hidden valley to moab rim

Everything was still drenched in the morning so MTBing was out.  We had wanted to do a couple of longer hikes while we were here and today seemed like a good opportunity to knock one of those out:  the Hidden Valley/Moab Rim connector.  We had first done this in 2020, without Milton; this time we took him with us, knowing that he could easily do the distance.  After H dropped the truck at the Moab Rim trailhead and biked back, we three set off on foot from the house, jumping onto Pipe Dream via Jackson Street.  The trail was definitely rougher than it had been just a couple days before because of those big storms on Saturday and Sunday.  It was a gorgeous morning but humid and the ground was saturated.

This massive cut just as the trail starts to go up

When we got to the Hidden Valley trailhead (lots of cars), we were shocked to see it inundated with mud from slides coming down the cliff face.  Half the parking lot was ankle-deep in sticky mud and the connection from Pipedream to the parking lot was obliterated.  Also obliterated: from the parking lot to the base of the cliffs.  You could see the gash in the cliff where the water had shaken the dirt and rocks loose; we had to pick our way down and then up across the slide path to start the steep part of the climb up to Hidden Valley.  From just a little way up, you could see the devastation the slide had caused and it had slid very close to a couple of houses.  That must have been terrifying, with the noise of the water and the huge boulders getting tumbled down.

We made good time going up, passing a couple of groups, and then had the valley traverse all to ourselves.  Milton was staying pretty close - as he'd already done a fair amount of running recently - but sprinted around the meadow whenever he saw a bird.  As we approached the saddle, we saw a huge group making their way up towards the petroglyphs (a tour group, I presume).  Once we crossed the saddle and headed down along the Moab Rim trail, however, we saw no one.

View from the saddle

There was even more water and mud in the wash than there had been the day before, and there was so much fresh water in the potholes that Milton was able to swim a little, albeit inadvertently.  As we descended the front side, with its expansive view of the Colorado River, we encountered three side-by-sides, one dirt biker and three brave (foolhardy?) MTBers on their way down.  Having just done this bit the day before, my knees complained about the steepness.  All that was forgotten when we got to the truck, since there was beer waiting for us.  

That evening, to celebrate move-iversary (thirteen years in Utah!), we three walked to the Spitfire.  We were in time to see our favorite ex-Woody's bartender, Crystal, and talked with her for a long time, getting to meet her giant Great Pyrenees mix, Hildy.  And later that night, it stayed clear enough for a firepit with Amelia and Moscow.  Long, full day for us all.

Hike stats: 10.00 miles; 3;23 hours/2.9 m.p.h. walking; 3:44/2.7 m.p.h. overall; 1,780' elevation