May 12 - simplifying the route

On exiting the south end of Bryce NP, our planned route followed 6 miles of twisted USFS Trail followed by miles of twisted ranching jeep tracks through pinyon/juniper/sage. The route crossed a piece of private land and we weren't sure whether it was a proper/legal BLM road across it or if it would be trespassing.

Also, the planned route looked unnecessarily longer than the approximately parallel graded dirt road, with no obvious scenic benefit. So we simplified things and took the graded road for 10-12 miles today and ~14 more tomorrow. Very easy walking and a vehicle every 20-30 minutes. Scenery is very peasant but not special.

Chatted with a passing BLM Range manager - sure wanted to ask him about the life he leads: the BLM is hated by the local ranchers who are vehemently anti-federal-government; and not loved by the pro-wilderness folks who hate having cows spoil these world-class canyons.

Also chatted with a passing Oceanside CA fellow with a second home out here an hour's drive from Kanab.

And chatted with a passing rancher who invited us to stop at his place for water and anything else we needed. I think he is employed by the homeowners association for the 27-unit subdivision in which Oceanside man has his cabin. We stopped at Ranch HQ to use the spigot. Nice fresh cold spring water.

First trip to Southern Utah in which Jim's fingers have not gotten cracked and bloody from dried out skin. The magic potion is Gehwol's Foot Cream. Gotta love it.

We're happy and healthy.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.308472,-112.290284(I+Am+Here+Friday+May+12+2017+08:43+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 11 - Bryce

Last night we finished lodge dinner at 6. The clouds parted and the sun broke through while we were eating. From 6-8 pm we walked the ~3 mile Rim Trail with a spectacular cloud and light show on the Bryce rock towers below.

34 years and two months ago we had our first date, a four day backpacking trip to the giant Madrone tree in Ventana wilderness. Jim was 34 years and two months old on that trip. As of this month his life is evenly divided into pre-Amy and post-Amy. I'm a romantic sentimentalist and I am moved by this fact. James is an old coot and he didn't seem to think it was that interesting. So there you have it.

Great campsite on USFS land 100 yards outside Bryce NP, because we didn't go to the visitor center to try to get a backcountry camping permit. You don't learn that in backpacking 101.

We're happy and healthy after a sunny pleasant day hiking on the Bryce Under the Rim Trail.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.493552,-112.243643(I+Am+Here+Thursday+May+11+2017+08:40+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 10 - good way to spend a rainy day

Rain started at sunrise and continued all day. 12 easy miles to Bryce Lodge. Lunch. Showers, laundry, resupply package, groceries. Back to lodge for dinner, eating as I type. Rain is forecast to stop at 6:00, so hopefully it will be dry when we crawl off into the woods after dinner.

Looking forward to the famous Rim and Under-the-Rim Trails tomorrow as we head southbound for a day.

We're happy and healthy, clean, and really excited that the 10-day forecast returns to sun sun sun and 70-something temperatures!

May 9 - upper Paria is great

The Paria River narrows are famous and a popular destination. Turns out the upper river, between Sheep Creek and Hogeye Canyon, is mighty fine too and doesn't get much use. We didn't take time to explore its side canyons because we wanted to be done with the canyon part of the day before the rain started. The red rock walls in that stretch were fabulous. A wet foot day as we waded back and forth across the Paria river and Sheep creek a good bit of the day.

Skulking Yellow-breasted Chats made all the chat noises, as they are known to do.

True to the forecast, intermittent light rain started at about 4:00. By 6:00 it was steadily showering, and it continues as I type. We got the tent set up and everything inside about 30 seconds before real rain started falling, which is perfect timing.

We are approaching the Bryce escarpment from the east and it looms large and beautiful.

We'll reach Bryce Lodge by lunch tomorrow. Resupply box, shower, laundry, burgers!

We're happy and healthy, gritty, salty, stinky, warm and dry in our beloved tent.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.534454,-112.100430(I+Am+Here+Tuesday+May+9+2017+07:28+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 7 - back in slickrock canyon

19th full day. 

Great mild temps about 70.  4 minutes of rain at dusk, but forecast for the 9th afternoon includes real rain. We'll make sure we're not in a slot canyon when it happens. 

We passed the very attractive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosvenor_Arch

In a large stock pond we saw two http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson's_phalarope

And that was an unexpected treat. 

Late afternoon we descended into beautiful Hackberry Canyon which we will travel down for many miles tomorrow. 

