A Snapshot and The Scoop: Wilderness

Wilderness. What do you think of when you read that word? Untouched forests or deserts, nobody around for miles? Elation? Fear? Animals and things that go bump in the dark? When I see wilderness, I see solitude and freedom, adventure and challenge. I see a place to test myself against myself, and hopefully come out stronger. Wilderness is a place where I recharge, where I go to get away from life and people and stress. It is a place that deserves to be cherished and protected, a place that brings different things to different people, but all the same "plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife, are in fact plans to protect man." - Stewart Udall, the man who helped draft the Wilderness Act in 1964.

Wilderness is a place "where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."

For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas! For those of you who don't Happy Tuesday!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Catching the Sunrise

Being in the right place at the right time to capture this view of the sunrise over the La Sal Mountains and Buck Canyon in Canyonlands National Park was not intentional. Alisha and I had camped on BLM land on top of the mesa near the entrance to Canyonlands and were up well before dawn with the intention of watching a sunrise through Mesa Arch. A popular photography spot, we knew it would be crowded but we were in no way prepared for the people who were straight up sitting under the arch itself, making it impossible to get a photo of the sunrise and the arch without some idiot's head in the shot. We were there for all of ten minutes or so before we got frustrated enough with the blatant rudeness and gave up. Instead, we hurried up the road a little ways to the overlook for Buck Canyon and ran (literally) to the viewpoint. We were in time to watch the sky light up and guild the clouds with the first rays of the day's sun, and saw the desert below us color with life. We had the view all to ourselves, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Those people didn't know what they were missing.

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Schafer's Trail

Do you see the smooth white line that runs down the middle of the picture, and then trace the line coming out of the lower left corner along the edge of that thousand foot cliff? Yeah, that's Schafer's Trail, a dirt road that takes you from the top of Canyonlands National Park Island in the Sky District all the way down to the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. The road itself if bumpy and not one to take if you're afraid of heights, but it is one of the easiest ways to get into the belly of Canyonlands National Park. It joins up with the White Rim Road, a hundred mile route around the white rim (you can see it in  this picture, the road leads to it), which sits a thousand feet below the top of the mesa, yet also a thousand feet above the Colorado and Green Rivers. Never do I wish for a four-wheel drive vehicle as when I see this road! Some day!

National Parks Week 2018

Happy National Parks Week! I seem to need the wild lands and scenic vistas protected by the National Park System now more than ever, and I can't wait until I travel to a few new parks in the coming months. In the meantime, I daydream and plan, counting down the days until I'm hiking soaring peaks and exploring deep canyons yet again. For now, take a look at the gallery of a few of my favorite parks to visit and get out there to enjoy one or two yourself!


Canyonlands National Park

Grand Canyon National Park 

Zion National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Rocky Mountain National Park

Happy Birthday National Park System!

Celebrate. Can you believe the National Park System is older than any of us? It's 101 years old! America's Best Idea has a lot to celebrate, and I want to take a moment to look at my favorite national parks while I look forward to the future of the parks system. Here I've listed out my favorite national parks, in no particular order, with a little description of each park and why it is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Who doesn't love towering mountains, tumbling waterfalls, lush evergreen forests smattered with aspen groves, A-list wildlife, and hot campfires under a cool night sky filled with stars? If you don't, you're wrong. But you don't have to take my word for it, just ask one of the million other visitors who seek out the mountains during the peak season of June through September. Why do I love this park, though? The sweeping mountain vistas are always amazing, both the main road, Trail Ridge Road, and the secondary dirt road called Fall River Road are well worth the drive, and any of the short hikes and established campgrounds in the park should be on your list to visit, but the real reason I love this park are the long hikes. There is nothing quite like summiting a mountain after gaining thousands of feet in elevation, or touching one of the few remaining glaciers in the lower 48, or passing by places to camp in the backcountry where you know you're in bear country. Yes, this place is amazing.

Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky District, UT
Grand views are the name of the game at this park, and you truly feel like you're in the sky as you stare down thousand foot cliffs to the next tier, then another thousand feet below that to the rivers. The Colorao River and the Green River cut Canyonlands into three sections, or Districts, and the Island in the Sky District is where you go if you want to see beyond the horizon. Up there you can glimpse the White Rim Road, views of the rivers, and use the plateau as a jumping point for any of the numerous trails down into the lower reaches of the park. This district of the park is all about the views for me, and if you visit at the right time you can find solitude as you perch on the edge of a cliff, watching a thunderstorm roll across the canyons below, contemplating life.

Canyonlands National Park, Needles District, UT
Yes, Canyonlands gets two spots on my list, because each District of the park is uniquely different. The Needles District is all about exploring. To really get a feel for this park you need to get out there and hike. There is only one road through a small section of the park, though a multitude of hiking trails sprout from the road. This district is significantly less visited than its sister Island in the Sky, and once you get out on the trails there are even less people. Why do I love it? You can hike for miles and get among the cliffs, arches, and spires (also known as hoodoos) and never see another person. Plus there is this amazing place called Chelser Park that defies words. You just have to go there.

Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Of the Big Five national parks in Utah, Capitol Reef is the least visited. I'm not sure why; maybe it is the remoteness, the drive along backcountry highways, or visitors don't see soaring cliffs and awe-inspiring views right from the road, at least none that can match other parks in the area. Capitol Reef has its own charm, but you have to get off the road to find it. The park protects a small oasis in the desert, a lush canyon threaded through by the Fremont River, that at one point saw a small culture of ancient Fremont Indians and at another point more recently was home to pioneers who planted orchards and farmed the land to make a living. The Gifford House still stands as a museum and monument to the mormon poineers, selling ice cream and homemade pies to hungry visitors looking for relief from the desert heat. Get out on a trail or hit up the scenic drive, though, and you get transported away from the green canyon bottom by the little river and find yourself surrounded by the unforgiving desert. This is the part I live for. Here you find the soaring cliffs splashed with colors ranging from tan to white to red to green and more. Here, out away from the main road, you find the little potholes embedded in sandstone, filled to the rim with tiny life. Here is the real magic of The Reef.

Zion National Park, UT
Zion is a world away from what most people will ever see in their lifetimes. If you think the pictures of thousand-foot cliffs, taken either from the top or the bottom of said cliffs, is awe-inspiring, you should try actually being there taking the picture. Zion National Park encompasses a large region of the southwest corner of Utah, but the main draw, and the most visited part of the park, is Zion Canyon. The canyon, carved by the small but mighty Virgin River, narrows the further upstream you travel, to the point where you can look up and your view is restricted to the patch of sky right above you thanks to the rusty red cliffs that rise up, sheer, more than a thousand feet into the air. Take a hike, usually a strenuous one, from the bottom of the canyon to any point up above the canyon floor and you will feel like you're on top of the world. Until you look up and realize you can go even higher. Along with all of the other parks on this list, I have visited this park multiple times, and each time I find something else to love. I visited in winter once, and fell in love with the silence that accompanies a soft snowfall. I visited more recently in May of this year and discovered even on the most popular hiking trails there is something special about overcoming your own mental barriers and making a climb that you thought impossible. For some of the most amazing hikes in the states, visit Zion.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO
Do you like playing in the sand? The kid in everybody has a chance to stretch their legs at this popular National Park, where the nation's tallest sand dunes are surrounded by mountains whos peaks reach more than fourteen thousand feet above sea level. You can sand-surf and sled down the golden dunes, and when you need to cool off you can walk off the dunes to splash in Medano Creek, one of the two life-giving streams fed by meltwater in the mountains high above that surround the dune field. Stay until evening, though, when most of the visitors are back at their campsites or hotels, take a hike out onto the dune field at night, and a whole new world opens up around you. I like the dunes best at dawn and dusk, while everybody else is off the dunes and before the sand heats up to a burning point. Sunsets and sunrises paint the dunes with splashes of color and shadow, and on clear nights the skies are so bright you can see your shadow on the monotone sand. Out in the preserve section of the park elk and bears share space with coyotes, antelope, and mule deer, and only one primitive road and a small handful of hiking trails provide humans a glimpse into their world.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC
Lush green mountains rolling away into the distance, the constant sound of water dripping, trickling, rushing, roaring, life everywhere you look, from little salamanders under the leaf litter to birds chirping in the trees above your head, the Smoky Mountains are something unique. I usually avoid crowds, but even the most visited national park in the country has a few places where you can find peace and quiet, if you know when and where to go. I found plenty of it on my trip there in the off-season, when summer vacations were over and everybody went back to school and work. Do you want to be practically guaranteed to see an american black bear? Visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where they have one of the highest population densities of bears in the eastern US. I loved hiking in this park, where it was constantly wet and humid and vibrating with life. Also, I love bears and I got excited every time I saw one.

