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The trailhead is on the east side of the highway. The trail crosses
the Virgin River then works its way north and UP.
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Parts of this trail are carved into the sides of the cliffs.
The trail is paved most of the way to Scouts Lookout.
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This area is known as Walter's Wiggles. It is very difficult to
photograph well, in part due to limited light as you are inside a
narrow canyon. I was pleased with myself when I passed a group of
about a dozen college students, each less than half my age, as I
walked up the wiggles with no problem. Old men rejoice!
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Another view of Walter's Wiggles looking down (this photo was taken
on the return trip.)
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The canyon above Walter's Wiggles.
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The view from Scout Lookout is incredible. It is, however, a sheer drop.
In this photo you can see the shuttle bus on the highway below.
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Yours truly at Scout Lookout. Now this is where the fun begins...the
remaining half mile to Angels Landing is over a very narrow ridge. The
ridge is so narrow and dangerous that there are chains anchored in the
rock for you to hold onto. I've been to Scout Lookout twice before (both
in the 1970s) but I have never attempted to climb Angels Landing. This
time I would go for it...
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This is Angels Landing. I am still over a quarter mile away. This photo doesn't
do it justice. Look towards the bottom of the photo to see how narrow the
ridge is. That's the "trail"!
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I figure I made it about one third of the way. At this point the "trail"
is only about three feet wide, with sheer drops on both sides. No doubt
about it: fall and you WILL die. I decided it was time for me to turn
around. You see, I am afraid of heights (which always surprises those who
know how much I love to hike.) One time I was on the roof of my house
cleaning the gutters when I simply froze up. My wife had to call the fire
department to come get me down! I really didn't have a fear of falling,
as I knew I could hold onto the chain. But I did have a fear of freezing
up. I didn't want to be the next park "incident" with a couple of park
rangers having to coax me down.
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Another view from the same spot. You know the problem with this kind of
climbing is you can go up without looking down, but you cannot go down
without looking down! I was surprised how little trouble I had making it
back to Scout Lookout. In retrospect, I think if I had tried again (even
if I only went a little further and came back down again, and repeat)
that I may have been able to make it. But as I said before, I really
didn't want to become the next park "incident".
And those college kids I had so smuggly passed on my way up, well they
kept on climbing.
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A parting shot on the return trip. When I got down I returned to the visitor
center and asked a ranger if anyone ever had to be rescued from Angels
Landing. He said yes, that earlier this year someone had a heart attack
up there, and that occasionally people such as myself will freeze up and
a ranger will have to coax them down. He said he tried it five times before
he made it to the top, and that was with some friends. Even then, he said
he felt uncomfortable the entire way. So I guess I don't feel too bad about
not making it.
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My home page
Copyright © 2005 by Bill Qualls.
Last updated September 4, 2005.
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