and surround, between Kanab and Page, Arizona.
Rising before sunrise is 'for the birds'. (We waited months to capture this scene. The editor was not charmed.)
Fires in the cities, peace in the wilds.
We've hiked quite a bit in Utah, the southern region, a land that has fascinated us from our first visit.
As the heading pronounces, the rugged beauty is a knock-out. The state has at least five national parks that
we have visited frequently. We have a soft spot for Zion with the others trailing not far behind as we have
mentioned, from time to time. However, the Grand Staircase Escalante is another gem, rough but vast and gorgeous
in many places. The colors, shapes, sizes and positioning of the mountains provide the viewer with constant
amazement. So much is exposed to the national and local roads; however, the views from there only provide a
hint or tease one. What lies beyond the periphery is tantalizing as some of our pictures, we think, illustrate.
By limiting visits to national parks only, one limits oneself—there are unbelievable experiences outside these
preserves. Unfortunately, a hiker has to venture into the wilds with the appropriate vehicle as the terrain is
very rough—roads that exist are a challenge even for four-wheel drives, in many cases. Who said the gems should be
easily viewable? It's the way of the world and we think it's how it should be—the greater the effort, the
more reward.
Double arch alcove along Taylor Creek, Kolob Canyon, Zion.
Tame graffiti of the back-country. The colors are stunning.
Rock climbing in the middle of nowhere
We spent a few days in Kanab while we tried to win a lottery opening for an opportunity to hike to 'The Wave'.
In the interim, we had a couple of local hikes and two visits to Pink Coral State Park, mentioned previously.
The locals were Squaw and Bunting hikes. The latter proved to be a great test because of the way we attempted it.
We set off to reach the vermilion cliffs, which tower over the town. The views are splendid. The trail is
reasonable but faint in places. After reaching the peak, a climb that was a good challenge, particularly the last
part which we found a little precarious, we returned to a junction a little way down from the top. That's when
things got really interesting.
A view into the canyon on Bunting hike from vermilion cliffs.
Gives an idea of the toadstool effect tucked away in this corner of Utah.
Deep in the interior are gems like this; early morning light helps, too.
What was interesting? We could see our car some miles from where we stood and many feet below. However, we did
not know how to get back to it. We went down to the rim and could not find a path so we returned to near the top
again and but did not bisect a trail. The 'boy hero' was sure we had to go further over the next mountain to regain
the path and then head down. Our editor was sure we had only crossed one mountain and therefore had traversed too
far already. As always, time was moving on, the weather was cooling after having begun cold. We scrambled across
very dangerous terrain trying to regain perspective but mostly hoping to find the trail. However, no path revealed
itself. Of course, the longer one wonders about, the less stable one feels especially while standing on unfamiliar
ground and in precarious positions.
Nothing subtle about the separation of brown and white.
Back to Kolob and the flora under the bottom arch.
We tried identifying familiar ground as we peered down from above. Although neither of us was completely convinced
of our positions regarding the way down, we decided the editor made more sense. We are most fortunate that we had
the wisdom to follow her advice. After crossing some rather tough slopes with loose footing, we finally reached
a path. Thereafter, familiarity returned and we heaped the editor with much praise, blessings and bequeathed her
our favorite pair of boots. Getting lost or losing the trail is not an attractive proposition; it's something we
can do without although one must expect it every so often.
Down into the canyon, a hint of a classy interior decorator using chocolate browns.
Taking in the exquisite views into a deep canyon.
On our way to Arizona, the northern part which is effectively the same as the southern part of Utah (that's what
happens when you make artificial political boundaries), we stopped at a trailhead that appeared to be, for a change,
in the middle of nowhere—we do a lot of those, lately. We read about it earlier but from the road we noticed chocolate
and white colored mountains of unusual shapes. Upon stopping for a view, we tied the bootlaces and headed into see
what was on offer. Quite spectacular. The features are toadstool hoodoos but there's far more than that. We found
ourselves, after climbing a while, above a valley that took the breath away, besides the climb. Perhaps our favorite
pastime is climbing and playing on the slick rocks while taking in the myriad views. There were many of those. It's
amazing to keep finding so many outstanding regions spread all over the state but just out of reach should one not
wish to walk a little. Once again, the photographs provide a better explanation than we could ever hope to achieve.
To paint those straight lines one needs a rule.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Slipped this past the editor, one from Antelope Canyon, coming up next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment