buckle up

Problem: The big tree in our front yard is dropping its leaves like crazy and I hate raking leaves.  Solution: Go to Moab for the weekend.

After driving down after work on Friday, we decided to let it warm up a little Saturday morning before heading out, getting to the trailhead just before 10:30 a.m.  Call it a brunch hike.  We were doing one of the hikes in Fran and Terby Barnes's Forty One-Day Hikes in the Moab Vicinity, hoping that the obscurity and lack of actual trail would get us away from other people.  The trailhead where we parked was actually pretty busy by the time we got there, but once we got around the cliff wall and into Gold Bar Canyon, we didn't see anybody else the whole time.

Colorado River and Potash Road

I'm being a little vague in my description here but we were not following any established trail, instead picking our way along the slickrock ledges and sandy washes.  It is important to protect the soil in the desert - not just the cryptobiotic soil, although that is crucial - and leave no footprints.  We stayed on slickrock and rubble for most of the time; where we didn't have rock to walk on, we stuck to the dry washes where runoff heads down into the canyon, knowing we weren't disturbing anything there, plus our tracks would be washed away in the next storm.

#hikingdog

We made our way up the wide, gorgeous canyon for a couple of hours.  As we moved back from the rim, we let Milton off his leash.  It's pretty evident that he loves being out in the desert.  He could explore but always keep us in sight since there aren't any trees; he was really good about coming back when we called him.

Pausing at a pour-off

We managed to find Beltbuckle Arch, as described in our book.  There are substantial-seeming cracks on either side of the center piece and we wondered how long it would stay up there.

Beltbuckle Arch

We made our way up to where we could see jeeps on the Gold Bar Rim trail.  At this point, there was some discussion about trying to find Jeep Arch (not far from our current position, according to both the map and the book) and doing a loop by returning through Culvert Canyon.  In the end, however, the lure of having a canyon all to ourselves was irresistible and we went back the way we came.  With the sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s, the views and all that peace and quiet, it was just glorious.

Looking across at the Gold Bar Rim

Hike stats:  5:52 miles; moving: 2:32, 2.2 m.p.h; overall: 3:11, 1.7 m.p.h.