at every major point up the canyon.  Drivers narrate your journey and point out vistas, geology, climbers, and wildlife along the way.  We did have to wait in a line to catch our first shuttle, but the line moved quickly.  I was skeptical of using the shuttles, but they were pretty convenient, and I can see why they are the only efficient way to handle the volume of visitors to Zion National Park. 

Zion Lodge

For the Emerald Pools hike, we got off the shuttle at the Zion Lodge stop.  The trailhead is across the street from the lodge, and is clearly marked.  At the lodge, you can pick up small necessities that you forgot before beginning your hike, like sunscreen or sunglasses. Zion National Park does not sell bottled water, however, you may purchase a reusable bottle and fill it with spring water at the lodge.  We made sure our bottles were full before beginning our hike.

Sign directing visitors to the trailhead.

We crossed a bridge over the Virgin river at the beginning of the hike.  The hike to the Lower Pool is pretty easy, and many families were on the trail as we set out.

View of the Virgin river

Once you cross the footbridge, turn right and follow the paved trail to the lower pool.  The trail to the first pool is paved, and the elevation gain is under 70 feet.  The first pool is just over half a mile away.  When we arrived, we were a bit disappointed in the muddy color of the pool.  I am not sure if these pools are a different color at another time of year, but in April, the description of "emerald" seemed a misnomer.

Not very "emerald" lower pool.

Water falls over the canyon wall from the middle pool to the lower pool and it is very beautiful.  It also provides a cooling mist.  Be careful on the trail here, as the pavement can be wet and slick.

Water cascading to the lower pool.

We decided to hike to all of the pools on this trail, and continued on up the trail.  Once arriving at the Middle Pools, we found if you take the time to wander up around the pools, you get a better view.  The trail here is not particularly well-marked, but there were so many people, it was easy to tell which way to go.

The Middle Pool of the Emerald Pools.

The trail to the Upper Pools is marked as "moderate" in the park newspaper.  Since I was still recovering from cancer treatments, I wasn't up to much of a challenge, but I decided to give this hike a try.  Unlike the Lower Pool trail, this trail is not paved, and has more of an ascent, but it is not long, and I managed it just fine.

Me and my son on the trail to the Upper Pool

We passed through a very short slot on the way to the Upper Pool.  I wouldn 't really call it a slot "canyon", but it was still fun to walk through it on our hike.

Upper Pools at Zion National Park

During rainy weather, I am sure these pools can fill up quite a bit.  The pool next to the canyon wall in the background of the photo is wider and deeper than the small pool in the foreground.  There was a good-sized crowd here, but there were plenty of boulders around for kids to climb on.  Many people found a spot to sit and just enjoy the scenery or have a snack.  This was a very enjoyable hike.

Water running down the canyon wall to the Upper Pool.

It was pleasantly warm during our hike, and we carried water and snacks with us.  The one drawback of not having your car in the canyon for the day is having to plan what you will need and carry it with you so you don't have to take the shuttle all the way back to your car.  However, with a little forethought and the help of the park map, you can easily plan your day.  Food is available at the Zion Lodge, and water and bathrooms are available at several of the shuttle stops.  Once we finished our hike, we bought ice cream cones at the lodge, then hopped back on the shuttle and continued up the canyon.  Stay tuned for more about our visit to Zion National Park!

For more on Zion National Park and this hike, check out the park website here.

National Poetry Month - Langston Hughes

"Unburdened" - 24" x 32" oil by Greg Newbold

Shearing Time

It must be nice to be a sheep

With nothing to do but graze and sleep.

But when it's time the wool to shear,

That poor old sheep bleats, "Oh, dear!"

--Langston Hughes

It is springtime, shearing time, and National Poetry Month.  What better way to celebrate than with this great little poem by Langston Hughes, a truly talented American poet!

For more on Langston Hughes, click here.

Thanks to Greg Newbold for permission to use the image of his amazing painting, "Unburdened."

For more about the creation of this painting, visit Greg's blog here.

National Poetry Month - Billy Collins

Harvest in Provence - Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Billy Collins was America's Poet Laureate from 2001 - 2003.  I became a fan of his poetry during his appointment as Poet Laureate.  His poems are very approachable, and I would have a hard time choosing a favorite.  Here is one you might enjoy (from Sailing Alone Around the Room).

