Your Safety is our priorityWe are all inundated with information and notices about COVID-19 (commonly known as coronavirus). However, the continued global and domestic spread of it is on our minds as each of us experiences the influx of information and daily developments. First and foremost, we hope you and your loved ones are well. As a part of our commitment to the health and well being of our employees, guests and the community, we want to reach out and let you know what to expect from Zion Adventures during this time of concern.
We are doing our part to help slow the spread of the disease and will follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), World Health Organization (WHO), as well as local and U.S. government officials, to quickly adapt and take the necessary precautions. You can take comfort in knowing that we already have high standards for cleaning and sanitation, but are taking extra measures to sanitize all equipment and frequently touched surfaces in our store and vehicles. For example, in addition to our routine cleaning, we will give extra attention to the seating areas, countertops, keyboards, and door handles multiple times a day. All rental items utilized by guests are already routinely cleaned after each use, and will continue to be thoroughly disinfected. Sanitizing and providing health-promoting resources is just one of the many steps we are taking to maintain a safe environment for us all. We are continuing to carefully monitor the situation and promote good hygiene practices and illness prevention to our guests and employees. We know education is crucial, and we are keeping our staff updated on what actions they can take to stay healthy and ensure the wellness of those around them. While we are open and running as normal, we are monitoring and being guided by local, state and government officials. We may adjust normal operating procedures to support recommendations, and will keep you informed of any developments as it relates to our services and the positive experience we want each of our guests to have. As always, above all else, we are committed to the wellness and safety of our staff and guests. Thank you for trusting us to do all we can during this difficult and concerning time. Our best, Rick Praetzel & Michele Van Hise Managing Partners, Zion Zion Adventures™
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We are proud to be launching a new logo as a part of the ongoing evolution of our brand. Every year we examine our products and processes, and put them to the litmus test. This is how we stay committed to growth; how we continue to raise our standards; how we create new products and methods to better serve our guests. We have recently reached some exhilarating milestones.
Our new logo is inspired by the Native American petroglyphs found in our backyard, specifically the spirals and snake-like images you may find in Zion. Although petroglyphs are soft and curving and our mark is sharp and angular, there is a relationship in the flow of the lines. It has something to do with the connected letters and the lack of a cross hatch on what our eye interprets to be an ‘A’. The result is dynamic, crisp, modern and professional. You’ll see it applied in several creative, but purposeful ways as we move forward. The task before us now will be to introduce it to you. We realize that changing a logo is a process that can involve many steps and take some time. We appreciate your kind support during this exciting transition. Keep your eyes peeled for our new logo – it’s coming soon. Spring in Zion is notorious for surprising visitors. Those coming from parts of the country still mired in the depths of winter's hold may be surprised to find the weather has followed them. In my five years of winter exploration in the area, I've had the fortune of experiencing nearly every type of weather possible. From 60s and sunny, to road closures and flooded canyons. This year though seems to be on track for the latter, meaning that many visitors may find themselves puzzled with what they can do when ZIon's most popular destinations, including The Narrows, are inaccessible. Thankfully, Zion Adventure Company has 22 winters under their belt, and with that, all the information you need for a fun, safe, and successful visit. Anticipating and Understanding Narrows Closures The Narrows is one of the largest slot canyons in the world and the premier hiking destination in Zion's main canyon. Every year, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of visitors make the trek up the 1 mile Riverside Walk to the gateway of the Narrows, where they choose to enter the Virgin River and begin their Narrows experience. Seasonal precipitation can have a dramatic effect on the state of Zion Canyon, especially the Virgin River. While the Virgin River typically flows between 30-40 cubic feet per second (cfs) during the Summer season, seasonal run off between the months of March through May can see that flow increase ten fold, leading to both treacherous and unsafe conditions. The National Park Service will close The Narrows when the flow exceeds 150cfs, meaning hikers will not be able to access the hike at this time. This can be a disappointing surprise for visitors, many of whom have planned their entire visit around this experience. 