Surprise! Most of my favorite parks are in Colorado and Utah. You're not really surprised, huh? Also no surprise, my favorite parks are located in the mountains or the desert. I do have a goal to visit all of the 415+ national park/monument units (and I've hit a fair few) so I think my opinion of the best national parks is based on as much of a scientific process as possible, but I can't deny the way the desert and mountains call to me, and how the desert always sits right next to a mountain range. Here's my thought though: I want to know what your favorite park is, and why. If I haven't been there, I would love to know what makes it amazing. If I have been there, convince me why your park should be on my list of favorites. I look forward to rewriting my list this time next year.

National Trails Day

Happy National Trails Day! Throughout the years I've been travelling I've been on countless hiking trails, from short little spurs to fourty plus mile treks, and everything in between. If you've been with me since the beginning I'm sure you've noticed my evolution from short day trips to multi-day backpacking, as well as the knowledge and experience that comes with it. Hiking has let me find myself, escape from work and responsibilities, and has become who I am. Hi, I'm Natasha, I hike a lot and love animals. Being on a trail has given me confidence in my own abilities, a hobby worth bragging about, and a passion I love to share.

I have no intention to quit hiking, and actually want to plan a short thru-hike in the upcoming years. I'll hike as much as I can as far as I can, and would love to take anybody who wants to tag along! In celebration of National Trails Day I've compiled a list of my favorite trails to date, complete with a picture and short description, plus my personal favorite part of the trail. Read on below!

Chesler Park/The Joints, Needles District, Canyonlands National Park, UT

This trail will forever be on the list of favorites, and for very good reason. Where else do you get to walk through a grass and wildflower filled bowl surrounded by hundreds of spires striped with red and white rock, then descend into narrow cracks in the earth that you can explore to your heart's content? Backpacking Chesler Park is a life goal of mine, and it's just a matter of time before I can't resist going back and doing it. Plus, you know, The Joints are neat too!

The Dune Field, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO

A giant sandbox surrounded by 14,000 ft mountains? Yes, please! Sprinkle in wild sunflowers during the right time of year, and make sure you catch a sunset and a sunrise among the dunes, and you're in for a magical time. There are no established trails in the dune (the shifting sand would bury markers in no time) so making sure you know your directions and landmarks outside of the dune field is a must.

Andrew's Tarn and Glacier, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

The first time hiking to a glacier and it's tarn is always sure to make an impression, and Andrew's Glacier in Rocky Mountain certainly did. It wasn't just the glacier that made the whole long day hike worth it; we passed pristine alpine lakes like The Loch (above) along the way. A hike just to this lake alone would be worth it!

Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

Hiking alone deep in bear country with a storm rolling in? Yeah, it might not have been the smartest move on my part but the hike itself was well worth the worry. I've never hiked in a place so green, and pictures don't do it justice. Can I go back now?

Hidden Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

I finally finished this short hike in Zion, and it was so worth the 18 month wait. Not for those with a fear of heights or tight places, the trail to the mouth of Hidden Canyon is sprinkled with exposed sections along the shelf of a cliff, with nothing but a chain bolted to the rock for you to hold on to. A set of stairs and many switchback make it moderately strenuous, but for those with plenty of water and a good pair of legs your reward is Hidden Canyon with it's fern-covered walls and cool shady grottos.

