Barry started complaining of a "sour stomach" on the shuttle, but we didn't think too much of it and started our hike on the Observation Point trail (an 8-mile, strenuous-rated hike) at around 12:20 pm in hot sunshine. The temperature at the start was in the upper 80s, with highs in the mid-90s predicted, from the southwest heat wave that is beginning in earnest today. This was our hottest day of the trip other than the heat at the bottom of the Grand Canyon near the Colorado River. Even though this is a dry heat, the sun is strong, and there was little shade on the hike. It started right out with steep switchbacks, from the bottom of Zion Canyon up, and we knew we'd be climbing for a long time as the hike advertised over 2100' of elevation gain.
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Even if Barry had been well, I think this would have been our least favorite hike of the trip as the trail was semi-paved, with big broken pieces of pavement, nearly all the way. We are used to dirt or sandy trails that are easier on the feet and knees, but the constant pounding on sidewalk-like pavement really wears an already-tired body out. It was a hot and sweaty hike up, and even the beautiful views didn't help make it much fun, especially since Barry seemed to be feeling worse. I wish we had just turned around and not forged ahead to the overlook, as he couldn't even enjoy it when we got there, and couldn't manage to eat anything; and by this time, it had been many hours since breakfast. He seemed to be feeling worse by the minute, and I knew we just needed to get down the mountain and into the hotel room so that he could relax. We saw a high of 98 degrees on his temperature gauge on the way up, so the heat was unrelenting, not helping matters much.
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