Angels Landing at Sunset

I had originally planned to hike Angels Landing after work and be on the top at 8:00 to view the sunset. I ended up getting a late start and was worried that I would quickly run out of daylight -and miss the sunset.
I entered the park at 7:00, parked at canyon junction, and reached the Grotto area at about 7:15. So, having not gone on a hike in . . . well, quite a while, anyway, I knew I was going to be hard pressed to make it by dark, let alone by 8:00.

I started up the trail head at 7:16, taking in the beauty while walking at a considerable pace. I wondered what the few people heading down were thinking about me as I passed them on the way up as the sun was quickly going down. I finally made it to Scout Lookout at 7:45 - covering 2 miles of pretty extreme up hill in 30 minutes.

The climbing section, covering the final .5 miles of the hike, was a grueling experience. My legs were tired from the Walter's Wiggles portion I flew up. But at last I made it to the top at 8:03 - 47 minutes to the top, but still 3 minutes late!

As I was on top, I took a picture of what was left of the sunset. There was also a lot of cloud cover, which lessened the sunset's effect. The time on top was spent remembering a previous hike to Angels Landing and feeling certain connections. . .I waited for a few minutes, then decided I better head back down before it got too dark.

The climbing portion on the way down was difficult in the twilight. And once in Refrigerator Canyon, it became extremely hard to see the trail and especially any bumps there might be. Fortunately, I brought my fanny pack which has a flashlight in it.

I made it back down to the tram stop at 8:49, just 1 hour and 33 minutes from when I started.

Angels Landing will forever hold a special place in my heart.