Angel's Landing, Zion National Park, UT

This is by far the scariest hike I've ever accomplished, and though I'm not sure I would do it again I am beyond proud of myself that I finished it. Now, I don't have a fear of heights at all, but I have a slight problem using a chain to pull myself up and down a very narrow fin of rock with thousand foot drop offs on both sides of my feet, especially a chain that swings out unexpectedly if someone else grabs it or lets it go. The view from the top though? Incredible.

Tonto Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Another recent accomplishment, the Tonto Trail is one of a small handful of trails that run the length of Grand Canyon National Park, inside the canyon. My sister and I spent four days hiking the canyon, with all three of our campsites on this trail. More on that adventure will come later, but all I'll say right now is I want to go back. I miss the trail, the simplicity of walking, no phones, no communication outside of ourselves and a couple of other hikers, and the quiet. The walking wasn't easy by any means, but I already miss it and I've only been back for a couple of weeks.

National Trails Day is also a day for hikers to give back to the trails we love so much, and thank the people who make trails possible. I encourage every one of you who's ever enjoyed a trail to do something to benefit and give back. You can volunteer for trail maintenance, pick up garbage along your favorite trail, donate to a nonprofit that advocates for trails, or countless other options to help keep trails accessible to everyone. If nothing else, get outside and hit a trail! I'll see ya out there.

What I'm listening to: At Wit's End by Hans Zimmer

My Top Five Favorite Hikes

Exploring this amazing country has become a life goal of mine, and it's one that I'm not putting off till later. I travel far and wide, as often as physically possible, and make plans to get outside every weekend. I love traveling by car and happily drive nearly everywhere I travel to, but if I really want to get to know a place I explore it by foot. Hiking is more than just a hobby of mine; it's become a lifestyle that leads me from the ocean beach to the mountain top and every prairie, forest, and desert between. I've tried to get a comprehensive list of my favorite hikes together before, but I travel to so many new places that the list constantly changed. I've finally put words and pictures to my top five hikes as of my latest adventure, but please keep in mind that this list changes constantly. Read on below to discover the best places to take a hike!

Hidden Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

First things first, this hike is NOT for those with even a minor fear of heights. The trail starts climbing right away, up from the bottom of Zion Canyon along countless switchbacks until it curves around and takes you out of sight of the trailhead parking lot. From then it gets really interesting. I hiked this route in the middle of winter, the first week of January, and only got partway through before I decided it was too dangerous to continue. I really didn't want to fall off a cliff, and that was a real possibility if I'd kept going. As far as I went, I encountered countless steps, tight places, and seriously exposed trail no wider than a sidewalk with a two hundred foot drop off on one side and a towering rock wall with a chain bolted to it for a handhold. (NOTE: This hike was closed for construction as of Summer 2016. Please check with the park for current trail closures.)

Chesler Park/The Joints, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

I've written about this hike here, but it is worth repeating how spectacular it is. If you've a mind to wander through a grassy meadow surrounded by red and white spires, then check out a network of slot-like canyons where you sometimes have to squeeze in sideways against cool sandstone walls, then this hike is for you. Also, bonus points for only having one way in and one way out: can't get lost! If you're up for a long (long) desert hike, make the time to hike here.

Mills Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

I've had the pleasure of hiking to this lake in spring and during winter, and I'm going to have to say I like the wintertime hike better! There's nothing like mountain lakes frozen over, snow blowing with gusts of wind against the dark evergreens. Of course, spring has its merits too: warmer temperatures, bluebird skies and little fishies in the lakes. Read about my two hikes to this gorgeous lake here and here.

Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Although I didn't feel it at the time, the hike up Mount Le Conte has become one of my favorite hikes (and it isn't located in Utah or Colorado!) strictly due to how gorgeous it is. Seriously, old growth forests crowd the well-worn path in Lord-of-the-Rings-esque views while little salamanders scurry away from your boots among the leaf litter. This hike is long, it rains a lot, gains quite a bit of elevation, and is located smack-dab in the middle of a heavily bear-populated park, so make sure you are prepared before you attempt it. It's a good idea to always carry bear spray and bells while you hike.

Sand Dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado 

Can this picture just speak for itself? Featuring North America's tallest sand dunes, mountain ranges that boast '14ers, moody weather, and an abundance of desert, prairie, and mountain wildlife, hiking anywhere into the 30 square mile dune field needs to be on everyone's bucketlist. Make sure you hike to the summit of High Dune, the tallest dune of the front line of the dunes and the most easily accessible dune from the visitor's center, and take a meander up or down Medano Creek to cool off. Just make sure you get off the dunes when the storms blow in, you don't want to be the tallest object out there when lightning starts making contact with the ground.

As you can see, these hikes have thrill and adventure in common, and it should be no surprise that they are located within national parks (and that Colorado and Utah are featured!). Some take you along exposed ledges or into confined spaces, others have altitude as a factor, and most have extreme temperatures to take into account. They are not hikes that you take on a whim, but plan and prepare for before setting out. Don't let that stop you though! Please, do your research, find a hike that excites you for it's destination, it's track, or it's solitude, and get out there. What are your favorite hikes? What should I hike next?

My Top Five Favorite Places in the United States

By now, you've probably gathered that I travel. A lot. Every chance I get. So it's only natural for me to have a few favorite places, right? After a lot of reflection I've listed out my top five favorite places in the States, places I find myself thinking about a lot, or else returning to time and time again. Please note: This list is a work in progress. I will update it as I visit more and more places that I come to love!

Chesler Park/The Joints, Needles District Canyonlands National Park, UT

This list wouldn't be complete without Chesler Park/The Joints trail. Red and white rock spires completely surrounding a meadow of sagebrush and grasses, and not a living creature in sight, except the occasional bird wheeling in the sky above. What's not to love? Next time I go back I'll be camping among those spires. Read about my last trip here.

Grand View Point, Island in the Sky District Canyonlands National Park, UT

I could sit up on the cliff overlooking those canyons for hours and never get bored. Just a short walk down the trail away from the often crowded viewpoint affords you peace and quiet and astounding views, all to yourself. Be up there before sunrise or stay until after sunset to see the canyons burn and the sky light up with gold. If you look closely at the photo you'll see a faint line tracing the outline of the canyon near the white rim. That road is over 100 miles long, and I would absolutely love to drive it and camp down there a few nights. Once I get my jeep, I will! To read more about this location hit the "Canyonlands National Park" link in the word cloud to the left of this post.

Brown’s Canyon National Monument, CO

The newly designated national monument used to just be a recreation area, mostly for thrill-seekers wanting to run the world-class white water rapids in rafts or kayaks. I've visited this canyon numerous times, alway within a raft, but only this last year did I run through it as a national monument, and I got even more of a kick knowing this piece of river will always be protected. The new status is very well deserved! Read my report on the latest rafting adventure here.

Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO

I challenge you to find me a better place that combines sand, water and mountains with a deliciously comfortable climate. I bet you can't. Medano Creek is seasonal, meaning it only flows until all of the snow is melted from the mountains that it springs from, but while it lasts the water runs clear and cool. This life-giving water is what makes life around the dunes possible, and is what helps keep the dunefield itself stable. I've lost track of how many times I've had the pleasure of visiting this park, but I never tire of it. I was just at this park but haven't had a chance to write up my time there, so until then read this post about my last visit!

Upper Virgin River/Zion Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

This park is one of the most visited parks in the States, and for very good reason. The Zion river cut a deep, winding canyon right into the slickrock country surrounding it, and continues to carve away at the rocks as it makes its way out. From above the waters of the river appear to be the most peculiar color of blue, and are cool to the touch if you decide to go wading. The Narrows, an easy up-river walk or a difficult canyoneering trip down-river, are a popular destination for almost every person who visits the canyon. Visit during the off season (say, January) and you'll get the entire park almost to yourself. I've visited several times, and I think winter in the park is my favorite, although I do love refreshing myself in the river after a day in the dry desert heat. Hit this link to check out my latest adventure on the Zion River.

