Utah- Via Ferrata Climbing

Ken and I went to Utah this past weekend for a belated 10th anniversary celebration. And what a weekend it was — can’t rave enough about the extraordinary experience we had during our stay. It was to date, one of my favorite vacations and involved everything I love: adventure, exercise, beautiful sunny weather, nature, great food, and relaxing. One of my favorite activities was a climb in the mesas of the Canyon Valley of Southern Utah. The type of climb we did is called a Via Ferrata which involves steel rods / climbing ladders, and a steel cable that you are connected to. So yeah, JV type of climbing, but so fun and scary nonetheless!

 

This activity involved a guide, and I told the guide that we were both in good shape (#humblebrag) and wanted the hardest via ferrata climb that they had…..so look at the mesa we climbed. OY.

Look at the views. I am in love with the desert mesa now. The colors, the contrast between the stone and the sky. Everything.

THIS IS REALLY STEEP. It might not look like it, but I promise you that it was almost directly vertical.

You see the steel rods that act as a ladder, and me holding the steel cable? That is the via ferrata system. So fun — it made me want to start climbing!

Spider man and spider woman.

Me on top of a little mesa. Not the summit, but a panoramic view of the beautiful valley.

My favorite picture of the trip. I posted this on instagram with the caption “White men can’t jump, but Asian men can.” hee hee.

It looks like I am sky diving and that Ken is dancing mid-air.

At the summit, there was a suspension bridge that we walked across. I wasn’t scared of the climbing part, but the bridge was a little more difficult for me.  So scary, but so fun. And I would do it again now if I could! (Yes, we were harnessed in).

Me walking across the bridge. So cool, right? Doesn’t look as scary as it was in actuality, because it was SUPER high.

Ken and I high fiving each other.

Ken sitting down. Sitting down was a challenge because it made you realize how FLIPPING high you were above the ground, my god. So cool and so fun.

We did it!

Climbing down we went down the more gentle route. Still fun, but going up was definitely the most challenging and fun.

Me, my tush, and the guide, Wright. Hi, Wright!

So in love with the pale greys, sands, and pinks of the rock formations.

 

So neat and a highlight of the whole vacation! Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from our trip! We returned back to reality late Monday night and I am already scheming a way to get back to Utah — such a gorgeous part of the country.

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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4 Comments

  1. This is amazing!!! I would be way too scared but would love to say I did something like this some day!

  2. Hi, I guess you did the Hoodoo Via Ferrata. I can’t find a lot of information about this Via Ferrata online.
    Could you please tell me where this is and how much cost this Via Ferrata?
    Thanks a lot for your answer and for your blog!!

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