Here Gabe points to our destination, the tip of Angel's Landing, some 1,400 ft. above us. The great thing about Zion (in contrast to, say, Grand Canyon) is that the canyon trails start from the bottom. That means you climb first, rest at the top, and then have an easier walk back down. There are also a number of short easy walks to special features such as waterfalls and ecological niches.

(right) We set out from the comparatively lush (for the dry Southwest) base of the canyon.

We shared the hike with climbers of all ages. We were frankly surprised that the Park Service allows untrained tourists to climb these precarious paths.

Some parts of the path had sheer, fatal dropoffs, with only a chain to hang on to. That's Gabe in the red circle, maybe 200 feet from the top.