Canyonlands

Wednesday, 9/19

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park

Today was our day to explore Canyonlands National Park, about 20 mins drive from our campsite.   It's a sprawling BIG canyon--actually two of them, formed by the Colorado River and the Green River which flows into it at a Y-confluence.  Red sandy rocks, arches, majestic castle-like structures, needles, domes and a few ancient Pueblo ruins as well.  We like a good strenuous hike, so we chose the Gooseberry Trail (doesn't that sound adorable?) down to the white rim road (there's a line of white about 1400 feet down from the top of the canyon, all the way around the winding perimeter).  

See the white rim along the top of the dark wall?

On our drive to the trailhead we stopped at Mesa Arch, one of the most photographed, picturesque places in the park.   It is just breathtaking....you can look through the arch to see the whole canyon stretched before you, with mountains in the far distance.  Unfortunately today was quite hazy due to smoke from forest fires in Idaho.  But it was still beautiful.  There was even a hot air balloon high in the sky.  

Then on to our hike.    We got the the trailhead, found a sign with an arrow pointing us in the right direction...but then we walked in circles for about 45 minutes at which point we realized we were headed toward the wrong trail.  As usual on these slickrock hikes, you have to follow a series of cairn markers to find your way (just as we did yesterday in Arches).  And sometimes it's hard to find the next one that you're supposed to find.  Finally we went back to the original sign and tried our luck again.  This time we found it easily, go figure.  We met two other groups of hikers along the way who had exactly the same experience of wandering around aimlessly before finding the trail.  So now we are all members of the Secret Gooseberry Hike Fraternity/Sorority, having all performed the same (frustrating) ritual.  

We quickly began a steep and mysterious descent on a series of short switchbacks that were ofent so camouflaged that you'd swear there was no path at all when you looked up behind you at the steep canyon-side. 

These were GOOD steps!

These "steps" were a little more questionable

 Parts were pretty easy---rocks were arranged as steps---and parts were quite slippery with sane/gravel and more than a little scary.  At one point Nils named them "Picasso Stairs," they looked way more artistic (with strewn rocks in weird arrangements) than structurally sound...then about a 50 foot length of the path looked as though a rock/sand slide had poured over it recently....it needed a good tidying up.  We just tried to make do, and descended about 1000 feet before turning around to come back up the same trail.   Climbing up might be more challenging aerobically, but it's MUCH easier, logistically.  Gravity makes your feet stick better to the rocks as you go up (while making you feel as though you might be pulled down, sliding, at any moment on the descent)....the going-up was lots more fun and some great exercise.

Yes, this actually is the trail.  Seriously.

We came home for a good lunch and a much-deserved restful afternoon.  Tomorrow morning we plan to pull up stakes and leave Utah for good.    It will be sad to leave the land of Red Rocks (and crazy Mormons) behind...

To ease the pain, Nils drank a Polygamy Porter....or did he have two?  What happens in Utah, stays in Utah......

Here's the famous Oscar--doesn't he look sad that we're leaving?

Gorgeous Colorado awaits!