6 years later...!

August 13, 2018

6 years later...!

The subway is a special hike to the Wells family. My dad grew up hiking it with his siblings and its always been a summer tradition. Well, six years ago I had my first opportunity to experience this amazing hike. Long story short, it sucked. I jumped off the very first waterfall of the canyon and I broke my dang leg. I suffered through over 6 miles of painful piggybacks and endless throbbing in my ankle. I wasn't able to enjoy the hike or the beauty of it at all and to be honest I was never planning on returning. It has taken me many years to forgive the trail and I have come to love Zion so much that I figured I would give it another shot. This year me and my dad put our names in the lottery for subway permits and we somehow both got 12 tickets. The group headed out around 8am with our packs full of food and water. We had a killer group: Me, Dad, Drew, Ben, Shawnee, George, and Jeremy. We all had so much fun and NONE of us got hurt! We cruised through the first few dry miles and then had a blast through the water. We used the rope a couple times, shimmied down some rocks and even had to clear this gap with a fall of probably 20 feet or so. The water was a little chilly, but we enjoyed every minute of it. So glad I was able to redeem myself and actually enjoy the hike. There were so many times as we were climbing down rocks or through the river where I would think back and wonder how in the world did my dad and uncles do this with me on their backs?! And how did I ever get down the other waterfalls with a broken fibula?! Most definitely a miracle.

Drew and Ben somehow convinced the parents to let them miss the first day of school.

Always pack some candy to keep ya going.

Shawnee and bens first time and they both loved it.

Our tour guide. A few days before this hike I asked my dad why they even call it "the subway." I didn't remember the subway part of the hike, or the multiple waterfalls or logs or the dinosaur tracks. I can't believe how much I missed because I was trapped on my uncles backs. It was 200x better to be able to hike and actually look around and explore.