I married a man who LOVES to hike, camp, be outdoors, all that jazz. Me, not so much. My ideal vacay is Lake Powell. But we haven't tent-camped at Powell since I was little, now we sleep on our houseboat. When I married Jeff I knew I would have to get out of my comfort zone and do camping trips/hiking with him. I had no idea that would mean a 16+ MILE hike. (We guesstimated that we walked about 20 miles through the Narrows)

Jeff's family decided to do a trip to Zion's to hike the Narrows. It would be not too hard, they said. It would be a cool temperature, and I wouldn't sweat, they said. Ha, well that was all wrong.
I want to preface this by saying I have had really bad hip joint pain for a little over a year. I have severe hip bursitis that my family has been nagging me for a while to go to a specialist for because it seems to be much more than that. By Jeff & his family's description of the Narrows, I thought it would be something my hip could handle and would be fun. But I figured out how wrong I was about 2 miles in. Somewhere around half way through I got to the point where I had to literally depend on Jeff to get through. Also, it was SO hot. The water felt so good because at times I was dripping sweat.
However, the Narrows was gorgeous. And the next day we went on a smaller hike to explore more of Zions. Then on our way home we stopped at Bryce Canyon. Growing up in California, I hadn't been to either of these National Parks so I was glad to have seen them, but the hip problem kinda put a damper on the whole 'fun' weekend. I'm glad I went to see the beautiful area, but I don't plan on doing the Narrows again. I think once was enough for a lifetime. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I really think the Narrows would have been an incredible experience. Jeff loved it and that made me so happy. I was glad I could do it with him.
We went with Jeff's parents, his aunt and uncle, and 2 cousins. It was fun to be with them for the weekend and bond a little. And by the end of the trip, we were all ready to be home again.

love,
SK