rainy days and fridays

The fact that northern Utah (and the mountains of mid- and southern Utah too) has gotten so much snow this winter meant that we also hardly got any inversion/air pollution days (yay!).  It also meant that we hardly ever saw the sun and we've missed it a bit.  On our last trip to Moab, we didn't figure we'd see the sun much then either as the forecast was for rain; off-and-on rain; and chance of rain.  But we packed our boots and our raincoats and our positive attitudes so it all worked out.

Running in sand is fun!

On Friday, Milton and I had planned to hike Corona Arch.  This is a very, very popular hike - so popular that it's been almost ten years since I've done it.  Since then, they've improved the trailhead a lot, making it much bigger and adding an outhouse.  I figured that since it was a rainy Friday morning in mid-March, Milton and I wouldn't have to deal with many people.  We should have gotten a much earlier start because by the time we got there (9:30ish), not only were twenty-some cars in the parking lot, the Moab Trail Ambassadors had set up their tent, meaning that they expected a lot more people throughout the day.  I turned around in the Gold Bar campground and drove back up river just a bit to Middle Earth instead.

Greening up in spots

On the downside, Middle Earth isn't nearly as long a hike as I'd intended (not that Corona Arch is all that long either, about three miles roundtrip).  On the plus side, there was no one there.  There were a few wet spots in the wash from the recent rain and the catch-pool from where intermittent waterfalls come over the cliffs into the amphitheater was pretty big; the grass in the wash was grateful for all the moisture and quite green.  

Got out of the rain

When we got to the amphitheater, we climbed up onto the slickrock and walked out to the rim of Bootlegger Canyon - where we had a view of Corona Arch (and all the people milling around the base of it).  We did see a solo hiker down below in Bootlegger Canyon: H and I had been unable to make our way through the vegetation when we tried it before but apparently there's a way though in the early spring, before stuff really starts growing.

Tiny little purple flower

(40 lb. dog's feet for scale)

It started to get windy with some light rain (just for a few minutes, long enough to get everything damp), so we didn't linger out on the rock too long.  Long enough to spot the first tiny wildflower of the season, however - spring is springing at last!