It really should be no suprise to anyone that locations in Utah and Colorado feature on this list. Even though I am currently located in East Texas, some day I WILL move to Colorado, if nothing else just to be closer to the places that have such a hold on my heart. I'm not there yet, but I will be. But for sure when we retire!

Have I convinced you to visit any of these amazing locations yet? If my numerous blog posts about them haven't convinced you, would the promise of me meeting you there do so instead?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Help, I Can't Read the Sign

For some reason unknown to me, I suddenly became illiterate while driving past this sign on my way to my first hike in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Really, I can't explain what happened! It was only after I'd finished my hike and was driving out of the Elephant Hill area that I could read what it said... Oops. It's a good thing it was only making a suggestion, anyway.

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time you suddenly suffered from illiteracy. Did it turn out ok for you?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: An Island in the Sky, Indeed

I will never get tired of this view. I have seen the sunset from Canyonlands National Park's Island in the Sky district many times before, but never during the winter. The low angle of the January sun lit up the oranges of the thousand foot clifs like I've never seen, reflected in dazzling flashes by patches of ice and snow. Cold blue shadows stretched behind boulders and hardy desert shrubs, and the sky couldn't have been more colorfully painted. It was possible, for a few brief minutes, that nothing in the world existed except those rusty cliffs and that wide open sky.

Leave me a comment below and describe the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen. Or sunrise. Whatever!

Maybe I Pushed It a Little Too Hard

Frustrated. I couldn't have picked a more inconvenient time to get sick. I mean, no time is a good time to fall ill, but 24 hours into a ten day camping trip in the desert (during January) isn't exactly conducive to enjoying my winter experience. If I am honest with myself, I wasn't feeling all that great the day I left home, but I chalked it up to anticipation and a long drive. When I started feeling icky on my first hike, though, I knew I was in trouble. By the time I got to my car I hardly wanted to move, and forced myself to drive into Moab to pick up some medicine. I pushed through the rest of the day, but by the time I had finished trying to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park through a major headache and congestion, I knew I wouldn't be camping that night. I drove back to Moab and found a cheap hotel room, hoping that a good night's sleep and a constant warm temperature would stop me from getting worse.

I woke up the next morning feeling okay, but not totally normal. I drove to Capitol Reef National Park, explored an awesome road (story in an upcoming post) and did a short hike to a small slot-like canyon, but after two miles I knew I was in trouble again. The drive back wasn't nearly as fun, and I found a hotel in Torrey and called it an early night. I'm pretty sure I called Jared and my parents, half-crying and upset with myself and the situation. I've never before seriously considered calling off a trip and heading home, but I was very close that night. Stuck in a hotel room while I had planned to camp every night of my ten day trip, congestion making it hard to breathe (let alone hike), and a headache so bad I probably shouldn't have been driving, I was miserable and on the verge of giving up. The only thing that prevented me from packing up that night and going home was the fact that I honestly didn't think I could drive, and I was so tired after a day of doing nothing that I went to bed when the sun was still in the sky and tried to sleep it off.

I am a motivated, self-reliant, and (best of all) incredibly stubborn person who hates being told she can't do something, so to have my own body preventing me from enjoying the desert trip I had planned out was seriously frustrating. I knew I shouldn't have tried to stick to my plan by driving to my next destination and attempting that day's short hike, but I at least had the smarts to not tent-camp in below-freezing temperatures, and to get a full night's rest. Twice. I wallowed in self-pity that night, sad that my experience in Canyonlands wasn't what I wanted it to be, and almost as upset that I didn't get to enjoy Capitol Reef like I should have, but even though I wanted to give up I would have kicked myself if I'd gone home after just two days in the desert. When I get this idea in my head of the way something is supposed to be, I take any deviation from that ideal as a serious blow. I just kept telling myself that I had a whole week ahead of me, and hoped that I would get over the cold quickly enough for me to enjoy the rest of my trip.

