Canyonlands Day Two

By 7 am the sun's light had crept over the small dome of slick rock behind our campsite, invading our comfortable sanctuary from the previous day's heat.  With the tent quickly becoming a green house, it was time for breakfast.  

After cooking breakfast in camp, we drove to the visitor center to fill up our daypacks with water.  The cowboy camp didn't have water, and the visitor center, about ten miles south, was the closest water source.  We decided to do a few short hikes in the morning while it was still a bearable temperature in the desert. 

For our first stop, we headed for the Mesa Arch Trailhead.  More of a short walk than a hike, the Mesa Arch Trail is a half-mile loop to a picturesque arch on the Island in the Sky Mesa.

The walk only took a few minutes, and the path was well-maintained by the park service.  The arch itself was more impressive than in the photos I had seen.  I was able to climb up to the edge of the rock running underneath the arch, and was surprised to see that there was a drop off of close to a thousand feet immediately beyond.  Photos taken from the right angle captured the vast landscape framed by the arch.   We hung out long enough to take a few photos.  A handful of other tourists climbed the rocks around the arch searching for the perfect photo.

With our warm-up hike out of the way, we drove further across the mesa towards the Aztec Butte Trailhead.  This hike was a more formidable 2 mile round trip jaunt to a couple of archeological sites.  Most of the trail was a level walk through open desert scrubland on a sandy path.  We spotted a young jackrabbit on the side of the trail, munching on a long stalk of grass.  He didn't look to be alarmed by us.

Part way along the path, a side trail branched over the base of a large rock formation.  From this point, we climbed 40 or 50 feet of slick rock to the top of the formation.  The trail crossed the flat, rocky top to the other side and then descended to a cave.  Inside of this cave were remnants of an old granary used by indigenous peoples long ago.  It looked as if they had made bricks out of the clay and stacked them inside of the cave to create a storage space.  

We followed the spur trail back to the junction, and then continued towards Aztec Butte.  The butte was a large dome of gray rock, with scattered sandstone rocks and ledges.  The top of it was perfectly flat, and lined with green vegetation.  The easy trail quickly turned hard from here, as we had to ascend several hundred feet of slick rock at steep angles.  This was the hike when I began to trust my footing on the slick rock, which isn't really slick at all when its dry.  

On the table-flat top of the butte, the trail made a loop around the perimeter, affording views in all directions of the Island in the Sky Mesa, and the towering canyons of the Green River.  Ruins from another primitive structure were to one side of the trail.

The trip down went quickly, aided by a few stretches of scooting on our bottoms to avoid falling down the steep rock.  We made the easy walk back to the Jeep and headed further down the road for another hike.

Our third hike of the morning was to Whale Rock, a large formation of slick rock that resembles a whale if viewed from the right angle.  The trail was only a mile round trip, but it made a steep climb over ledges of sandstone and slick rock to the large, flat area atop the formation.  We sprawled out on the rocks, soaking up the sun and taking in the panoramic views of the landscape around us.  

By the time we had made our way back to the Jeep it was almost noon, and the air was quickly becoming too hot for hiking.  We decided to drive into Moab and look for an air-conditioned place to hang out during the warmest part of the day.  We ended up grabbing lunch and cold drinks at Sweet Cravings, a cafe right in town.  They had air conditioning and didn't mind us loitering at the table for a few hours.

The car thermometer read 106 degrees as we drove out of Moab, but by the time we had made the drive back to the Island in the Sky, it was a respectable 95 degrees outside.  We refilled our day packs with water at the visitor center and headed for the Murphy Point Trailhead.  

 The Murphy Point Trail provided an easy 1.8 mile walk to the edge of the canyon.  The hiking was mostly on sand and occasional slick rock, and the elevation never gained or lost more than a hundred feet.  The trail passed through an open, arid terrain of cacti and juniper.  As we approached the canyon edge, we had to climb across a sizable gap between large chunks of slick rock.  I found it was easier to get a running start heading down one rock before leaping the gap and using the momentum to climb up the other side.  Mary preferred the slower approach of scooting down one side, getting a foot hold and hand hold and then scrambling up the other side.  I'm finding this slick rock to be a fun surface to hike on.  As long as it doesn't rain, and there isn't any loose sand or gravel on it, the surface provides predictable and consistent footing.

 The view from the canyon edge was surreal.  A  sheer drop-off of about 1,400 feet provided views of the white rim road ( a path for 4 wheel drive vehicles) far below, and of a maze of mesas and canyons stretching to the edge of the earth.  The waters of the Green River were visible from the overlook as well.  

We hung around at the overlook, eating some animal crackers and debating how many miles we could see.  Eventually, we made the hike back to the Jeep.  

We drove back to the campsite in time to watch the sunset.  The sun melted into the horizon, casting off an infinite number of shades of red and yellow.  We cooked dinner in the cool, twilight air while the skies took on a rich, violet color.  Bats darted about the campsite as darkness took over the desert.

After dinner, we sat up for a couple of hours, enjoying the awesome display of stars.  With so little light from cities visible, and the moon not coming up until after midnight, the night sky was spectacular.  The glowing, gaseous blanket of the Milky Way stretched from one horizon to the next.  Eventually, our fatigue overtook our appreciation of the night show, and we climbed into the tent for a quiet night of sleep.  

Moab/Canyonlands Day 1

After finishing our backpack in Bryce Canyon we headed for the General Store by Sunset Point for much needed showers.  The store had coin operated showers for $2.  Knowing that we had a long drive ahead of us, we re-packed the Jeep in a way that allowed us to  take the top off without any of our stuff blowing away.  It was cool and cloudy in Bryce while we unpacked and then re-packed the Jeep.  At one point, all of our possessions were scattered along the sidewalk in front of the general store.  Folks walking by looked at us like transients, which I guess we kind of were.

Once showered and packed back up we headed off towards Moab.  We decided to take a more scenic route than the long, barren drive  we had taken on I-70 on the way out.  By taking side roads, we we would be able to drive through much of the Grand Escalante Staircase National Monument, and some of Capitol Reef National Park.  

The route did not disappoint.  The road climbed  relentlessly through bizarre rock formations as we drove east then climbed to over 10,000 feet of elevation in places. The astounding views seemed to stretch to the ends of the earth.  It was hard not to be impressed with the civil engineers that designed and built these roads- roads which were in far better shape than Michigan's highway system.  Considering the brutal landscape that had to be tamed in the construction of this path, it must have been quite a feat.  

Approaching Boulder, Utah, the road made a dizzying descent down the face of rock walls.  Sheer drop-offs on either side of the road made for white knuckle driving.  Just past Boulder we found a great place for lunch.  

The Hell's Backbone Grill was like an oasis in the desert for us.  Located right off of the highway on the outskirts of Boulder, the grill served eclectic and delicious fare in a beautiful setting.  We enjoyed a very late breakfast (always the best meal of the day) with organic eggs, fair trade coffee, potato pancakes and homemade bread and jams.  We were completely stuffed by the time we got back on the road. 

Past Boulder, the road cut a beautiful path through groves of cottonwood trees with scatterings of free-range cattle on green hillsides.  The weather was cool and breezy, with dark clouds brewing on the horizon.  It was weather more fit for Michigan, and made us feel at home while driving.

The drive through Capitol Reef National Park was  reminiscent of our time in Zion, but on a smaller scale.  Red rock formations towered over the road in places, and groves of cottonwood trees and a lush, green landscape adorned the small stream that flowed along the road.  We stopped for a few photos along the highway and to stretch our legs.

Beyond Capitol Reef, the terrain became truly bizarre.  Eventually, there were no trees to be seen, and towering, gray rock formations stood sentinel on both sides of the road.  After we made the turn north for I-70, the terrain opened up and became flat and barren.  Red mesas shimmered in the distance, and the road stretched into the horizon.  Even the 65 mph limit seemed inadequate while cruising the flat terrain.

The skies continued to darken while we drove, and we wondered if taking the top off of the Jeep was going to be a mistake.  Luckily, the weather forecast proved accurate, and we never saw the precipitation held by the dark skies.  

We arrived in Moab in the evening.  The air was thick and heavy as we drove through down Main Street.  Moab looked to be a very fun town, with eclectic eateries, coffee shops, outfitters, gear shops, art galleries and a brewery.  Thanks to the advice of a Moosejaw employee back home we had a campsite in mind for the night.  We headed out of town on a side road, but before the directions could take us to our destination we spotted a different BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campground on the side of the road.  This campground had ten sites situated right on the shores of the massive Colorado River.  We couldn't resist camping on water for the night.

After setting up camp, we headed back into town for some dinner at Miguel's.  Miguel's is a well-known mexican establishment.  They had nothing but glowing reviews online, and there fish tacos were voted number one by Outdoors Magazine, so we figured we couldn't go wrong.  The reviews were right.  We had a delicious dinner of potato flautas and mahi mahi tacos.

By the time we returned to camp, the skies had cleared some, and we crashed in our tent under the canopy of stars and black canyon walls.  The campsite next to us was staying up late drinking and listening to music.  We fell asleep to the hits of the 80's.

In the morning we grabbed a light breakfast and did some grocery shopping in town before heading for Canyonlands National Park.  Canyonlands is a massive park, with three distinct areas, or districts.  Our first destination was the Island in the Sky District, to the north of Moab.  

Island in the Sky is aptly named, as the bulk of the park sits on a large mesa.  This relatively flat piece of land is bordered by the Green River on one side and the Colorado River on the other.  The rivers meet to the south of the park, trapping the landmass high above it.  To the north, a tiny isthmus of land, called the neck, connects the mesa to the surrounding land.  Ranchers once used this area to hold cattle, as only the tiny neck needed to be secured in order to trap large herds of cattle on the island.  

Willow Campground is the only campground in the park.  We arrived to find it already full for the night, so we headed back out of the park in search of a place to camp.  About ten miles past the park boundary, we found a BLM campground called Cowboy Camp with space.  

Cowboy Camp turned out to be much more impressive than Willow.  With only 7 isolated sites situated on an open ridge overlooking miles of open desert, the campground was the perfect place for solitude near a national park.  We set up our campsite and changed into hiking clothes. 

It was late afternoon by the time we reached  the trailhead for our hike.  I was hoping to hike in the cooler part of the day, but it was still in the 90's when we stepped off down the trail for the Neck Spring Loop.

The Neck Spring Trail is a 6 mile loop that traverses the arid terrain of Island in the Sky, while passing by a couple of springs.  The hike left the parking lot, crossing the park road before beginning its descent into a small canyon.  Rock cairns, or piled up rocks left by rangers to indicate the path, allowed us to find our way through the desert scrubland.  

As we hiked, the sun bore down with surprising intensity for so late in the day.  The trail was mostly an easy-to-follow dirt path along the side of a canyon.  Occasionally, it would need to cross a wash and climb up the other side.  In these places, we would have to climb down large rocks steps or scurry over stretches of slick rock.  At the bottom of the canyons, we found dried-out washes and lush, green evidence of water everywhere.  The shade of the small trees was more than welcome in the afternoon heat.

Gradually, the trail made its way around the loop.  As it began to climb up the canyon wall towards the road we slowly acquired more and more shade. A relatively easy hike suddenly turned difficult, as the trail turned left and up.  A ten minute stretch climbed almost vertically up large stretches of slick rock towards the rim of the canyon.  A few sections required using hands and feet to climb.

The view on the rim was more than worth the effort, however.  We were back in the sun, but it was setting quickly, and the air was becoming cooler as we hiked.  The setting sun bathed the mesas and canyons in a golden hue while we hiked back towards the parking area.  Two huge jackrabbits ran across the trail.  They seemed to be enjoying the evening shade on the rim. 

Eventually the trail crossed the road and made its way north to the parking lot.  The views into the canyons was astounding, awash in light and shadows of a setting sun.  We stopped to sit on a large rock outcrop for a while in order to take in the grandness of the terrain.  It was impossible not to feel small in such a vast landscape.  

We drove back to camp just in time to watch the last shreds of sunlight melt into the horizon.  We cooked dinner in the now cool air while the skies grew dark.  A steady breeze blew across the desert.  They were dream-like conditions for camping.  

After dinner, we sat around camp and watched the stars come out.  It was one of the best night skies of our trip.  Stars stretched almost from one horizon to the other.  

We are just getting acquainted with Canyonlands National Park, but already I can tell that I am going to remember this vast and remarkable landscape.