(dramatic music) - [Robert] In today's video, we are going into the
great state of Utah. We are going to visit
Zion National Park in the winter, no less. We are even gonna hike to
the top of Angels Landing. All that and more
coming up next. (bright music) ♪ I'm riding ♪ ♪ Riding, riding ♪ ♪ Riding in my RV ♪ ♪ My RV ♪ ♪ Wherever I want to be ♪ ♪ Because I'm free
in my RV, yeah ♪ - [Robert] Good morning. It rained last night. And this is not water,
that's ice. (laughs) Well, yeah, this Florida
man not used to frozen water unless it is inside a freezer. Well, let's hit the road. - [GPS] Head north. - Check it out. Three minnies. Well, we're going to
Zion National Park,
weather permitting. Apparently it was snowing
last night at Zion. It is going to be
a winter wonderland as we are here in mid February. We're gonna cross briefly into
Arizona before entering Utah. Such a striking landscape here as we traverse the
Virgin River Gorge. The colorful sign to
the right indicates that we are now in Utah. I'm going to stop here by
the visitor center real quick to get a map and some
information about
Zion in wintertime, and the visitor center
is located right here inside the World Wildlife
Museum in St. George. I just stopped here
at the visitor center. Very nice, as they usually are. And she told me that Zion
is beautiful when it snows, so there you go,
looking forward to that. (dramatic music) Here we are in Springdale, Utah, the gateway to
Zion National Park, originally settled as a Mormon
farming community in 1862. In 2008 it was named one
of the United States's 20st prettiest town
by Forbes Traveler, and it is certainly picturesque with Zion's striking
formations in the background. - [Ranger] Hi, how's it going? - [Robert] Hi, good morning. - [Ranger] All right,
where are you headed today? - [Robert] I was hoping
to go to Watchman's. - [Ranger] You wanna
get a campsite? - Yeah.
- Okay, there's plenty there. When you're done camping here,
which way are you headed? - Yeah, they ask you
all kinds of questions because if you're
planning to leave through the east entrance, they even have to
measure your rig to make sure it fits
through the tunnel. Let's go into the campground. One of the perks of coming
in the dead of winter is that you can have the
park almost to yourself, including the campground,
which, at this time of the year, is first come first served. Well, greetings from
Zion National Park. I chose site 15 here
at the campground, the Watchman Campground. The ground is a little muddy, but when all these
snows finishes melting,
it might dry up. You know, it snowed last night. It rained where I was which
means that it snowed here. It's gonna get, you know, very cold tonight, in the teens, but hopefully we'll be okay. I'll have that furnace
all the way, (laughs) max. Oh and by the way, we
do have electric here which is good. Let's go explore. (upbeat electronic music) I'm gonna stop real quick
by the visitor center to get a map and some
information about the trails. Here's the visitor center. Very helpful staff,
as they usually are. Apparently I am supposed to
buy some traction devices for my shoes due to the icy
conditions in some of the trails but they don't have my size. This is the Zion
Canyon Scenic Drive, also called the Floor
of the Valley Road. During the summer months when
the park is at its busiest, you're not allowed to
drive on this road. Instead, you have to park
at the visitor center or even further at Springdale and take a shuttle
into the park. If we were continue
on this road, we would take the tunnel
and eventually exit the park towards Bryce
Canyon, but instead, we're going to make a left and continue driving
here on Zion Canyon. Let me tell you,
I am really glad we are visiting this
time of the year because we wouldn't be able
to enjoy these great views the same way from
the confinement of a
crowded shuttle bus. This area is called
Court of the Patriarchs. Let's do a trail, well,
at least part of it. Oh well, let's see
how far we can go. This is the Virgin River
which carved this valley over the course of many,
many years, and yeah, some of the negatives
about coming this time of the year
are the icy conditions and some of the trails
actually being partially or totally closed, but
I think it was worth it to be able to see
this marvelous place without the crowds
of the peak season. I wonder if you're
cold, little bird. (upbeat electronic music) We're gonna try and
do at least part of the Emerald Pools Trail. I don't know how
far I'm gonna get because I haven't
been able to buy the proper traction devices,
you know, the shoe spikes, and it is getting
pretty slippery. Such amazing rock formations. Tomorrow the plan is
to hike Angels Landing which is a very similar rock just a little further
down the canyon. In some parts, it's
actually easier to walk on the softer snow off
the side of the trail. Whoa, slippery. Ooh, waterfalls. Oh, wow. (people chattering faintly) Beautiful. Whoa. Very slippy. Mm, I don't think I'm going
to be able to go any further without the spikes, so I'm
just gonna enjoy the view from here and
start heading back. Well, that is the one negative about coming in the wintertime, is that some of the
