2009 Spring Field Fling to Zion and Bryce



Zion Campground

After a long drive from CSUN, a lunch stop in Mesquite, Nevada, a scenic drive thru the Virgin River Gorge, and onto the Colorado Plateau, we arrived at Zion and set up camp.





Angels Landing

On day two our goal was the summit of Angels Landing. Angels Landing sits atop a 1500 feet high promontory composed of Lower to Mid Jurassic Navajo Sandstone.





Cross-bedding

The 180 to 190 Ma Navajo Sandstone, a dominant rock layer on the Colorado Plateau, formed in a vast sand sea that stretched from Wyoming to southeastern California. One of the striking features of this cliff-former is the abundance of cross-beds such as the ones seen here.



Narrow trail

After winding our way upward through "Walter's Wiggles" the trail continues onto a narrow ridge.







Falling sign

Signs warn to watch for falling people!






Chain to hold on to

A chain is anchored to the rock along the most exposed locations.





Summit

At the summit some of our group seize the opportunity to have lunch and take in the magnificent views.






View of valley

This is a view of the valley from the summit of Angels Landing.







Water dripping off rock

After exiting the Angels Landing trail we caught the shuttle to Weeping Rock. Weeping Rock is formed by a spring in the wall of the porous Navajo Sandstone. As the water migrates downward it encounters the underlying non-porous Kayenta Formation and weeps out of the rock into a cool alcove.



Bryce

On day three we went to Bryce. The hoodoos of Bryce are composed of limestones, silts, and mudstones of the Eocene Claron formation. The pink cliffs are a product of the iron oxide-rich lower member.




Navajo Trail

We spent some time walking among the hoodoos on the Navajo loop trail then headed for our camp in Zion. In the morning we drove back to CSUN.