Given the long road ahead, Day 4 of our journey was meant to give us a little time to collect ourselves, while simultaneously getting a closer look at regional climate impacts. What better way to do this than to pay a visit to Zion National Park?! We woke up from a cozy AirBNB, and headed into the park. Upon arriving, we asked park rangers how the changing climate has impacted the park. We got mixed responses. It was clear that Zion has a host of issues, and they're not all climate related. We were told that last year 4.2 million people visited the park, which is having noticeable impacts to the park. Some of the wildlife has also become afflicted by a deadly virus. Finally getting to climate, we learned that Zion did not get rain at all last year! And then, a few weeks ago a storm came through that dumped 3 years’ worth of rain in just a single hour! The result was major erosion and flooding. Because the drought killed many plants, which usually bind the soil with their roots, landslides and rock falls were more frequent during the downpour. Consequently, 200 feet of the iconic Angels Landing trail was washed away, and the trail was sadly closed during our visit. After climate discussions with rangers, we found time to take a hike up to the top of Observation point.
It was gorgeous, although we got caught in a flash thunder and lightning storm, which caused us to seek shelter under a rock, as the storm passed over head! In less than 20 minutes, we were once again graced by warm sunshine and blue skies. Thanks goodness! By sunset we were en route to our next destination...Tropic, Utah!
Click here to learn more about "On the Road for Climate Action!"
Dr. Shahir Masri
[Originally published on August 4, 2018]
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