2019 Estimated Spring Conditions Snow pack in the higher elevations north of the park have historically been the best indicator of the severity of an anticipated Narrows closure. Last year was an outlier and saw very little snow in the area, but if we look back at the winter of 2017, which inevitably lead to a Narrows closure from March 12th through May 27th, we saw a significantly smaller snow pack than what currently exists, meaning it's likely to expect The Narrows to be closed until mid June or later, depending on continued weather developments. What Else Is There To Do?! This is the big question. A Narrows closure is a bummer, we know, but there's still so much to do here! If you've made it this far into our site, you've likely discovered the photos and descriptions of many of the amazing adventures we offer in and around Zion National Park. Canyoneering, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking; the list goes on and on. Zion Adventure Company began in 1996 with the idea that we could share this amazing place we call home with visitors from around the world, by fostering relationships with anyone who came through our door and presenting them with opportunities to intimately explore the truly remarkable landscape that is Zion. Below are some of our favorite adventures that we share with our visitors and work as great alternatives if other destinations are unavailable. Take a look! Canyoneering |
"In the past, I have been known to make large sweeping New Year's resolutions. In 2009, I committed to getting healthy and lost over 60 pounds throughout the course of the year. In 2010, I resolved to transfer universities in search of greater passion in learning, and after a semester abroad, I found myself at a new school with a major I was in love with. In 2013, I decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, and spent six months and 2,189-ish miles completing my goal. Then, in 2015, I promised myself I would stand atop Machu Picchu in Peru on New Years Day of the following year. Amazingly, I started 2016 by visiting the ancient ruins after a five day trek through glacial mountain passes and low lying mosquito infested jungles.
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This year, however, the passing of 2017 gave way to a 2018 void of resolutions. I had no grand ideas or sweeping plans. But as 2018 has begun to amble along, a smaller, more subtle goal has crept into my mind. I would love to learn to trust myself more. I've been trying to track the origins of this idea and it seems that they are rooted in my recent experiences in the outdoors.
I am lucky enough to live in a place that affords me nearly unlimited options for adventuring. I moved to Southwest Utah from Ohio about a year ago and in that time I have started canyoneering, mountain biking, and climbing. All three of these sports require a degree of trust I have not encountered before. I have to trust that I can stay singly focused on the path ahead and the upcoming obstacles when I'm mountain biking. I need to trust my rope work in a canyon and my efficacy in teaching to get everyone safely through. I am learning to trust the strength of my mind and body while climbing as I slowly understand that I am capable of a lot more than I ever let myself believe before.
At times, this seems like an insignificant task. "Trust yourself more," I think, "Sure. Yea. Duh!" But then I start to remember all the self-limiting stories I have ever told myself. You're not strong enough to do that. You're gonna hurt yourself. You'll fall. You'll fail. So this year I am resolved to find that voice inside of me who tells those stories and lead her by the hand into adventures that scare me, that test me, that actively challenge those self-limiting beliefs until those stories are no longer the front page of my internal monologue. Maybe by this time next year, those stories will read as trust. You've got this. You're strong enough. Yea, you're gonna fall and that's okay."
Learning to trust is something we all go through in our lives, whether that be in our personal goals or professional careers. Looking forward to seeing Jen find her voice in 2018!
Next up we have Hayley Walker, a member of the ZAC Admin. staff entering her sixth season in Zion. Hayley muses with an idea that everyone in the outdoors has fought with at one point in time or another...commitment.
"I have this desire in the back of my head, I might even go as far as calling it a goal, to do the Trans-Zion from East to West in a day. For those of you who don’t know what the Trans-Zion is, it is a 47 mile trek that crosses Zion National Park gaining and losing over 6,000ft of elevation linking together many of Zion’s bigger trails. I’ve hiked all of the sections, backpacked parts and even ran portions of it, I’ve never linked it all together in a single day push though. It is one of those objectives that is really easy to make any and all excuses for why not to do it but for some reason it has been quite present in my mind as of late. The only minor hiccup is that I’m only 2.5 months post shoulder surgery at the moment.
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While the whole surgery thing and being stuck in a sling for 3 months likely prevents me from attempting this pursuit this spring, it is certainly something I can start working towards even-while recovering from surgery. During a recent, one armed speed hike up to Observation Point, I started to seriously consider the logistics and viability of this objective and found myself excited about having a goal to work towards. Injury, as many of you know, can be not only physically challenging but mentally difficult too. For someone whose identity and contentment with the world relies heavily on physical activity and getting out into the outdoors, this might just be the goal I need to keep me motivated while I continue on the path to full recovery.
