Is It Worth It To See a Sunrise?

Saturday, July 12th - 5am

Hearing the alarm go off is almost physically painful. It was midnight before we fell asleep, but a once in a lifetime experience implies we might not get a second chance, so we roll out of bed and stumble to find light. Madison, Megan, and I are committed to the mission. I put on a rather ridiculous outfit for the occasion, but at least I’m sticking to my signature color.

Look, as I mentioned it was 5am. Also, at the time, grabbing my hiking backpack felt like too much work, which is why I opted for the purse.

By 5:20, we tip toe into our car (literally, the rental car place upgraded us to a Bronco) and hit the road. It’s so early, no one is in line for the park nor is anyone at the gate to check our pass. (We had it with us anyway!)

As we enter the park, I’m suddenly grateful for the cover of darkness as I’m sure it’s obscuring a steep drop off next to the road as we wind up the mountain.

By 5:45, we park the car next to another group that is outfitted with proper backpacks AND headlamps. I look down at my flashlight (aka my phone) and a slight bubble starts to form in my stomach.

Have we miscalculated what we are about to do? I was told this was only a half-mile walk!

Normally, I research every aspect of a trip before I go, but this time I wanted to try to ~exist peacefully~ without as much of a plan. As it turns out, that’s just not my personality and I’ve decided that’s okay.

I walk up to the professional hikers,

“Excuse me, are you hiking the Canyon Overlook trail?” I ask, formulating a plan to follow them if necessary.

“No, we are going on a different trail,” they respond.

Phew.

I start to turn away, but realize we don’t actually know where our trail starts. We can’t see the signs anywhere.

“Would you happen to know where the Canyon trail starts?”

I can only imagine what they think of us girls right now, fully fitting into a stereotype that I actively try to avoid.

Thankfully, they are incredibly nice (most nature people are, I’ve learned) and pull up All Trails to show us where to go (we are close).

Armed with our phone flashlights and the confidence of The Little Engine That Could, we start to climb the stairs that are carved into the trail.

We brush our shoulders along the rocks as the trail narrows, not wanting to risk getting too close to the outer edge, the soft light of dawn revealing just how high up the mountain we are.

We climb and weave and maybe whisper a few profanities, but as I said, we are committed to the mission.

We are going to catch the sunrise over Zion National Park.

And we do.

Zion National Park as seen from the Canyon Overlook trail, just before sunrise. Photo by me

The overlook faces west, which means the sun is rising over our shoulders. The wash of light over the rocks slowly reveals their true colors

Please forgive my cheap digital camera, but hopefully you can appreciate the difference just a few minutes later!

The shadows that linger deep in the valley remind me that nothing in nature experiences life the same way. We all have different perspectives. We all thrive under different conditions.

I read the sign that states the names of each mountain top and silently laugh when my eyes reach The Altar of Sacrifice. A future Google search will tell me that this is so named due to the red streaks that pour from the peak. I take it as an apropos reminder that nothing worth experiencing is ever easy.

We gave up time, energy, money, and sleep to get here, but in return we are rewarded with awe and wonder. With inspiration and clarity. With the satisfaction of crossing something off the bucket list. With community and memory. With joy.

100% worth the sacrifice.