Over the course of four days in March, James Barrow, 27, and Connor Baty, 20, traversed the Towers of the Virgin in Zion National Park—that’s 20 distinct peaks across challenging terrain, including 28 miles and about 18,500 feet of technical elevation gain. It’s no easy feat, and some say this is the most impressive accomplishment in Zion in decades.
Videos by Outdoors
According to St. George News, Barrow and Baty are Utah locals. The two met while attending Utah Tech University and realized they shared a passion for rock climbing. Barrow told St. George News that he and Baty forged a friendship while climbing at Zion.
In an Instagram post, Barrow, who is originally from New Hampshire, wrote that traversing the Towers of the Virgin, a series of a jagged summits in Zion, was a “long held dream.”
Barrow’s post also details the pair’s route, which began at 7:15 AM on March 9, 2024. The climbers then proceeded to traverse the towers, scaling no fewer than 20 peaks before descending. They finished their trek at 5:30 PM on March 12, 2024.
Barrow and Baty told local news they trained for this traverse, but are you really ever ready to take something like this on? Apparently, Barrow even had a cold during this trip of a lifetime. Thankfully, he says the weather cooperated.
Can you imagine scaling 20 peaks in Zion in four days?
