Let me tell you a little something about Utah. You do not really go there to vacation. Of course, I guess it depends on the type of family you have, but, with my family, it was more like a boot camp.

Okay...that might be a little dramatic.

I am not going to get into all of the details of the trip because that would not be very interesting. We basically stayed at three different hotels in Utah in order to visit every place that we wanted to see. The beginning of the trip was fairly simple and fun; however, after arriving at Zion National Park, I thought I would not see the light of day.

The first day we hiked up to Scout’s Lookout. This was a 2.5 mile hike that was all uphill. After that, most people go on to complete a hike at Angel’s Landing. When walking up to the sign for this next part of the journey, I see in writing, “Since 2004, 6 people have died trying to climb this.” Even with this, we went to try it. You are basically on a cliff with only a metal chain to hold on to. After trying for about three minutes and seeing that part of the trip included a gap in the chain, we made our descent back down.

The next day was the worst. Here is the thing: it was my favorite part of the trip when we first started. It was called “The Narrows,” and we had to rent gear in order to complete the hike. There were water shoes, socks and hiking sticks provided with the purchase, so you can already tell it was not a simple trail. Walking in between the canyons was absolutely amazing though. At least, for the first two hours. The part of the hike that is a bit difficult is the fact that more than 50 percent of the time, you are walking through water that is filled with huge rocks at the bottom. Navigating is probably the hardest part because you have to decide which side is better to be on. There are some parts of the trip where you are waist deep in water and there is nothing you can do about it. For other parts, you just have to know which side of the canyon is better.

After a long day of hiking, we had calculated that our hike took about six hours and 40 minutes. And let me tell you, I felt it. The soreness had already crept up on me that night. It may have even resulted in a strained or sprained ankle.

Despite the pain, however, it was a beautiful place. There are many hikes we decided to go on with amazing views that would be unheard of on the East Coast. I am grateful for the trip, and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a vacation that keeps you in shape while also giving you an eye opening experience.

Just remember to turn back around after two hours of hiking or less.