trails are closed, I mean, with good reason. It was very slippery back there, and I forgot to bring, you know, I bought a hiking
stick and some, you know, the
traction device proper they didn't have in my size, but I got some things
that grab onto the ground just in case I cannot
find the traction device. But this is beautiful, it's
a winter wonderland here. Oh wow, check that out. Actually, I could've
gone a little further had I come properly equipped. Talk about being unprepared. I didn't even bring my gloves. Well, the camera
can't really capture the grandeur, you know, of these pinnacles. (animal screeching) As soon as I get back,
I'm gonna go into town and get the traction devices because they are obviously
going to be essential. (water splashing) This short hike has
been basically a
rehearsal for tomorrow. (upbeat electronic music) Everywhere you look. Yeah, every once in a while
you just have to pause to appreciate this
incredible place. (water crashing) (bright music) Let's drive all the way
till the end of the road. Here coming up is
the Zion Lodge, the only hotel and
restaurant inside the park. I'm not really
gonna stop anywhere or do any hikes until
I come prepared. As I said, I wanna do
Angels Landing tomorrow. Right now, let's just
do this scenic drive. A little more icy here as we reach the northern
end of the park. We've reached the
end of the road and here's the trail
head for the Narrows which is a hike in which
you have to go wading in a shallow river,
but obviously I would
need special pants and boots, et cetera, so
perhaps if I come back in the summer, I'll do it. Let's head back. Up here we might be able to
kill two birds with one stone. We've got the Zion Outfitters and we've got a brew pub, so let me see if they
have those shoe tracking, not tracking devices,
traction devices, so I can hike and
then we'll have lunch. Let's go to the Zion
Outfitter first. Apparently they have
all kinds of stuff, anything you might need to do the different hikes in the park. Yeah, they have all
kinds of stuff in there like if you wanna
do the Narrows, they have all the
insulating stuff, you know, even now in the winter. And we've got this. They're supposed to
be the better ones. And since I'm a beginner, I
need all the help I can get, so. Let's go have
lunch, I'm starving. And hmm, daily special,
three-meat trio burger. Hmm, sounds delicious. Zion Brewery handcrafted
ales, and here's one of them. It's called the Echo Canyon IPA. Free popcorn, and yeah,
that's what I needed. Well, hamburger was delicious. They're a little understaffed, but other than
that, it was good. Now let's explore the
park a little bit. We have about two hours
of sunshine left here. Well, I'm anxious to try
my new traction devices so we're gonna do the
Canyon Overlook Trail. It takes about an hour and it
is about a mile round trip, and to get to it, we
have to take the tunnel so we're gonna go into the
freshly plowed switchbacks. Sounds like fun. (bright music) I would really be
afraid to take this road with Minitini the trailer in tow so even though we fit
through the tunnel, I think I am going
to exit the park through the south entrance the day after tomorrow
when we leave. Hmm, there's a big drop. Ooh, fishtailed a
little back there. Anyways, here comes the tunnel. The tunnel has a few openings from where you can see the view but it is hard for the
camera to capture it. Darn it, I missed
the parking lot. Now I'm gonna have to
turn around somewhere. This seems like a good
spot to make a U-turn. Here we are. Brr. Well, yeah, it's cold. Let's go for a little hike here. (upbeat music) Canyon Overlook Trail,
one-mile round trip. Oh, these things I bought
for my shoes, amazing. There's a tunnel down there. It's a long way down there. (people chattering faintly) Very icy conditions up here. I'm really glad I
bought these things. Amazing, amazing landscape
everywhere you look. Yeah, as I see the
people struggling with the slippery ice. Best investment, best
investment I have made these high-traction
adapters for my shoes. Should be getting
close, I think. Sunset is in about half an hour. I think this is it,
the Canyon Overlook. (peaceful electronic music) And those, those are
all the switchbacks we took to get here. Such a beautiful place. Well, this is the
end of the trail. (person chattering faintly) Let's head back. Amazing view. Let's head back
before it gets dark. Just need, ow, pu-fu-fu-fu. Okay, that didn't
come out too good. I wanted to put RV Vlog, but that didn't work
out all that well. Let's go all the way up here
and then, then we'll go. Oh. Whew, getting hot. That's an even better view, but there's no rails,
so keep in mind. Let's go. I think these people are
gonna wait for the sunset, but I am not. (people chattering faintly) I'm afraid to drive on
that road in the dark. (upbeat music) Ooh. It's amazing. Yeah, I remember this cavern
here, so we're getting close. Well, we have conquered the Canyon Lookout
Trail, is it called? Although of course,
this was only training for the real test which
is going to be tomorrow. Well, goodnight. Good morning, brr. Well, it is a little
uncomfortably cold out there. It's 30 degrees, last night
it went down to the low 20s. Starting to warm up. The car says it's 30 degrees. Where I'm going is probably
