Day 24 - Aravaipa Canyon

Aravaipa is one of the prettiest canyons in the world and it is basically unknown. Only 50 people are allowed in per day making it feel like a true wilderness. I packed my backpack with all the overnight essentials-layers of clothing, shelter, food and water and set out to Aravaipa early Monday morning. I started the hike with a group of other people but quickly was alone in the great wilderness as I hike quickly.

The trail follows a creek bed on narrow paths through grass (pic 1) or through rock and brush but often the path just dead ends into the creek. You simply just cross the slow-flowing, ankle-deep water to the other side and proceed along the path. The 90 degree high temp midday mixed with the cool but not cold water made hiking through the creek refreshing and fun.

At some parts you simply had to walk through the creek as the canyon walls narrowed. Pic 2 shows me in my hiking gear through such a section. The creek would weave around east west north and south but getting lost was impossible as you simply just followed the creek. The canyon changed as I continued hiking up stream. Pic 3 shows a pretty middle section with cactuses high on the upper ridge. Pic 4 shows the end section with Bryce-canyon hoodoo-like walls.

After seven hours of hiking I finally made it to the end of the 14 mile canyon. I explored up the access road beyond and then came back and setup camp near the far entrance (see my modest but lightweight shelter in pic 5). I prepared dinner and was eating just as darker clouds rolled in and the sun was setting (pic 6). Just as I got under my tarp shelter a light rain started falling-- the first rain all trip.

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Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion! I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together. David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S. and Canada....

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper. The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...

Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet! I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception. I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton. The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district. Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...

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