When we made the decision to hike Zion’s famous Narrows upstream in the late fall, we never thought that the shuttle ride would be one of the neatest parts of the experience. We rented drysuits and decided to pay Zion Adventure Company for a shuttle ride up to the trailhead instead of walking a mile carrying our drysuits and dry bags to the park shuttle and then waiting in line. It was our VIP splurge for the adventure. Enjoy my Shuttling to the Narrows Book Excerpt!

The following is an excerpt from the now released book “Life in the Rogue on America’s Open Road” by our co-founder Mike R! Make sure you sign up for the newsletter in the footer for your free PDF copy!

When we were all ready to go, the driver Annie pulled the van up to the front of Zion Adventure and we were off!  What followed was a storytelling shuttle driver unlike any I had ever encountered in my entire life.

Annie taught us more about Zion National Park than we could have learned from anyone other than a lifelong park ranger or member of the Paiute Tribe that used to live inside the park.

She began by telling us about how the Paiute tribe was weary of staying inside of Zion Canyon after dark because of the gods that resided there and how sacred of a space it was.

She also told us about the layers of rock in Zion and how the bottom layer was similar to the top of the Grand Canyon, the middle layer similar to the bottom of Bryce Canyon, and the top layer unique to Zion. 

We talked about yoga and picking up odd jobs and what it meant to be a drifter in this modern world. She had been bouncing around in beautiful outdoor spaces for years at a time, working two or three jobs at once, sleeping on floors or crammed with several roommates, and watching a bank account that never grew.

But she was happy. She was living her dreams. She was intelligent and kind and wanted us to “Fall in love with Zion National Park just as she had.”  She told us that after all of her bouncing around and place-hopping, she was really hoping to feel “grounded.” Of course the continual theme in this book seems to keep showing up that there are no accidents in the world and the universe runs its course as it must. Our next destination after Zion was Joshua Tree National Park and I had been focusing on one word to describe what I wanted to feel in Joshua Tree, sure enough that word was “grounded.” 

As the shuttle weaved its way towards Zion Canyon, she continued to pour out stories. Stories of the history of Zion’s native tribes, the flowers that were still in bloom though it was late November, and the people she had met along the way on her wild ride to being a backpacking guide and shuttle driver in Zion National Park.

She could write her own book. She should. I share these stories because the law of attraction is real. Find your tribe and they will keep showing up to you and landing in front of you no matter where you live. 

Seeking out people — hearing the adventures and experiences of different people all over the world will melt away the stereotypes you harbor. 

The Narrows Hike was epic. It was one of the most exhilarating and beautiful experiences of my entire life. Plus Jill and I had some amazing sandwiches at the turnaround point. (These sandwiches were so good that they launched a new season of my Hashtag59 podcast dedicated to either epic hikes or epic sandwiches, depending on who you ask.)

But you know what? The coolest part about that day in Zion was meeting and chatting with Annie. Another kind person pouring her heart out all over the world and sharing her zest for what lights her up.

There’s something beautiful about chance, one-time encounters. If we were all life-long friends with everyone we ever met, there would be less perspective and emphasis on interactions. Odds are that we’ll never see Annie again (we even had a different shuttle driver pick us up after the hike) but wherever she is, I hope she’s feeling grounded.

Zion Canyon Adventure Shuttle, Zion National Park, Utah Itinerary

Adventure Recommendation: Rent a drysuit from our friends at Zion Canyon Adventures in the late fall/early winter and go hike the ice cold water of the Narrows dryly and safely!

It was one of the coolest hiking experiences of my life.

Record to Spin: “Pow Pow Pow” by Kaskade and Chemical Surfer.
Kaskade is a Utah born American DJ and any of his songs will have you pumped for a big hike in Zion. This is one of my favorites!

Local Tip: The Red Eye Coffee from Hoodoo’s General Store will get you ready for any hike in Zion. Start your day off right with a cup of Joe that will have you alert and ready for the trails!

Recipe: We ate Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches with Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut on the Narrows Hike. They stayed well in the drybags and are highly recommended in my podcast season on Switchbacks and Sandwiches, episode 1 of season 4 at Hashtag59.com/Podcast

Ingredients: Peanut Butter, Bread, Jelly, Coconut. 

Optional Ingredients: Apple slices, Siete El Fuego Grain Free Tortilla Chips, Honey on the sandwich!