lower because today, I'm gonna try to do that great
hike here, Angels Landing. I've got plenty of water. I've got some peanuts
for when I feel hungry. I've got my gloves, my
hat, all my cameras. Look, beautiful. (bright music) There, we can see it, Angels Landing already
in the distance. Yes, that mountain
in the middle, that's what we're climbing. Let's park here. I'm not used to wearing gloves and I'm totally useless
with them. (laughs) It's so much comforting to know that I am not the only
crazy person attempting to do this today here. The parking lot is almost full. Let's see which ways the trail, look at that mountain,
it's amazing. Here at the Grotto, three trails actually
branch out from here, the West Rim, the Kayenta,
and Angels Landing. West Rim Trail, Angels Landing two and
a half miles that way. Sometimes I forget to
look back, you know, and sometimes the better
view is behind you. Well, I think we can agree today the better view
is all around us. I'm sure the camera
doesn't do it justice, but. (water splashing) Will I be able to climb
all the way to the top? Yeah, that stick was
getting on my nerves so I put it down here. Now it's getting a
little less on my nerves, but I might need it once
I hit, you know, the snow. I'm about to hit this
part of the trail called the switchbacks and it
is supposed to be really icy so it is time for some spikes. Now we've got the traction. Actually, I might
have to take 'em off. Don't really need 'em yet. It's much warmer now that
we're getting in some sunlight. In fact, I am almost
breaking a sweat. Yeah, it's been up and
up and up for a while and I'm starting to feel it. Pretty nice view here
as we start to gain some more serious elevation. I guess eventually we'll
make it all the way up there, or up there, rather. Whoo! ♪ It's getting
better all the time ♪ (Robert sighs) Look at that. I just asked these guys and they say that it's
gonna be fine like this for a couple of, I
don't know how long, until we reach the
switchbacks at the top and then I'm gonna
need these again. I took 'em off because
it's kind of uncomfortable. What a view, huh? (laughs) You see, wherever there's
shadow, there's ice. So on the other side of the
mountain, which is the icy side, that's where we're gonna
encounter the extreme ice. As you all know,
I'm from Florida, so I don't know anything
about snow or ice or winter. Are you afraid of heights? And you ain't seen nothing yet. It is truly an amazing hike. We've gone from really cold
to almost balmy right now. My head was starting to sweat. Put these back on. Yeah, it's starting to
get really cold again. It's gonna be so
pretty on the way down. Hmm, I guess this is what
they use to plow the trail. Tiny little plower. If you do this hike,
don't forget to look up. Don't forget to look back. It's a winter wonderland. (dramatic music) Oh, check that out. Well, we'll continue
climbing up. It's really wonderful. (laughs) I've seen a few people
struggling quite a bit with regular shoes, so if I didn't
mention it before, I'm really glad I got
these spiky things. Well, at least I'm not
the only one on the trail. Are you afraid of heights? Well, we still got
a little bit to go. It's a long way up. I'm starting to
sweat in my head, so I took my hat off. I think we're almost there. West Rim Springs,
that's three miles. Angels Landing, half a mile. That's where we wanna
go, Angels Landing. The lady at the
visitor center said that the last half
mile wasn't recommended during wintery conditions,
and I guess this qualifies, but still, to come
all the way here and not go all the
way to the top, I'm still undecided
at this point. Hmm, okay, tell you what,
doing Angels Landing the rest of the way
would've been really cool but I wanna go back
to Florida alive. I see some people doing it. Well, one of the guys going up, they said that it was
pretty sketchy, so, and he's a young
person, I don't wanna. Check out the view
from this side. Oh, to come all the way here and not going the
rest of the way, it's almost like Neil
Armstrong landing on the moon and not getting off the LEM. I might even gonna try
maybe a couple of feet, see. If I feel too
uncomfortable, I'll return. If I feel comfortable, I might
keep going, I don't know. We'll see. Here we go, here's the
beginning of the chains. Peer pressure, totally a thing. I guess seeing people,
some even older than me, go and more importantly
return from the hike kind of gives me a little
bit of reassurance. A young fellow
described it as sketchy. Little did I know that
sketchy is hiker talk for really dangerous,
but tell you what, nothing has ever been
written about cowards and something tells me I'm going to come out
of this one unscathed. I mean, if you're listening to
this, I probably did, right? Even though it is the most
extreme hike I've ever done. The thing with this
section of the trail is that you are walking
on this narrow path with 1,000-foot drops
at least on one side and all you have to
prevent you from falling to your certain death
are these chains. Not the trail for you if
you're afraid of heights, and I am, but just a little bit. On some of the crazier parts, you have 1,000-foot
drops on both sides. Once in a while, you just
