Salt & Sweat

Hi All,
We are still in Utah and as Shabbos is approaching, we will stay until Sunday unless, of course, we stay longer. It is liberating to be able to enjoy a flexible schedule and we appreciate this enormously. We think it will be difficult to change when we ‘regain’ our responsibility but we will deal with it then or…later.
“What do you think the Ranger meant when he wished us ‘good luck’?” our editor inquired as we left the visitors center. We were on Antelope Island, surrounded by the famous Salt Lake. “I suppose at a temperature of 95%, a solid climb of 2,100 feet, 7 miles round-trip, with no shade at all, and that you are no youngster, he thinks we need a little assistance.” Don’t you wish you could take back a remark that flies out of the mouth with so little thought? Our editor pretended not to notice or maybe she closes her ears when we talk nowadays. However, we don’t like the omen when people wish us ‘luck’ and have a little smirk on their faces.




This was our first hike in a while in which there was not another person present. We wonder if our editor is safe with only you-know-who around. We began to understand the Ranger’s sentiments. We have attached a picture of the car park to attest to the popularity of this climb, Frary Trail, which reaches the highest point on the island. The water looked powder blue with a misty cloud hovering over it. It was a wonderful sight. In other parts, especially the eastern shore, the salt and other minerals lay thick on the surface. This is Utah’s equivalent of the Dead Sea. In addition, we have come across Mt. Nebo (Moses’ resting place), Zion, the three Patriarchs, the altar, Jordan trails, Moab and more. Do you follow the pattern? We did say we are traveling to Israel—we seem to have arrived a little early.






Back on the trail, it was a long climb and very steep at times. Strangely, the closer we got to the peak, the further away it seemed to appear. The rolling grass-covered hills joined the water with the sky—it gave us pleasure to view, climb and absorb. There was not a tree visible but for shrubs and bushes. The heat, exacerbated by the lack of any cover, drained us prematurely.



Finally, one of the explanations given for the high mineral content is that the lake does not drain thus allowing for the build-up of minerals. Evaporation removes water but leaves the minerals behind, causing further concentration. The conclusion is that you might want to make alternative swimming arrangements. As beautiful as it looked and as perspiration-drenched that we were, the water did not temp us to take a ‘dip’.
Bye,
Jenni and Jeffrey