Thanksgiving cragging (Ashtar Tower)

After several days of big activities, Brian and I decided to rest for a bit before getting moving by heading back out to Zion National Park once again on Thanksgiving Day.

This time, instead of going deep into a canyon, we decided to have some upward vertical movement and climb Ashtar Tower, a popular tower in the park. When we arrived, there were a couple of other parties ahead of us on the route to the top, so we did a couple of other warm up climbs nearby while we waited until our route was open.

We took two pitches to get to the top on a pretty fun route. There were some cracks involved but for the most part the climb was on the rock face with varied holds and lots of foot placements on strong patina. We hit the top just in time to watch the colors in the sky and on the rock start changing as the sun reached the last leg of its descent for the day.

A couple of rappels down and we were able to get back to our traveling home, grab some food and a glass of wine, and hike out to a quiet spot where we could rest, eat, watch the sunset, and be thankful.