The real question will be how committed I am once I do recover and no longer have the excuse of shoulder surgery to fall back on. Many excuses in the past when I’ve considered the Trans-Zion in a day range from: it’s too hot to train, I haven’t trained enough, it’s going to be miserably hard or the classic, what if I completely fail and can’t finish? I think I’m ok with failing and I don’t want the reason for why I don’t attempt it to be a fear of not finishing it. I’d rather go for it and see what happens, no pressure just a satisfaction in trying. The simple act of accepting possible failure this early on already makes it feel more attainable in that I’ve taken the pressure off of it.
My hope is that my excitement for a grueling day of running and speed hiking over challenging terrain for hours and hours on end doesn’t wane but instead grows as I continue to heal. The Trans-Zion in a day may simply be a product of my deep desire and need to get back out there adventuring and getting after it, but for now I’m going to roll with it. If it gets me inspired and motivated to focus on my healing then I will fully embrace it. If, when I am fully healed, I decide I’m crazy and wonder why I ever thought the Trans-Zion in a day was a remotely desirable idea, at least I’ll know the idea of it got me through a tough time of healing and recovering. Who knows, maybe a future post will be about all of the excuses I came up with for why not to do it, or maybe, just maybe, it will be about my epic first attempt at the Trans-Zion in a day."
The real question will be how committed I am once I do recover and no longer have the excuse of shoulder surgery to fall back on. Many excuses in the past when I’ve considered the Trans-Zion in a day range from: it’s too hot to train, I haven’t trained enough, it’s going to be miserably hard or the classic, what if I completely fail and can’t finish? I think I’m ok with failing and I don’t want the reason for why I don’t attempt it to be a fear of not finishing it. I’d rather go for it and see what happens, no pressure just a satisfaction in trying. The simple act of accepting possible failure this early on already makes it feel more attainable in that I’ve taken the pressure off of it.
My hope is that my excitement for a grueling day of running and speed hiking over challenging terrain for hours and hours on end doesn’t wane but instead grows as I continue to heal. The Trans-Zion in a day may simply be a product of my deep desire and need to get back out there adventuring and getting after it, but for now I’m going to roll with it. If it gets me inspired and motivated to focus on my healing then I will fully embrace it. If, when I am fully healed, I decide I’m crazy and wonder why I ever thought the Trans-Zion in a day was a remotely desirable idea, at least I’ll know the idea of it got me through a tough time of healing and recovering. Who knows, maybe a future post will be about all of the excuses I came up with for why not to do it, or maybe, just maybe, it will be about my epic first attempt at the Trans-Zion in a day."
Commitment in the moment is difficult, wether it be sticking the crux of that boulder problem that you just can't seem to piece together or sitting on your bike at the top of a double black-diamond second guessing yourself, you have a split second to make choices that decide if you fail or succeed. Commitment to goals long into the future on the other hand, is even more painstaking. Training, diet, patience. You need all of these for an extended period of time, and even then it may not be enough, but if you're willing to put in the work, it's always worth it in the end.
Here's to wishing Hayley a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery and a future post detailing her successful single day Trans-Zion hike!
Here's to wishing Hayley a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery and a future post detailing her successful single day Trans-Zion hike!
To finish off this post, I wanted to share a few of my personal thoughts and goals heading into the new season. 2018 will have me entering my fifth season at ZAC. Those five year have held plenty of adventure, but also a healthy combination of growth, failure, and success. Coming from a midwestern upbringing, I hadn't had much adventuring until my early twenties, when myself and a few friends piled into an old VW Golf and headed west to Canyonlands. From that moment, I was hooked. Now. some ten years later, I'm branching out in new ways. |
In my time at ZAC, I've tried many new things. My second week here I let my fancy for a member of the opposite sex naively drag me into an R rated technical canyon, when I hadn't really ever been canyoneering before. I've been completely terrified while being drug up multi-pitch desert towers, and definitely looked like a Jerry my first time on skis. Being completely green at any outdoor activity tends to have a fun yet awkward beginning...at least for me.
I'm probably too much of a wimp to ever be a good climber, and while I enjoy Canyoneering, it's something you just can't go do whenever you want, especially alone. Ah, but there is one discipline that's easy to get into, I had a background in, and was just barely affordable: Mountain Biking. Two years ago I pinched my pennies and got myself my first real full-suspension mountain bike. Since that moment, I've spent countless hours peddling trails all around the western U.S.. This year though, I'm planning to take my infatuation a step further. Endurance racing.
