Zion NP, Utah

(Last 3 photos are from the net)


A magical place where you feel gently dominated by huge walls of red rock.
Magical names like "Temple of Sinawa" ,  "angel's landing",  "the patriarchs"...  

Did a 2 day hike in the high country (West Rim trail),  Started on a plateau at 2400m  and the 2nd day,  went down to 1400m.   via "angels landing",  which is a rocky promontory where you used chains to go allow the narrow precipitous ridge.  

Called Zion by the Mormon settlers - "the promised land".  Was also sacred to the indians who were there before.  And inhabited by very ancient pre-Indians,  who mysteriously disappeared after 1500 years of settlement.  

Tetons - hike to Amphitheater lake

1000m  elevation gain from 2100 to 3100m
got up in 2hrs with my MP3 on psy trance...

This is my domain - moving fast in high mountains.
Spent 2.5 hrs lunch , doze and short walk up to side peak with much better views .

Great views of the Grand Teton far right with a small glacier near the peak, one of several in the Tetons.
Bear spray always ready. 

 Grand teton to the far Right

 Delta Lake

Grand Tetons

The little Switzerland of the USA.   a 40 mile fault line that rose these mnts recently.  World class skiing at Jackson.

Exum Mountain Guides, where Alex Lowe was a guide. 
The grand Teton at 4300m  dominates.  
Lucky with good weather until last evening.

 Jenny Lake 

 The Paintbrush trail I did in 2000

 Walk to leigh Lake

Yellowstone Nat Park

Busy... even in Sept.   Best thing is to go on a short walk to get away from the snapping photos of animals crowds.  We find an isolated camp at pebble ck.  We get the last place...  
After a few geysers on the last day we hurry on to the Tetons, which is not busy and more my kind of place. 

 The Road from Glacier... typically flat and daunting land. 

 Sapphire Pond

 Trout Lake

 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone