Well today was nothing at all like the original plan. We were supposed to wake up at the Kimpton Monaco Denver and drive across Colorado and Utah to a nice deserted campground at Great Basin NP. It’s also turning out to be nothing like the second plan which was to hike at Arches then drive to that same deserted campground. The first part of the day was an Arches hike, but I’ll get back to that in a minute.
I think it’s worth mentioning that despite the many many hours of planning that I put into The Spreadsheet I am completely open to changes along the way. The biggest downside to alterations is that they tend to be expensive and this trip is already over budget with the new bear spray, boots, and most significantly my ticket. To get back to the story, upon our arrival in Baker, NV we learned that this weekend is the annual Snake Valley Festival which means that all of the campgrounds and both of the hotels are full. As a result we’re now in our way to Ely, NV (pronounced E-lee), about an hour west of Baker. We managed to find a room there so, with no other options, that’s our new destination for the night.
Our next couple days are a bit up in the air at this point too. We decided that there was no way we could miss the parade tomorrow morning “so small it goes around twice”. There also looks to be quite a bit of snow in the mountains, so we’ll have to try to get a report on trail conditions before we head up. At the very least we should be able to hike in a couple miles, camp, and come back out on Sunday. We’ll have to figure out Sunday night when we get to it if the campgrounds are still full.
We did find dinner at a great spot, Kerouac’s, in Baker before hitting the road. I think we (all?) could use another beer when we make it to Ely.
Getting back to this morning, we woke up early, 5:30 so we could hike at Arches before the temp hit 100. The first half of the loop is a great hike along a primitive trail with arches appearing everywhere. We saw some unique deer with the biggest ears I’ve ever seen on a deer and lots of lizards. The deer were eating plants alongside the trail. An act that I’m certain would land any human animal in NPS jail. I don’t see why deer should get some special “allowed to eat protected plants” pass, but apparently they do. There were also plenty of flies annoyingly circling our heads.
The highlight of the hike for me was our lunch at Dark Angel spire. Somehow, even though we were back on the main trail we had it to ourselves for a good twenty minutes. There was ample shade to rest in, great views and if course PBJ&C.
In between the morning hike and afternoon lodging issues was a five hour drive across southern Utah, some of the most beautiful and desolate land in the country. So it was a weird, full day. Exactly as a road trip day should be.