the narrows. via my iphone.

Last weekend we found ourselves in Zion National Park.

It was just one of those really last minute "hey-it's-a-long-weekend-let's-go-somewhere-close-to-play" type things. 

You know?

And lucky for us, Zion isn't too far. 

The first place we wanted to explore was The Narrows. 

Most of this hike is spent in the water, crissing-and-crossing through rocks and sand, with massive rocky skyscrapers towering overhead.

Before we started this little adventure, I decided I was going to leave my camera (the big, burly one that is comparable to carrying an infant) behind. 

I thought it over and over and over, 

but figured that since chances of one (or all of us) falling face first in to the river were pretty high, 

it would be best not to have a giant expensive camera strapped to my body. 

I felt weird. Naked. Missing-a-limb. 

But I was so thankful I didn't have it each time one of my children fell in and floated and giggled down the river.....we all ended up soaked. And we loved it. 

We hiked down the canyon for about 2.5 miles, and then headed back. 

Every single step was amazing. 

The cliffs rise so high out of the water, our little family felt like tiny little fish in the river. 

We climbed rocks, and made our way in and out of the walls that had been carved and smoothed and perfected over thousands of years. 

*If you decide to do this hike, here is what you will need to know*

-the water is the perfect temperature in the summer and felt awesome in the 90° heat.

-plan on getting SOAKED. Even if you don't end up falling or chasing your babies down the river, you will love jumping in.

-the deepest parts (at least where we crossed) the water was a little above my kids' waists. I would assume it's deeper earlier in the summer.

-the trail is very popular and a shuttle takes you to the trailhead. 

-the trail is VERY popular. Don't let this discourage you. The first little part of the "trail" is paved and takes you (and 1000 other people) along the river. When you get in the water, you will have approximately 700 other people in the water with you. 

There may or may not be people in Speedos.

KEEP MOVING. Most of the tourists don't continue too far down the canyon--while we still met lots of other hikers, as you can see in these photos we did have moments to ourselves. 

Bring lots of snacks, lots of water, and even though a lot of the time you are in the shade, there are still some pretty sunny sections, so bring your sunscreen.

Here is what our little phones were able to capture.
(how lucky are we that we live in a time where our phones can take pictures?!!)

photos edited on my iphone with VSCO cam

the end.

see the last time I was in Zion here