First Impressions of Zion National Park

My love for a great road trip across America is well documented. As I sit here reminiscing about a trip to Zion National Park, it seems almost all my visits to America’s national parks have been the result of a road trip. This is perhaps a theme worthy of deeper exploration.  

My friend Tim had a plan. We would drive from Los Angeles to Zion National Park. Once there, we would spend a few days hiking and taking photos. After communing with nature, we would spend a night in Las Vegas before heading home.  

I am not the friend who often says the word “no”. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs. If I can afford it and it doesn’t bring harm to me or anyone else, I am usually down for almost anything. This trip didn’t require a lot of convincing.  

Before the trip to Zion, I had been on countless photography and hiking trips with Tim. When I first moved to Seattle in 2011, I met Time and his partner, JR, through my work. It took some coaxing on their part, but when we finally made it work, we became fast friends.  

Instantly, Tim and I bonded over our love of photography, hiking, and a good old-fashioned road trip. With my good friend and roommate, Patrick, in tow, we would drive for hours snapping photos, crushing trails, and exploring Washington State.  

When Tim and JR moved from Seattle to Long Beach, CA, my partner, Brandon, and I weren’t far behind. With moving boxes still packed and in town for less than a month, Tim and I were on a road trip. Six months later, we found ourselves driving toward Zion National Park.  

After years of hiking and photographing the forests and vistas of Washington State, I was slightly ambivalent about finding beauty in the deserts of California and southern Utah. Shortly after my arrival, Joshua Tree National Park changed my mind. Zion cemented my belief that there is something strangely odd, peaceful, and beautiful about the desert.  

Zion is unlike any other place I have been. The park itself is compact and easily accessible. Cars don’t crowd the roads inside the park. Instead, shuttle buses drive guests to various points throughout the park. For anyone who has driven through Yellowstone or Yosemite, this is a welcome change.  

Shortly after our arrival, Tim and I placed our bags in our rooms. Within the hour, we had camera bags in hand. For hours, we hiked, snapped photos, and challenged ourselves to find unique angles. We were attempting to capture the park in ways missed by others.  

On this cool April day, the park was showing off. The reddish hue of the mountains was exploding with color. Green filled the valley with promise, and every vista stole our breath. In a couple of hours, we snapped hundreds of photos.  

The next day, I solo hiked up to an overlook. From the rim of the valley, I could almost see the entire park. Sitting there, rationing water, I felt both insignificant and small. When exploring nature, these are my two favorite feelings in the world. As you continue to read this series, this will be a common theme. As will my appreciation for the special places that comprise our national park system. It is an unoriginal thought, but I must echo it anyway. The park system is America’s best idea.

After another night in Zion, Tim and I drove to Las Vegas. The dissonance between these two locations was not lost on me.  

I didn’t know it at the time, but this trip and a road trip later in the fall up the coast of California would be my final trips with my friend. Tim died of a heart attack in early 2019. I was devastated to lose him. In many ways, I still am. At least, I have moments such as this trip. I will never forget the hours spent talking, laughing, listening to music, snapping photos, hiking, and exploring. Every day, I am thankful for the gifts of his friendship.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

Captured: Zion National Park

Isn’t it amazing how photos can transport us to a time and a place? These photos take me back to simpler times. Tim would call me about a road trip he dreamed up, we would chat for a bit, and a long weekend would find itself on my calendar. As I edited these photos, I thought about how special this trip was and how much I miss him. I hope you enjoy.

Be good to each other,

Nathan

Box in Zion National Park

When I head into the great outdoors and places like Zion National Park, I go with some very specific goals in mind. First, I am trying to reconnect with nature and quiet the noise that accompanies my daily life. Secondly, I go to experience something new and challenge myself. Finally, I go trying to capture the perfect photo. Now, I don’t have the best camera in the world. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it has the supreme ability to capture a moment I never want to forget.

Last week, I announced to the world my intention to hike the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail in a couple of years. This trip to Zion was an attempt to begin working on my endurance, water management, and comfort level with long distance hikes. On Saturday, I hiked about 15 miles. To conquer the PCT, I will need to average 20-25 miles per day for 4-5 months. Needless to say, my body has a long way to go to get into shape before the big journey. Hopefully, increasing my distance and comfort level with multi-day trips will properly prepare me but only time will tell.

One of the things I adore about hiking is the simple fact that from every perspective, you see something new. No two points from point A to B and B back to A is the same. I find this to be a wonderful metaphor for our lives. If we can approach our problems from new angles, we might be surprised by what we discover. As I hiked 15 miles, much of it alone, I was forced to think about all the issues I am grappling. Seeing a rock formation from a different angle, really inspired me to pause and take a second look.

The second thing I adore about hiking is that fact that it forces you to look forward. Before you are any number of trials to be conquered. It can be a creek, unsteady path, or rocks to scramble. Looking backward will prepare you for what comes next. Standing in the present grounds you. Focusing on what comes next, is when all the things you learned come to fruition. Again, I find this to be a really wonderful metaphor for life.

Three hours from Zion National Park is Las Vegas, which is 5 hours from Los Angeles. Logically, this seemed like a decent halfway point for a night before heading back home. The juxtaposition between these two places cannot be overemphasized. In Zion, I see a place built by the hands of time. Mountains, crevices, and canyons shaped by the unforgiving forces of water, wind, and receding glaciers. In Las Vegas, I see a place built by the hands of man in one of the most unforgiving environments standing where no city should stand. Each provides a sense of joy, but one is more primal and the other entices the ego. Both inspire and confound me, but in completely different ways.

Hidden in the Las Vegas Container District is a little cocktail bar called Oak & Ivory. Without a doubt, this is one of the best cocktail bars in Vegas. For me, it even rivals Cannon in Seattle. The bartenders are friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable. They are masters of their craft. Sit down, tell them what you like, and watch the magic happen. When people ask me about things they should do in Vegas, I always mention this bar as number one on my list.

Growing up and living in Las Vegas, I assume you get tired of being asked what it is like to live there. I assume this conversation gets a little tiring because it is built on a false premise that what happens on the strip happens all over Vegas. I have been told by locals repeatedly, they rarely venture to the strip. Instead, they head to work, home, out for date nights, and the kids’ baseball games. You know all the stuff we do in our boring lives.

I have been to Las Vegas somewhere in the ballpark of 15 times. I cannot think of another city I have visited more often. Something about the place fascinates me. I would never live there. I don’t participate in a quarter of what the city has to offer. I don’t gamble. I haven’t been to any shows. Yet, I keep returning. On this trip, it dawned on me why. I am fascinated by what locals do in Vegas. I find myself looking for their bars, restaurants, and shops. Perhaps I am trying to prove myself that normal life can exist in a tourist destination.

I also find myself fascinated by the future of Las Vegas. On the strip, sits vacant lots waiting for the massive footprints of future resorts and casinos. A quick internet search tells me new resorts are on their way. I can’t help but think about how that will change and shape the city. I also wonder what the future looks like for residents as they attempt to carve out a living in the unforgiving world of growth and gentrification.

As Las Vegas got smaller in the rearview mirror, I thought back on Zion and all the time I spent in Sin City. With the open road before us, my mind drifted to thoughts of what is before me. I thought of the work still to do in Los Angeles. I thought of my relationship with Brandon and the celebrations and challenges before us. I thought of walking away from important work to fulfill a dream on the Pacific Crest Trail. I thought of heading back to Seattle and making it my forever home. Thanks to experiences such as these, I feel prepared for whatever comes next. 

Be good to each other, 

-Nathan

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