Day 49 - Canyonlands Needles

Chesler Park, a city-park like green space surrounded by thin, towering red and white spires is the star feature of the remote Needles district in Canyonlands. My planned, 15 mile hike, would take me around the Chesler Park loop, up a slot canyon-esque Joint trail, then up a side canyon to the Druid Arch and then back six miles to the starting point, the van.

I awoke at 6am so I could be gone from my suspect campsite before any off road vehicles pulled up. I had not slept well the night before but drove on anyway to Needles. I arrived at Needles at 730am but all the campsites were already taken during this popular time of year here. I settled for a campground just outside the park which was $5 more but included a luxury item, a shower.

The skies were filled with threatening-looking clouds but the forecast was for only 30% chance of afternoon showers. The beginning of the hike was a bit mundane, hiking up slick rock to good views of the red and white needles. I found myself being a bit bored with the scenery until the trail entered The Joint, a slot section, and then the Chesler Park area. The Joint was dark, narrow and fun and concluded with a climb up to big views. The Chesler Park area was fascinating because it reminded me of a city park-- vast green space with high spires on every perimeter. Pics.

After the Chesler park area, I hiked a side trail 2.5 miles to the well-named Druid Arch. This was a fun section, up a canyon bottom then up to a middle ridge and continuing to a ladder and final steep scramble to the vantage point of the arch. I loved this unique arch but loved the view down canyon even more.

Then I heard thunder and noticed the dangerous looking clouds above. I needed to get the hell off this high cliff and out of this canyon, so I climbed down from my high perch and started back the six miles to the van. Just as I got down from the final ladder section the rain began falling. More like sleet actually. I put on my rain shell, packed my camera and phone in plastic bags deep in my daypack and hiked on. It was late in the afternoon, I had a ways to go, and the rain could last all afternoon by the look of the sky, so I hiked on. Luckily the rain only lasted twenty minutes. I made it back to the van completely dry. Then the bottom dropped out and rain poured down for hours. But I was safely at my campsite, in my van, relaxed and dry. I fell asleep early to the sound of rain drops.

Comments

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...

Day 106 - Seattle

My July 4th started with a drive from Vancover to Seattle, arriving at the Museum of Flight by 11. The museum tour began with a display of the 27 U.S. Flags, made interesting by announcing the history of the states entry into the union. This B-17 is similar to the bomber my grandfather flew in WW2. A former Air Force One plane that Kennedy road on was another highlight. I stayed all day at the museum enjoying the history of aviation exhibits and finally space! I drove into downtown Seattle to checkout the city parks reserved for fireworks watching. These neighborhoods were crawling with people and would make horrible stealth street camping sites. I called several hostels and all were full... but then I found one with one bed left. I reserved the spot and drove to the hostel to find it in walking distance to the fireworks. I joined a group waking down to see the fireworks. We were joined by a few others. Two skydivers with fire flaming behind their path were followed by...

Day 93 - Calgary to Banff

After a very pleasant morning at Dave's house spent photocopying trail and scramble guide routes, enjoying a great breakfast and coffee, meeting some of Dave's extremely kind family members and chatting more about adventures, I set out for downtown Calgary. I thought a walk around a museum would be a nice change of pace, so I toured the Glenbow Museum. Two highlights were a Blackfoot Indian describing the meaning of their Tipi decorations and the Gun Scupture. The history of Alberta section was also quite interesting: fur trappers then cowboys then railroad builders then oil drillers. I then walked down to a nearby waterfront park, along a pedestrian only shopping street where a Christian pride rally was taking place, and then down quiet side streets to the park. Seeing people out jogging and playing on this Sunday afternoon reminded me of the real life I must one day return to. But not yet! Hungry and ready for mountains, I walked back to my van and left Calgary heading wes...

Road Trip Daily

Search This Blog