Travelogue part 4

The Antelope Canyon tour was probably the one thing that I was waiting for the most during this trip...and I am so glad it did not disappoint me! Hidden away in the nondescript outskirts of Page in Arizona, going there is almost like being on a treasure hunt like Santiago in the Alchemist. It of course isn't that difficult but it also isn't like going to any other popular natural wonder in the U.S.


Antelope (Upper and lower) Canyon is a slot canyon - one of the most visited in southwest U.S. and managed by the Navajo tribe. What makes it special is the wave like formations on the walls of the Canyon caused due to erosion by flash floods and sub-aerial processes. Also the light and shadow play caused in the summer months makes them a sight not worth missing.


The Upper Antelope gets more vistors because of its popular light beam pictures and also because the whole place is on ground level and thus easily accessible. There is a lot of place for people to move around so one can find up to 60-80 people inside the canyon which makes it very crowded. There is also a lot of dust falling in that canyon which isn't very good for your expensive camera equipment. But nonetheless it gets a lot of visitors and photographers for its sheer beauty (and a lot of marketing). The Lower Antelope on the other hand is narrow, difficult to reach for older people who cannot climb stairs as you have to enter through a narrow opening in the ground and climb a whole lot of stairs to come back up. But the advantages are that only 20 people can enter the Canyon at a time so it doesn't get very crowded. Also there is no dust so no harm to your cameras. 

Entry point for the Lower Antelope Canyon

Both Canyons cost you 26 $ per person and most people choose to see both. We chose just the lower one because of lack of time. Also the Lower canyon has the best views either early morning or in the evening...whereas best time to go to Upper canyon is between 12 to 2pm. We only had time for a morning slot so Lower was our obvious choice. Luckily we made it to the first batch of people going for the tour and were the first people to enter the place. It was a beautiful beyond words. The curves and the stunning formations were staring back at us in all imaginable shades of orange, red, yellow and purple. We found ourselves ooh-ing and aah-ing at every turn of the canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon

The guide kept showing us all the interesting formations in the shapes of human faces and animals with other details. He was also kind enough to click pictures of everyone in the group with those formations and also helped us determine the best settings for our cameras. He was quite a learned man himself and did this tour guide job only part time. The whole tour lasted about 1 hour and we came back with some stunning pictures and the experience of a lifetime. The place really made us marvel at the wonders of mother nature. The sheer precision of the patterns on the wall of that canyon still has us awestruck and bowing to big momma! :D

The crazy formations inside the Lower Antelope canyon

Our next stop was Zion National Park in Utah. It is about 2.5 hrs from Page but because of the time lag from Pacific to Mountain time zone, effective time is about 3.5 hours. As soon as we left the boundaries of Arizona, we were welcomed by the beautiful red rocks of Utah. The state is exceptionally beautiful and has a lot to do for the real adventure seeker. Hubby and me had our hearts set on Zion for a long time and thus we picked it out of all the amazing things to do there. Also in Zion there are a couple of exciting treks to do but it is known for its Narrows Trek which is a river hiking trip through the Virgin river and lasts about 12 hours...requires you to be physically fit and a permit from the park authorities.  But for those who cannot do the entire 12 hours, there is an option of doing a two mile stretch of the River. Hiking the Narrows is rated # 5 in the National Geographic ranking of America's Best 100 Adventures. And thus we had our hearts set on having a taste of this premier adventure.

Utah Rocks

We entered Zion from it's east entrance and were welcomed by the spectacular checkerboard Mesa...a 900ft high hill with criss-cross fissures formed by winds and thawing after snow. The entry fee for the park is again 25$ per car and I would say its nothing for the majestic beauty you will witness there. One of our friends even said that after Ladakh if any place has impressed him, it's this...I would say is a real compliment to Zion. 

Checkerboard Mesa @ Zion

When we got there we weren't left with too much time as things hadn't gone as per plan with Antelope Canyon the previous day. So without wasting much time we decided to straightaway start the Narrows Trek. All thanks to my research, we knew that we will need proper shoes, neoprene socks, a stick and a waterproof bag. All this because the water is icy cold and even though you can do the trek without all these, I just did not want to take a chance. All these things can be rented for 18$ per person, per day (minus the water proof bag). There is only one rental shop just outside the park, 2 minutes drive from the visitor center. We went there, picked our stuff and were asked to see a video about the safety precautions one should take on this hike. 


So the thing about me is that I am scared of water...terribly scared! Also I cannot swim. Even though swimming won't help much on this trek as it is just walking on the river bed with mostly knee deep water, but there are points where the water is deep and you might have to swim. There is also always a risk of flash flooding. But I really wanted to experience this...thus after talking to a lot of people and reading a lot of information, I had decided that I will do the 2-mile stretch for sure. But after watching that video...I really freaked out. I saw things on the screen and my fear of water just came back to me. It took a lot of coaxing on hubby's part to make me rent that stuff and go to the starting point of the trek and then decide if I want to do it or not!

We got our stuff and headed to the trek's starting point - Temple of Sinawava. The only way to get there between the month's of April to October is a shuttle or a bike. The shuttle service is awesome and stops at various trail heads in the park...the last stop being the temple of Sinawava. From the bus stop, it is about a mile's walk to get to the trail head. The water was a beautiful emerald blue and took my heart away at the first sight. It was clear and not so deep and we could easily see the river bed. I saw other people being able to walk easily through the water and I decided to give it a shot myself. It was cold at first but we became accustomed to it. The neoprene socks definitely were a life saver. But there came a few points where I couldn't balance myself n felt like I would trip n fall - which is when the fear gripped me again. To make matters worse, an old lady scared me that the water's really deep further ahead n I wouldn't be able to do it if I can't swim. But hubby did not give up. He kept motivating me to do it. I too mustered some courage and decided to not give up on this chance of a lifetime! 


We slowly moved forward...I found it difficult a lot of times but my curiosity to see what lies ahead got the better of me and I kept moving. There did come a point where the water came up till my neck...but I held hubby's hand and somehow did it. Honestly, I would have never done it if not for him and I couldn't thank God enough for giving me him. The views of the river bed surrounded by the great walls of the canyon had all of us spellbound. All I did was quietly tread forward with a blessed feeling in my heart. I have to say I learnt a lot about my life on that hike.

The Narrows @ Zion

There came a point when my body gave up and I just did not want to go any further ahead. Hubby and me had a bad fight there - honestly now I don't remember why but I remember we had to give up on our egos and stay together. It taught us a lot about our life together as well...when both of us wanted to be in different places, do different things, but we had to stay together, for our own sake, and that is the only thing which mattered. From that point we decided to trek back to the Temple of Sinawava as it was getting dark. I remember being more confident on the way back and the same deep elbow of water seemed like a cake walk this time. I got back with a proud feeling of having conquered my fears and better equipped to take on life's challenges.


I know what I am going to say now has been said to death already, but I guess Javed Akhtar said it once n for all when he wrote the below lines, which for me couldn't have better said for that day in my life :-


Pighle neelam sa behta ye sama,
neeli neeli si khamoshiyan,
na kahin hai zameen na kahin aasmaan,
sarsaraati hui tehniyaan pattiyaan,
keh raheen hai bas ek tum ho yahan,
bas main hoon,
meri saansein hain aur meri dhadkanein,
aisi gehraiyaan, aisi tanhaiyaan,
aur main… sirf main.
Apne hone par mujhko yakeen aa gaya.


To be contd...