Scrambled Legs at Zion NP
1 down, 69 to go
Not to admit my age or anything, I’ve officially embarked on a personal quest of the absurd: to hike to the summits of 70 peaks before hitting the ripe young age of 71. Which means I have until next February to get to it.
And here it is April, and only today, April 10, 2023, did I tick off summit Numero Uno: Progeny Peak in Utah’s Zion National Park. Nothing heroic, although there’s no trail and it’s a steady scramble of the legs and a bit of the hands in the steeper parts. I didn’t see a soul the entire way, though there were fresh boot prints and hoof prints that I followed at times. My GPS waypoints on the way up came in handy for the subsequent descent, being surrounded by way too much scenery.
I don’t recommend Progeny as a hike, of course, unless you’re an experienced climber with routefinding skills and some slickrock sense. This worthy peak is located a little east of the famous highway’s long tunnel high above the main valley. I remember going though the tunnel with family when I was a kid and you could stop at the “windows” and gawk at all that gravity. No stopping these days.
The ground rules I established for my quest are pretty much the same as the rules I wrote (no, I didn’t actually write them down) 20 years ago when I checked off a list of 50 summits, snagging the big 5-0 outside San Francisco only 3 hours before my self-imposed birthday deadline. The 60 list was heavy on new peaks in the eastern U.S., while we were living and working in the Washington, D.C. area. I turned Virginia’s Old Rag Mountain into a 5,000-foot ascent—not bad for 3,284-foot high summit. I’ll explain that one later.
The only catch to my upwardly scheme is that each summit must be one I’ve never hiked up before, which is fabulous incentive to get out and see the wide, wide world of mountains and even ranges I’ve never visited. And to keep myself in shape, which is at least half the fun.
As for difficulty, there are no arduosity rules, although the upward part should be at least enough to break a sweat and build an appetite for a bagel and cheese. Most ascents range from 1,000 to 5,000 feet of elevation gain (Progeny is just over 1,000) and anywhere from a mile or two to 15, 20 or more in length round trip. I followed similar rules in 2013 for my 60 summits shindig. I included a few roped climbs and at least a couple I could have done in my bathrobe before breakfast, but at least they sounded adventurous. I’ll dig out my old notes on those earlier endeavors and share some of that on my way to 70.
For 2023, I have a fairly ambitious list of peaks in my sights throughout the western states and maybe a little beyond. And by a luck of the draw, here I am at Zion for Number One. I actually had a permit reserved to hike the entire Narrows from the top down, something that’s been on my radar for decades. But alas, they only allow people in the gorge when the river flow is under 130 cubic feet per second. It’s been more than triple that the past few days. so scratch the canyoneering thing, and score one for the mountains!
Follow along if you like and I’ll post my little adventures as they occur, including, I hope, several more in the coming weeks. I’ll try not to boast too much, unless I’m feeling particularly giddy. And feel free to kickstart a comment string if any of these places trigger a memory or a question, or give you a hankering to explore some exceptional new places of your own.
So it only seems apropos to start things off with Progeny Peak. Not quite sure why, but I do like the name, unofficial as it is. At this point I have no idea what comes next, other than I’m pointed north and east tomorrow.
To scrambled legs and beyond!
