Smith Mesa
Western View of Zion National Park
Campsite 12, April 21 - Sitting at the edge of Smith Mesa at the western border of Zion National Park, the only sound I hear routinely is the wind.
Smith Mesa
It’s late afternoon but there are no cars on the trail below me. Occasionally a bee or a hummingbird comes over to consider my blue jacket. They hover for a few seconds, then dart away.
It’s Really Blue
The valley below shines a color somewhere between sunlight-gold and grass-green.
If I look closely, I can see six cows and a calf. They’re still in their winter pasture. Soon their person will be moving them to the top of the Mesa, where I’m sitting. If I’m very quiet and wait, the wind will carry the sound of their cow bell up the cliff to me. While I wait to hear the bell again, I hear one bellowing about some concern that quickly passes.
Across their valley and to the west, I see numerous other mesas. Beyond them are the Pine Valley Mountains topped with snow. It will be July before the snow has melted. As long as the snow is melting, the creeks will flow.
Behind me, hidden by juniper and pinion pine, are the spires and valleys of Zion National Park.
Pinion Pine
As we walk around the Mesa, we catch views of tiny slices of the main canyon that demands everyone come to explore.
Thousands of people do come daily to explore. We won’t be joining them. Here on the edge of the park there are only a few people. People who, like us, prefer their outdoor adventures free of parking lots, busses, and waiting lines. To reach the top of the Mesa you need to navigate the rutted trail and bring everything you’ll need.
In photos, roads with six inch ruts look perfectly smooth, mud looks dry, and 30 degree inclines look like a little bump.
It’s more difficult but we get to see the details of a place. Details like a tiny flower that uses a red leaf to attract insects to its plain flower.
We can chat with a squirrel over dinner.
Persistent but Disappointed Squirrel
And create memories of a night with a mountain lion’s cry a few feet from our tent.
I hope you weren’t expecting a photo of the mountain lion!
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