Day 34 - Arriving to Escalante

Escalante was the last unmapped region of the lower 48 because of its remoteness and difficult terrain-- making it an ideal training ground for a backpacking guided 5-day training course. Just northeast of Grand Canyon, Escalante is as known as Grand Staircase for its colorful geological layers.

I arrived to Escalante by 9am, did some email and blog updating, and set off for a small hike up Lower Calf Creek falls to test out my new shoes.

The drive to Calf Creek was stunningly gorgeous and gave me a chance to survey the area I would be backpacking in.

The hike to the falls was sandy, easy and packed with people. There are very few official trails in Escalante so this one is popular. And deservingly so. The falls were set in a shady corner and the mist made the falls chilly and refreshing.

On the trail back I gazed at the three warrior petroglyphs across the canyon and was immediately transferred in my mind to the times of the Indians of a thousand years ago-- defending their farms and homesteads from other tribes and living amid such towering colorful canyons. I took a pic on the way out overlooking the canyons and Cottonwood trees lining the creek.

I drove the highway 12 scenic road to Boulder in search of a place to shower and eat dinner. The vistas along the road were sensational as the road ran impossibly steep ridges seemingly hanging from the sky above. Boulder town was small so I drove back to Escalante, got an RV spot with wifi and showers, cleaned up, packed up my gear for tomorrow's hike and went to bed. Tomorrow I would enter the wilderness for five days.

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Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss. Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come. Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling. I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good. I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...

Day 43 - Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef, a national park centered around a 90 mile ancient seabed reef was next on my list. A sensationally scenic three hour drive from Bryce, back through Escalante, and then through a national forest led me to the park. A stop by the visitor center to get the lay of the land and insider info on local free BLM campsites complete, I set out on Chimney Rock trail up the the top of the first reef to get a view. Yes sir!! The weather was ideal for hiking and the views completely blissful, but I was frankly tired today. I set out along the scenic road down the west side of the reef and remember wanting to take a nap-- but still having a sense of urgency to complete the desert portion of my trip-- I pushed on and set out to hike down the Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash canyons. The Capitol Gorge had a "Pioneer Wall" with inscriptions from the early 1900s and the Grand Wash had a nice narrow section with towering canyon cliffs all around. I took a photo of the surrounding reef...

Day 54 - Great Sand Dunes

I awoke to clear skies, a dry mattress and pillows, a second hot shower and a waffle-filled motel breakfast. I decided to head east to Great Sand Dunes National Park in order to climb 700 foot sand dunes surrounded by snow-covered alpine mountains--a rare site. Just about every road in Colorado goes over a pretty high mountain pass eventually, and this three and a half hour journey didn't disappoint. And Great Sand Dunes didn't disappoint either. After securing a dune-side campsite and waiting out a rainstorm, I set out to climb the dunes for a sunset view. Great Sand Dunes is also famous for its Medano Creek wave-like flow and ankle-deep water, making it popular with young kids. I hiked through it and started climbing the dunes, first to a high dune on the east side and over to the next highest dune and then the next highest et until I got to the highest one-/ properly called High Dune. I sat down, setup my phone to capture a time-lapse of the beautiful sunset my eyes were ...

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