no ponchos required

Sunday morning it was not raining when we got up!  In fact, the sky was wonderfully clear, which boded well for our intended hike, the Murphy Loop.  We stopped for c-store coffee on our way out of town and drove up to Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky District.  We got to the Murphy trailhead before 9 a.m., spent a little time getting our gear together and having PB&Js for breakfast and got onto the trail itself at about 9:15.

 Snow-capped mountains

We'd done this trail once before, in November 2016.  After the trail splits from the shorter overlook hike to Murphy Point, it follows a well-established trail/cairns to the edge of the mesa, then drops over 850 feet via a steep, exposed trail with switchbacks, stone stairs and a solid little bridge.  It's really not that bad, though, and feels less steep and exposed than Gooseberry.  We were in the shade from the cliffs the whole way down but stopped at the start of the loop (left through the wash, right across the hogback) to put on some sunscreen.  We had seen desert bighorn sheep poops on the trail but unfortunately didn't see any actual sheep as we scanned the cliffs behind us.

It's a mini-Goblin Valley!

Like we had done before, we took the hogback as the outbound trail.  It doesn't matter which way you go, but if you go out through the wash, there's a very steep hill to climb up when you get to the White Rim Road.  Out across the hogback was such a gentle slope that it doesn't seem like you're gaining elevation, even though you are.  It was a spectacular morning, clear, sunny and cool, and we didn't have to share it with anyone other than ravens and lizards.

Starting down the cliff face

We turned left at the White Rim Road, following it past the primitive campsites, down that big hill and to the wash.  We followed the wash back up to the bottom of the cliff, then cruised back up (a 33 minute climb).  We saw two hikers on the road and another two in the wash; even though it's really not that difficult a hike, the distance (10+ miles) and the descent/ascent on the cliff tend to ward off the masses.  There were a couple more hikers coming out across the top of the mesa but that was it - not a bad crowd for a national park.

Very sturdy bridge (but no handrails)

After snacks and beers in the parking lot, we went back to the Kokopelli to clean up, then walked to Woody's.  While we were there, we talked with a very nice couple from Chicago who were experiencing Moab for the first time.  They had hiked part of the Lathrop Trail (also from the Island in the Sky mesa, Canyonlands National Park) and after they showed us their photos of a big cat's footprint (mountain lion or bobcat) and actual desert bighorn sheep, we vowed that we would knock that one off one day.

Moon set

We tried a couple of places for dinner but, dissuaded by the people waiting, ended up back at Zax's for veggie pizza again.  This time, we sat with Tom, a New Hampshire transplant whom we'd met on our last trip down to Moab, and we watched the Red Sox game with him.  Fun to hear that northern New England accent out in the Utah desert!

That ain't no bighorn sheep

Heading back up the wash

Hike stats:  10.56 miles; 3:43 moving time / 2.8 m.p.h.; 4:31 overall time / 2.4 m.p.h.; 1,550' climbing.