Observation Point, Zion National Park Is Basically Amazing

I mentioned that my friends Catherine and Clair came down to southern Utah for a weekend of running. (You can read the first post with some pictures of remarkable scenery HERE.)

The final stop on our weekend running extravaganza was Observation Point in Zion National Park. A surrounding storm dumped on us every once in a while but made the scenery even cooler:

Observation Point is my favorite trail in Zion. I really love how some sections of the trail are literally cut right into the mountain.

Trust me when I tell you that pictures from the point don't nearly do justice to how beautiful the views are.

Catherine caught this picture of me on our way back down the trail:

Then I caught this one of her later on:

I've run hundreds of miles with these guys. Every time I share the trails with Clair, I am constantly impressed by the fact that this guy is more than two decades older than me....and can still easily smoke past me effortlessly.

After Observation Point we went to Hidden Canyon. It was a tad scary.

I am terrified of heights. I don't want anything to do with any trail that involves holding on to a chain to prevent yourself from falling perilously into a messy splat at the bottom of the canyon. (I've never gone all the way to the end of Angel's Landing in Zion National Park for this very reason.) I gave myself some mid-trail mental health therapy and managed to conquer the trail. Go me.

I pretty much love these guys. The combination of beautiful trails and awesome friends is a perfect mix.