After more than twelve hours of sleep, the next morning dawned cold and cloudy over Torrey, UT and I actually woke up feeling pretty good. I stubbornly decided to take a chance and push on with my original plan to drive up and over the Boulder Mountains to the middle of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and my next hiking/camping destination. As it turns out, I couldn't have hiked or camped in the monument due to multiple road closures, preventing me from getting to my destination, but it kinda worked out. I made an impromptu stop at Bryce Canyon National Park, and by the time I walked to the overlooks I felt like myself again. I was back in the game, and ready to break out my tent again and enjoy the desert, magically transformed into a winter wonderland; it was right about that same time when the first blizzard hit.

Apparently I Can't Read a Map

Dazed. My first hike of the year dawned at a brisk 10 degrees, and I had on as many layers as physically possible. I had survived the night in my tent nestled deep within the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, and the breaking of dawn meant I was ready to get on the trail. My intention was to hike Squaw Canyon to Lost Canyon and loop back through the Needles, roughly an eight mile hike that should have been no problem, even with the altitude difference between the Colorado Plateau and back home in East Texas. I left my car in the frosty shade of the Elephant Hill parking lot and set off with mounting excitement at being back among the Needles. Riding the high of being back at my favorite place on Earth, I barley felt the cold and was soon shedding layers as the sun rose and began warming the rusty towers surrounding me.

I kept up a good pace as I wove through the Needles, coming to my first trail junction and beginning my trek into Squaw Canyon. Jaw-dropping vistas sprinkled with snow spread out around and below me as I stood at the top of the canyon, and I stopped for a full five minutes just to stare at it all. My first hesitation confronted me when I came across a north-facing descent that was packed with ice and snow, and I could see where other hikers had slipped and slid down the slope to the three foot drop off. I knew it was going to be a bitch if I had to climb back up it, but pressed forward anyway. Crouching low to keep my center of gravity down, I inched across the hard-packed snow, and when the incline became too steep, gave up, sat on my butt and slid down the ice ramp, landing with a thud at the bottom of the drop off. Shaking it off, I kept going.

It wasn’t until about a mile after that descent that I began to feel like I wasn’t on the right trail. My GPS told me I was going one way but the map I had with me had the trail I wanted to be on going off in a different direction. It was only when my GPS showed that I wasn’t even on a trail, when there was clearly a cairn-marked trail beneath my boots, that I realized I was not on the trail through Squaw Canyon, and that I actually had no idea what trail I was on. At about the same time, I found a sunny rock to sit on and pulled out my map to try to figure out where I’d gone wrong. After some length of time I figured out I was on the trail through Big Spring Canyon, and that this trail would take me back to the same campground I had stayed in the night before. It was either press on, on the wrong trail, or try to backtrack to the one I had intended to hike. Remembering the ice slide and how much of a pain it would be to climb back up (if it was even possible), I decided to just stay on the trail I was on and hope for the best.

I still deliberated with myself about whether or not I should turn around, but after I slid down yet another north-facing slope, this time one without a hope of climbing back up, I gave up and committed to the new trail. I began to develop a headache, which I attributed to altitude and stress from being derailed from my intended hike. I kept going, a little slower, perhaps, but still moving. Once I reached the campground road, I knew my hike was over, but still had miles to walk on road to get back to my car. It was around that time that my headache became worse and I began to feel sick. Really sick. I trudged roughly four miles on the road, and for the first time ever half-hoped someone would drive by and give me a lift to my car. I didn’t see anybody, though, and all but collapsed into my car when I finally arrived. My map-reading mistake had cost me in miles and time, and my eight mile hike turned into nearly ten miles and an extra hour. By the time I arrived at my car, my head was spinning and I was so sick I could hardly move. All in all, I don’t think I’ll be making that mistake again. Next time, I’ll double check the map.