This was definitely another early morning. We headed down to breakfast around 6:30 a.m., bundled in a very questionable assortment of layers. Normally, dry bibs have separate sock and suit pieces, but we opted for Zion Guru’s version where the neoprene sock and bib are all one piece, which is key for keeping your feet dry. Until we reached the trailhead, though, we wandered around in our base layers with a plan to suit up later.

After breakfast, we hopped on the bus and headed toward the Temple of Sinawava. By about 8:00 a.m., we were finally gearing up, snapping the obligatory “before” photos, and officially starting our Narrows adventure. To reach the river, you first descend the one-mile Riverside Walk, a paved trail that follows the river until you get to the entry point. We were eager to get started and moved pretty quickly.

Once we reached the entry point, we stopped again for photos. If you look closely in the background of some of them, you can spot the man we quickly nicknamed the River King. He was wearing nothing but long socks and shorts, and somehow we kept seeing him over and over throughout the hike. At the time, we were convinced there was no way he would make it to the end, but he proved us very wrong.

The first stretch through the river was slow as everyone adjusted to walking on slippery rocks under flowing water. Every step required focus since the riverbed is nothing but uneven stones, and we stopped often for photos. I also could not help myself when I spotted American dippers hopping around the water.

Hiking directly through the river with towering canyon walls all around you is unreal. Photos do not even come close to capturing how incredible it feels, and this was not even Wall Street yet, where the canyon narrows dramatically and the river feels even more enclosed.

Thank goodness for the bib rentals in Springdale. Without them, I think we would have been absolutely freezing. The hike is slow by nature because there is no real trail. You are constantly choosing which rocks look stable, crossing and recrossing the river as the depth changes. That is what makes the Narrows so unique and unlike any other hike.

About three hours in, Caroline and I reached an unexpected challenge, finding a bathroom spot. Peeing in the Narrows is surprisingly difficult thanks to the number of people and the lack of privacy. Somehow, we lucked out and found a little cave you could climb into, completely surrounded by rocks. Crisis averted. We did find a beautiful photo spot not long after too!

It felt like a big accomplishment to finally reach Wall Street, which is about 2 to 2.5 miles in. This was one of the coolest sections of the hike. The canyon walls rise straight up on either side, making everything feel surreal and almost otherworldly.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that Caroline, Jordan, and I had gotten sick before the trip and still had an unfortunate lingering cough from it that left our cardio fitness a little lowered than normal. Here I am looking like an old man coughing:

Eventually, Wall Street opened back up and the river widened again. A kind solo hiker offered to take our photo, which I will never turn down a good group photo opportunity.

We soon reached a section where crossing did not help at all. The water was deep no matter what. We took our packs off and carried them overhead while wading through. The bibs held up, but since they were not full waders, we were very aware of not letting the water rise too high. Luckily, no one got soaked, though the force of the water pressing the bibs against your body was wild to feel.

At this point, we started to seriously question whether we should turn back. We had already spent a ton of time hiking, and we still had to consider the return trip. I was convinced the current would make the hike back faster, and we knew we would stop for far fewer photos.

After some debate, we decided to push on. Jordan kept telling us there was a waterfall at Big Springs, and we were determined to see it. We passed a few hikers heading back who assured us it was not much farther.

That last mile was brutal. The river crossings became trickier, the current stronger, and we had to scramble over obstacles and navigate some sketchy sections. Morale dipped. There was complaining. There were accusations that Jordan had made up the waterfall entirely. That theory gained traction when we asked another pair of hikers about it and they replied, “There’s a waterfall?”

Still, we kept going, and it was absolutely worth it. Not only was there actually a waterfall at the end, but finishing the hike felt like a huge accomplishment. Turning back would have been fine, but we would have always known we did not finish. Even better, the same hiker from earlier was resting at the end and took our victory photo.

The hike back was rough. Having the current with us was not nearly the advantage we expected, and we still had miles of river to wade through. We were exhausted and starving. We had packed snacks, jerky, running gels, which we joked about needing to “goo up,” and a few other things, but nothing substantial.

Near the end, we caught back up with our photo friend and walked together for a bit, chatting and taking one last group picture. I love the camaraderie you find on hikes like this.

The Riverside Walk felt quick on the way in, but on the way out it felt endless. We basically sprinted it. I did put off writing about this hike for a while because it was hard to fully describe. We were in the Narrows for about 8 to 9 hours, and while it was an incredible day, so much of it was simply wading. Step, balance, cross, repeat, with photo stops mixed in. That’s hard to write about! At the end, everything hurt and all we could think about was food.

Back on the bus, we made a last-minute decision to grab burgers at the lodge’s quick service, even though we were supposed to save our appetites for a big Mexican dinner. Everyone was starving, and we spent the entire ride talking about burgers.

By some miracle, we arrived at 4:55 p.m., five minutes before they closed. Even better, the burgers were buy one get one since they were about to shut down. We inhaled them. Tyson, who originally said he did not want one, ended up with a BOGO burger and demolished it too.

After showers and a quick reset at the hotel, we walked across the street to Bit & Spur, a favorite from a previous Springdale trip.

We ordered jalapeño poppers, chips, and salsa, and somehow kept eating despite already having had “burger appetizers.” Caroline and I ordered the sweet potato pork tamales, and honestly, we should have split between the two of us because we ended up with a lot of leftovers. Everything was delicious though.

After dinner, we made one last stop at Bumbleberry Bakery, mostly because we had been seeing signs for bumbleberry pie all week and could not stop talking about it. It was a low-key, quiet way to end a long day, and honestly the perfect contrast to spending nearly nine hours fighting a river through a canyon.