In January, I forked over $120 of my hard earned dough and entered the True Grit Epic, a 100 mile endurance mountain bike race in St. George, Utah (...I'm only doing the 50. What? Did you think I was a masochist?). Training has been how training goes when you're young, poor, and really like pizza. I've never spent so much time on a bike, and while my hamstrings feel like jelly most mornings, I love it. While the race date is March 10th, I hope to use this as a springboard to more unknown bike related escapades throughout the year, such as bikepacking the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands and bikerafting in the San Rafael Swell. Here's to more future posts detailing the pure sufferfest known as long distance bike related activities!
I'm probably too much of a wimp to ever be a good climber, and while I enjoy Canyoneering, it's something you just can't go do whenever you want, especially alone. Ah, but there is one discipline that's easy to get into, I had a background in, and was just barely affordable: Mountain Biking. Two years ago I pinched my pennies and got myself my first real full-suspension mountain bike. Since that moment, I've spent countless hours peddling trails all around the western U.S.. This year though, I'm planning to take my infatuation a step further. Endurance racing.
In January, I forked over $120 of my hard earned dough and entered the True Grit Epic, a 100 mile endurance mountain bike race in St. George, Utah (...I'm only doing the 50. What? Did you think I was a masochist?). Training has been how training goes when you're young, poor, and really like pizza. I've never spent so much time on a bike, and while my hamstrings feel like jelly most mornings, I love it. While the race date is March 10th, I hope to use this as a springboard to more unknown bike related escapades throughout the year, such as bikepacking the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands and bikerafting in the San Rafael Swell. Here's to more future posts detailing the pure sufferfest known as long distance bike related activities!
We here at Zion Adventure Company hope that the 2018 season brings you a healthy year full of adventure and stoke. Wether you're learning to trust yourself in new ways or committing to that one outdoor goal that's avoided you, we'll be here to share with you some of the amazing adventures we find ourselves in.
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below with some of your personal outdoor goals for the 2018 season, or if you're looking for suggestions!
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below with some of your personal outdoor goals for the 2018 season, or if you're looking for suggestions!
Since 1996, Zion Adventure Company (ZAC) has been at the forefront of all things adventure in southwest Utah. From opening our doors as Zion's first Outfitter and revolutionizing the Narrows hiking experience, to being the first permitted Guided Canyoneering service in the area, we've continued to set the standard.
In launching this new site, we hope to continue giving you, the customer, the best experience possible when deciding the who, what, and where of your Zion experience. We're excited to not only share with you the knowledge and moments that have come to define who we are as a company, but also to bring you exciting, new adventures that can't be found anywhere else.
With launching the new site, we're dedicated to being a valuable resource to those exploring the Zion area. This blog will be a collection of ideas, experiences, lessons, and stories; all brought to you by the ZAC staff. We spend our days not only fostering relationships with the millions of visitors that come to explore our backyard, but also doing a little exploring ourselves. Our staff is a unique collective of canyoneers, climbers, mountain bikers, packrafters, stand up paddle boarders, dirt bikers, ping pongers and more. If it exists, someone here is probably doing it, and if it doesn't, they're working on it.
So sit back, check out the new site, and discover a new adventure for you or your family.
In launching this new site, we hope to continue giving you, the customer, the best experience possible when deciding the who, what, and where of your Zion experience. We're excited to not only share with you the knowledge and moments that have come to define who we are as a company, but also to bring you exciting, new adventures that can't be found anywhere else.
With launching the new site, we're dedicated to being a valuable resource to those exploring the Zion area. This blog will be a collection of ideas, experiences, lessons, and stories; all brought to you by the ZAC staff. We spend our days not only fostering relationships with the millions of visitors that come to explore our backyard, but also doing a little exploring ourselves. Our staff is a unique collective of canyoneers, climbers, mountain bikers, packrafters, stand up paddle boarders, dirt bikers, ping pongers and more. If it exists, someone here is probably doing it, and if it doesn't, they're working on it.
So sit back, check out the new site, and discover a new adventure for you or your family.
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This blog is a collective forum of ideas, experiences, lessons, and stories; shared with you by the creative staff of ZAC.