In search of the Emerald Pool
“Life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water, but you can’t see how deep it is.”
Lower, Middle or Upper.
The Emerald Pools, that is. In Zion National Park, there’s a section that includes the Lower Emerald Pool, the Middle Emerald Pool, and the Upper Emerald Pool. So, the question of the day was: which Pool should we hike to?
Since Lisa decided that today was going to be “calf day”, why not do all three? And, for good measure, let’s throw in a pre-hike on the Kayenta Trail! Three “moderate” trails and one “easy” trail.
Sure, there were some steep sections, but nothing like we did in Arches National Park or Bryce Canyon. Lisa logged it in at an elevation change of 508 feet, over 2.9 miles, with 7953 steps.
It had rained heavily overnight and - with the threat of more rain in the morning as well as a flash flood warning - we decided to delay our start. We began the hike around 8:30, but the sun was still bouncing nicely against the formations above us.
OK, up we went …
Wasn’t long before Lisa took a break …
… which gave me the opportunity to get a few shots …
Even a scraggly tree …
… and a second sunrise …
Lisa began second guessing her decision to combine four hikes …
Yep, up there …
OK, maybe not quite up there …
The lighting was still good, so a couple of more along the trail …
Let’s take another quick break …
From the cold front that moved through, this was the clearest the sky has been on our entire journey thus far …
And there was still a chill in the air …
Finally, through a clearing, we saw some water! Was this leading us towards the elusive Emerald Pools?
Nope. Just some overflow from the overnight rain.
Hey, how did I pass Lisa?
Let’s keep going …
Was this one of the Emerald Pools?
Nope, just some standing water from the rainfall.
But when Lisa came over that ridge like a ray of sunshine…
… we had clearly arrived at the Upper Emerald Pool.
Truth be told, it looked much more brown than emerald to me. So, to spice it up a bit, I decided to do some long exposure photography to smooth out pool and the waterfall.
We enjoyed some snacks at the Upper Emerald Pool before Lisa pondered our descent.
… which provided us with a completely different perspective.
But don’t forget to look down …
And up …
The light was still fine for another portrait ….
But even better for a view up the canyon!
And down in the other direction, with the Virgin River meandering through the canyon.
One last reminder not to get too close to the edge …
We made it safely back to the Lodge, with a humble appreciation of the grandeur of Zion and a salute to Old Glory.
