“This is somewhere and I’m somebody
now so are you”
The Mulligan Brothers
We’ve been racking up quite a hiking record the last few days! Saturday we reached 12,100 feet in the San Juans and for the past two we’ve been backpacking at just over 5,000 in the Needles section of Canyonlands. For as insanely busy as Moab and the other National Parks are this summer we were counting our blessings that no one seems willing to go to much effort to get beyond the first mile of trail. This is actually as it’s always been so it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise, but it certainly is pleasant.
After spending the morning and early afternoon yesterday taking care of some chores around COHO we set out for Utah. We’d passed through the town of Montecello many times, but hadn’t ever had a reason to stop until yesterday. As the last town before Canyonlands when coming from the south we decided we’d need to find a place to have our last non-jerky meal. Zoe has stepped up in the restaurant finding game this year and found a spot that was not only great, but that we will deliberately stop at on future trips. If you’re ever passing through the area check out the High Desert Cafe.
We went into yesterday’s hike a little uncertain of exactly how far we’d be going. The maps and GPS tracks we were relying on seemed a little contradictory. We settled on it being 4 to 4.5 miles. It turned out to be a bit over 5, which made for some exhausted Knotts. Combined with the 6 we did this morning, it may have been the most fun 11 miles of hiking we’ve ever done. The terrain reminded me a lot of the Primitive Trail and Firey Furnace areas of Arches combined. It was the most I’ve had to use my hands while hiking. There were tunnels to walk through, boulders to climb over, washes to decend into. Everything. For an area that is known for being barren, it was in reality the exact opposite.
We passed just 4 other groups of hikers and half of them qualified as stupid people on our definition. The first, a guy who seemed to be suffering heat exhaustion, but told us they’d been able to call and there was a ranger on the way (we ran into a ranger this morning who confirmed he’d gotten out alright). Also a group 4 miles in with little water, no map, and only 2 hours until sunset.
We’ve been having worse than normal luck with injuries this trip. Our legs are all covered in scrapes and bites. Today was no exception as Molly slipped coming down a particularly steep section of slickrock. I tried to grab her to keep her from falling further and we both ended up on the ground covered in scrapes. I guess it’s time to reload the first aid kit again.
We finished at about noon today and debated what to do about lunch. After 24 hours without real food none of us were anxious to eat PBJ&C. Just outside the Needles entrance there is a small “outpost” that we assumed would have food. We entered to find what seemed to be the guy who was running it’s apartment with a shelf of nonperishable goods and a couple coolers of drinks. With no other option we each grabbed a cold beverage as well as a bag of chips (not Cheetos!) to split. As we set our things on the counter he greeted us with “welcome to the only store where you leave without one arm”. After briefly considering pulling out the bear spray still strapped to my belt I realized he meant he was going to gouge on price, not kill us. Given the ambiance and solitude of the place it really could have gone either way though. $18 was steep for what we got, but after the first cold sip and salty bite I was reassured that it was worth it.
We spent the afternoon by the pool in Moab relaxing and enjoying the Frosties that Molly and Ellie procured. (Thank you!) Tonight we’re going to head to the Moab Brewery and try to plan two days in Moab that keep us away from as many people as possible.
