The Architect of Zion
You spend so much time in the Zion Narrows looking down, watching your footing in the river, that you can forget to look up. I stopped for a break, leaning against a cool, damp section of the canyon wall, and this scene just opened up above me. The light was perfect, catching the inside of this huge alcove and making the sandstone glow with an intense, warm orange. It felt like looking into a furnace. Down where I was standing, everything was in deep, cool shadow. The contrast was what got me. Those dark, vertical streaks against the bright rock looked like they were painted on. It was so quiet in that spot, just the immense scale of the rock and that pocket of brilliant light.
It’s easy to get absorbed in what’s at your feet while hiking the Zion Narrows, watching each step through the river and over the stones. But I’ve found it’s just as rewarding to pause and look up.
On one of our final trips of the year, after many miles in that canyon, I noticed this beautiful alcove carved into the sandstone. The textures and layers of desert varnish completely drew me in. It was a reminder that even in a place you’ve visited often, there’s always something waiting above you if you remember to lift your eyes.