We're happy and healthy and tired. 19 full days is a lot of hiking to saturate the brain with beauty and the mind with navigation. 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.427594,-111.932350(I+Am+Here+Sunday+May+7+2017+08:32+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 6 - passed halfway mark

Camped at about mile 318. Route is 600 miles and some change. Woo hoo!

Pleasant temperatures and mostly cloudy. Much more pleasant than yesterday. 

All day on the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiparowits_Plateau

First ~16 miles on dirt road; no vehicles. Then a few miles of pretty easy cross-country. Got up to about 7400': Ponderosa Pines, Doug Firs, and a  Western Tanager. The least interesting day of the trip in terms of scenery. We passed through and are camped in an area called Mud Hills, which are fortunately dry right now or it would be bloody difficult walking.

Camped next to a tiny outbreak of water in an otherwise dry stream bed. 

We're happy and healthy and looking forward to more slickrock grandeur tomorrow. 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.489639,-111.763155(I+Am+Here+Saturday+May+6+2017+08:51+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 8 - wet and dry canyons

We're in the land of unvisited canyons. Hackberry this morning and Hogeye this afternoon. In the dry parts there is sparse vegetation and deep slow-slogging sand. In the wet parts both were lush: willows, deciduous oaks, wild grape, horsetail ferns, Solomon's seal. No poison ivy, no Russian Olive, no Tamarisk! Perfect canyons.

Forgot to mention a rattlesnake a few days back.

In the Hogeye rockfall Jim stemmed the obstacle, and Amy crawled under it in an stream a few inches deep. Both methods work.

The red rock formations continue to delight us.

Gnatcatchers gnatchatter cheerfully all day every day. Mr and Mrs Peregrine Falcon surveyed their domain from a cliff top perch.

Delorme Inreach gives us access to wx forecast. Tomorrow should bring real rain, perhaps half an inch. That means 1) collect water before the sources start flowing chocolate milk thick with silt; 2) stay out of slot canyons.

We're happy and healthy after another day of glorious weather and scenery, but enough deep sand that we were 20% slower than normal.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.307542,-111.996574(I+Am+Here+Monday+May+8+2017+09:18+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 5 - Escalante town stop

Quick stop in town. Resupply box, showers, pizza, salad, milk shakes, beer - all at the Escalante Outfitters. Brief stop at grocery store and then back a'walking.

Warm again today; not stinking hot, but warm enough that I (Amy) got worn out and pooped. I'm not fond of heat. Fortunately the forecast indicates we should soon return to 70 degree temps instead of 80-something.

Morning walk was Navajo slickrock dramatic scenery on the well used and cairned Boulder Mail Trail. Afternoon walk was 10 miles through prosaic sage valley on a big graded road. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

We're happy and healthy though Amy is a bit off the mark due to warmth.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.653333,-111.632637(I+Am+Here+Friday+May+5+2017+08:45+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

May 4 - Boulder Mail Trail

Another perfect day, though a bit warmer than optimal, maybe low 80's, the warmest day so far.

Breakfast in Boulder at the Hells Backbone Grill. Tasty; not standard diner breakfast, more like Marin County food. Sage Potato Mash instead of hash browns. Then on to the little store for Phish Food, which makes us very happy.

We met Rosie (a birder and former rock climber) and husband Peter in Boulder. They're from Berkeley and maybe they'll join our SF walks: stairwaywalks.blogspot.com - we didn't get their email address and hope they'll contact us.

The Boulder Mail Trail passes through more five star scenery. Gorgeous creek in Death Hollow; white checkerboard slickrock, dogwoods, cottonwoods, Ponderosa Pines, and more poison ivy than anybody ever wants to see. And lots of poop on rocks that looks to us like Dipper poop!

Hard to believe this area didn't gain NPS status until Bill Clinton's designation of Grand Staircase Escalante NM in the last month of his presidency. Obama recently gave us Bears Ears NM southeast of here, which I know is just as spectacular as the rest of it. Thank you SUWA, Grand Canyon Trust, Clinton, and Obama.

I continue to be thrilled that each day is just as great as the prior days.

First picture is from a few days ago. Second is tonight's campsite; Jim and the tent are in the center at our five star camp on slickrock 500' above Death Hollow.

Jim rinsed his shirt in the river and his hard-earned salt crust is gone.

Resupply box and showers in the town of Escalante tomorrow, mile 288 out of about 600. Then 6-7 more days until Bryce.

We're happy and healthy and relaxed after a shorter than average day of walking.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.837375,-111.522408(I+Am+Here+Thursday+May+4+2017+07:29+PM)&iwloc=A&z=11

Boulder UT breakfast

Breakfast of champions