GLO GOES + TRAVEL | Travel
Zion National Park
self? Well, no, not so much. She hiked 18 miles total – in one day. Exhausting and strenuous, but she did it. Wallace said it was “entirely worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat.” By Emily LaRue
For local photographer Kasey Wallace, plan B turned out to be the best plan. Truly though, when plan B is hiking through the red, cream and pink sandstone cliffs and canyons of Utah’s Zion National Park, the odds are in your favor. Wallace, a wedding and portrait photographer by trade, runs her own business, Kasey Wallace Photo. And, while her business requires creativity and vision, it doesn’t require strenuous climbing. So how did she find herself in this wild locale, so far from our beloved Midwest? Especially when she had never been farther west than Chicago? Wallace and her boyfriend had already been planning a visit to Las Vegas in late May, but with the world so unpredictable lately, plans changed. “We were originally supposed to be in Las Vegas for a concert and opera that weekend, however, when Covid-19 caused cancellations everywhere, that plan was out. We wanted to still go adventuring,” said Wallace. They realized Zion was still basically open (with only a few trails closed), and Wallace’s boyfriend is an avid distance hiker. She was game, so the 3-day whirlwind vacation was put into action. Since she’d never hiked before, you might think she would take it slowly or maybe try to pace her-
Her favorite part of the trip were the mountains. “Seeing the mountains, hiking in the mountains, having dinner at a restaurant outside with a view of the mountains - it was all beautiful and memorable” she said. And as far as the hiking goes, the best part hands down Wallace said, was the stunning Virgin River. Zion National Park, located in southwestern Utah, is 165 miles from Las Vegas. According to the National Park Service, hiking is a popular
activity while visiting the park and trails can accommodate nearly any fitness level, as they range from easy to strenuous. But hiking is just one of the park’s offerings. People also come for bicycling, canyoneering and camping, or they stay in the park to watch the sunset and then do some stargazing. Zion protects their dark sky so the Milky Way can be viewed from the park. For Wallace, hiking this natural wonder turned out to be a life-changing experience. She said, “The hiking bug has definitely bitten me. We have more hiking trips all over the US tentatively planned. It was emotionally awakening, as well as feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment, especially for my first hiking experience ever.” Her final thoughts on plan B? “I would absolutely recommend [Zion]. It’s incredibly beautiful and fulfilling. It may be cliché to say, but the experience changed me for the better and I can’t wait to get out there again,” she said. a | SEPTEMBER GLO 2020 |
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