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 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

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Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

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