The Night House

Every day the body works in the fields of the world

mending a stone wall

or swinging a sickle through the tall grass--

the grass of civics, the grass of money--

and every night the body curls around itself

and listens for the soft bells of sleep.

But the heart is restless and rises

from the body in the middle of the night,

leaves the trapezoidal bedroom

with its thick, pictureless walls

to sit by herself at the kitchen table

and heat some milk in a pan.

And the mind gets up too, puts on a robe

and goes downstairs, lights a cigarette,

and opens a book on engineering.

Even the conscience awakens

and roams from room to room in the dark,

darting away from every mirror like a strange fish.

And the soul is up on the roof

in her nightdress, straddling the ridge,

singing a song about the wildness of the sea

until the first rip of pink appears in the sky.

Then, they all will return to the sleeping body

the way a flock of birds settles back into a tree,

resuming their daily colloquy,

talking to each other or themselves

even through the heat of the long afternoons.

Which is why the body--that house of voices--

sometimes puts down its metal tongs, its needle, or its pen

to stare into the distance,

to listen to all its names being called

before bending again to its labor.

---Billy Collins

Lady Sewing - Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1879

For more poems celebrating National Poetry Month, click here.

National Poetry Month - William Blake

Mother tiger at Hogle Zoo

I heard the purpose of National Poetry Month (April) is to celebrate American poets.  I appreciate that, however, I am taking the position that I can use this month to promote poetry in general.  Please don't be offended by my use of poets of other nationalities, just take the opportunity to celebrate some great poems.  Enjoy!

The Tyger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors to clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,

And water'd heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Tiger in the water at Hogle Zoo.

Here are other poems you might enjoy:

National Poetry Month - Gerald Manley Hopkins

National Poetry Month - Thomas Hardy

National Poetry Month - Walt Whitman

National Poetry Month - Emily Dickinson

National Poetry Month - Sara Teasdale

Maeve Binchy's Last Novel - A Week in Winter

I first became acquainted with Maeve Binchy's work many years ago when I was reading a memoir by Barbara Bush.  Mrs. Bush was a big fan of Maeve Binchy, and after reading about Binchy's novels, I decided to try one.  I was instantly a fan.  Binchy's work has let me live on Tara Road and meet a whole new Circle of Friends (the book is much better than the movie).  I have studied Italian in an Evening Class and spent Nights of Rain and Stars in Greece.  I have attended a Silver Wedding and stood under a Copper Beech.  Through Binchy's novels I have eaten at Quentin's and been to events catered by Scarlet Feather.  This amazing Irish author consistently crafted wonderfully companionable novels that occupied me for many an hour.

Author Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy passed away in July 2012.  I was sad to learn of her passing, and didn't write about it at the time as I was recovering from cancer surgery, but I have thought of her and her contributions to my library many times since.  I recently read her last novel, A Week in Winter, and it does not disappoint.  This final book is Binchy at her best.  Main character Chicky Starr falls in love and leaves Ireland to go to America with her lover.  When the relationship ends, Chicky can't face telling her family back in Ireland the truth.  She remains in New York, gains work experience, and tells the family back home about her married life in America.  Years later, when the facade threatens to come crashing down, Chicky lets everyone know her fictitious husband has died, and she returns home to Ireland.  There she takes on a wonderful old home, and converts it to a holiday retreat called Stone House, offering a week of vacation on Ireland's Atlantic coast.  In succeeding chapters, Binchy introduces a wonderful cast of characters who come to stay for the opening week.  In another author's hands, telling the stories of so many people could be clumsy at best, and fail to move the book along.  Not so under Binchy's experienced, talented hand.  A Week in Winter was a treat from start to finish, and I will vacation at Stone House in Ireland again and again.  The storylines of the different characters weave together seamlessly in this last work, in the way only Binchy could do so well.  Maeve, you will be missed!  Thank you for a last, wonderful read.

This wonderful quote is on Maeve Binchy's website, and I have included a link to her site here. If you are not acquainted with this best-selling author, you might want to put her on your summer reading list.

"I'd like people to think I was a good friend and a reasonable story-teller and to know that thanks to all the great people, family and friends that I met, I was very, very happy when I was here." Maeve Binchy