gotta stop and look back, but then the climb continues. Yep, big drops on both sides. It is certainly a unique
experience in any season but the snow really takes
it to the next level. Here comes one of the
hardest and perilous parts. We are about to go
almost vertical. At this point, exhaustion
from the strenuous hike and the high altitude
is starting to set in, but there's no turning back now. We're almost there,
and what a view. This is certainly one of
the most difficult things I've ever done in
my life by choice. Seldom times do
you feel as alive as when your life is
literally in your own hands, and this is certainly
one of those moments. Oh my gosh. (sighs) I need a
break really bad. Just a little more,
just a little longer. (Robert sighs) Here, here, I'm going
to take a break, drink a whole bottle of water. Whew. Well, this is one of those that the camera won't
be able to capture, the, really, the
grandeur of this view. We're really up high here. Most strenuous hike I've ever
done, but totally worth it. I mean, the road
is way down there. (dramatic music) Almost there. Yeah, we're on the home stretch. Yes, mission accomplished! We've made it to the top. From here, it's just a short
walk to the vista point where we're gonna
have 1,500-foot drops
on almost all sides. It is a tremendous
feeling of accomplishment. The way down will be
equally as sketchy, but I'm not thinking
about that now. Still panting a little bit here from the high altitude,
but we're all good. It is amazing. I almost can't believe my eyes. (bright music) (dramatic uplifting music) - [Hiker] Good job. - Yeah, you too! Okay everybody, this has
been either the bravest or the stupidest
thing I've ever done, climbing here, all the
way up to Angels Landing, but I do believe the
view is worth it. I'm gonna give you
a quick 360 here. The view down there is even
more amazing than this. Yeah, but from up here, you can basically see
almost the whole-- - [Man] Yes? (woman speaking faintly)
- The whole park. And my battery on this
little camera is running out, so I'm gonna use the
other one on the way down. (Robert sighs) It's quite amazing. Oh, let's go back down. (peaceful electronic music) (camera snapping) This guy is taking
hundreds of pictures, apparently to
stitch them together and get some kind
of megapixel shot. That's gonna be cool. 360 view here from the top. Feel bad the camera
never quite captures it the way your eyes
do, I'm telling you. Yeah, he stopped for a minute so I could stand here at the end and take this beautiful shot. All right, yeah, this
is one of those places that makes me wish I had,
like, a stereoscopic VR rig, you know, something
virtual reality so you could actually
experience the depth. Mira. Oh wow, I think that's
where I'm parked. - [Man] Dark, I'd
say, wouldn't you? - Yeah.
- Yeah. - [Man] See where they
put cams down there, Will? (man speaking faintly) I hope they had a rope. - Well, little Sony battery died so this is all I've
got now. (laughs) The only thing is this camera, I'm not gonna be able to
use it when I'm on the ropes because the ropes
require both hands. Okay, one last view here
at the end of the trail and that's another
drop right there, and there's a huge
drop here, so. (sighs) Yeah, I'm just gonna have
to go down through here. I really wish I had
the head-mounted camera for the trek down because
it is really a lot scarier, at least in person. I'll film as much as
I can with this one. (bright electronic music) - And with that, we
have conquered Angels
Landing. (laughs) Actually I'm kinda glad the
other camera crapped out in the middle 'cause I'm
not sure I want my mom to see that, (laughs)
that footage. (laughs) Well, now we go down. The ice is melting. Yeah, this wasn't as melty
when I came this morning. Look at that. The rest of the way down should be pretty
easy in comparison. Maybe I should walk
fast through this area. Look at that. (ice clattering) Did you see that? By the way, what I just did,
Angels Landing in the winter, is not recommended so this
falls into that category of do what I say
and not what I do. Do not try this at home. This wasn't here this morning. (water splashing) A little cascade. Yeah. That's where we were. Hmm, had I read this before, maybe I wouldn't
have done it, huh? Oops. (laughs) Oh well. Well, that was incredible. Very glad that I did it and that I didn't stop
at the scout point or whatever it's called and actually decided to do
the more dangerous climb all the way to the top. I mean, if I had been by
myself I wouldn't have done it, but I saw so many people
coming back, (laughs) mainly. So I said, you
know, might as well. I'm sorry I couldn't
show you the way down which was probably more
dramatic than the way up, but battery died on this little camera here. Fourth battery died, you know. I mean, it went
through four batteries. I'm gonna go back and celebrate
with an IPA, probably, and I think that's all I'm
going to do in Zion today. And with this sunset coming up,
well, that already happened, we're saying goodbye
to Zion National Park. Wasn't this the most
awesome campsite? Oh, I forgot to remove
the GoPro last night. (sighs) I'm tired,
as you can imagine. I'm gonna go to sleep
early today, so goodnight. (relaxed music)
