Secret Hike in a Wash

Day 11 National Park 2010

This is what the inside of my tent looked like, full of sand from the wind.  The wind actually changed the arc of my tent frame.  I have no idea how my tent did not fly away when it was just staked into the sand.  It must have been from invisible help of which I am very grateful to. 

The lip sore from Antelope Canyon is still on it's ways to recovery, looking less green, purple, and bloody.

The stormy wind quieted down.  Sunrise was beautiful to see.  The calm after the storm is quite a thing to experience.  The wind blew all evening into the early morning, so much so that the side of my tent would hit me and wake me up from my sleep.  I did need to pee at night but it was just too windy and unsafe to be out.  The winds blew so strong that I doubted my ability to stand and shut my tent doors.  The wind was nothing to be afraid of but I was scared.  The sheer power and speed was scary. 

Too windy for tent?

This tent pops up and needs a ladder to get into

I enjoyed my morning sunrise walk to the Rangers up the hill to get another night.  I am tired from not getting much peaceful continued rest.  It was good to not have to move sites this morning.  It really saved me the effort of set up and take down energy. 

Park Avenue trail

My day didn’t start until 10:30am.  I did Park Avenue trail and then went out to check out the wall art in Moab.  I met Norma and her family from Salt Lake City, UT.  Her husband looked out for my safety and as I stepped out to look at the art they invited me to join them for their secret hike up a wash.  There are lots of washes up here.  I don’t know my way at all.  It was a pull off at the right across from the camp Recreation across the Colorado River.  We hiked through pools of water and climbed over slabs of rock and crawled under.  It was fun, I felt like a kid again.  Both parents are fun and were showing the kids how to climb, crawl, roll etc…  They were teaching their kids how to live playfully as a kid and not to loose that.  This is a very different perspective in this modern era, a very nice thing to see all in the same time instilling safety, responsibility and informed education of nature, biology.  It was so nice they included me and I had a very fun adventurous time. 

We had the whole place to ourselves.  I saw traces from campers and I realized I would not enjoy being all alone here all by myself backpacking.  I think I would be a bit scared at night. 

There is no sign for this wash, you just have to know where to stop and where to enter, I could not have done this on my own.  I wanted to backpack through a wash and I got to hike in one today, very grateful for this Christian family to fold me in.

Suppose to have dinosaur print here somewhere.  I looked hard, maybe in the wrong place but I did look in the direction the sign pointed to. 

Rock climbing classes are popular in Moab

Petroglyphs, very easy to miss, helps to have others standing on the road looking first to clue in on where to look.  I drove by it three times before I finally knew where to stop.

Then I tried to locate the bear and the hunter petro glyphs but I tried 3 times and just couldn’t find this wall art.  Total Fail!  I went to the dinosaur track but it was way up the mountain.  I also couldn’t find the entrance the Court House Wash Trail to see more petro glyphs and I tried twice.  I ended up at Burger King at 4pm and charged all my electronics again. 



This is right behind my tent site, access is through the ampitheatre.

When I drove up back to camp, the headaches and heaviness came back.  I had trouble driving safely.  I have no idea what is going on.  I sang Samadhabadra’s Song and made it to the Amphitheatre to do the Sklyline Arch hike from the back end to get to the inside of the arch.  I was the only one there.  I laid within the arch and attempted to rest the headache and illness I was swamped in.  I felt after 40 minutes of rest.  The sun and the warm rock felt great.  I felt super healed.  It was a beautiful sight to see.  I am so up high and over looking an entire valley.  It was an easy climb, short and I had the entire place to myself.


Feels very healing to nap on the hot rock underneath the arch, had the entire arch to myself

I returned to camp by 7:15pm and had Burger King Pie with High Mountain tea.  What a nice way to wrap up the day.  I didn’t do laundry.   I have enough clean fresh clothes to not have to.  It’s just that I’ve worn all my favorite pieces already.  It’s down to cotton and linen.  Need to get good rest tonight to do the long drive to Zion National Park.

 

 

Crawling Through Fin Valley in 45mph Wind

Day 10 National Park 2010

Since my tent faced the horizon over looking a beautiful valley I did not have to leave my tent to watch the sunrise.  I was up at 5:30am to do morning ceremony.  I started to walk up the hill to see the camp host since this camp site #10 was for 1 night only.  Jane took my money and had me move from camp site #10 to #5 which faces an arch and the sunset.  I am hoping this site will put me in a more sheltered spot for today’s 45 mph wind blast.  Jane recommended I don’t put up my tent until later after the wind settles down.  She said tents have been blown off even with things inside to weight it down.  But I really wanted to set up my tent in the morning when I am not tired and when the sand isn’t blowing.



45 mph wind, too strong to stand, crawl across to ensure safety


taking a break from crawling to be continued after some snacks

 

I made sure all the spikes were totally hammered to the ground.  I started my day at 10:30am for Devil’s Garden trail.   This trail was strenuous but fun and adventurous, I used up 4 hours doing this trail.  I had fun with getting my photos taken.  The stretch across Fin Valley on top of a mountain wall with 45 mph sandy wind added a high level of scary challenge.  Goggles were needed for this day and a Sahara worthy scarf for breathing would have been wonderful.  I should add this on my to take list.  Families who also went on this trail had their children crawl across this pass in fear they might get blown over and fall down the mountain.  I feared for them too.  But somehow, no one turned around, everyone just pressed forward and enjoyed the knee shaking jaw biting challenge.  These kids had more nerves than I do. 





Mushroom crisp for snack



 

I got a bit lost today to the Double O Arch.  I lost track of cairns on the way back.  I was tired and hot and winded.  I inhaled a lot of salt and sand.  I also ate a lot of sand too.  This was a good warm up to dangerous of fatigue and heat causing the mind to have difficulty in discernment. 



Check out all her jr ranger badges

I am having a lot of fun through hail, snow, rain storms, thunder storms, sand storms, lots of storms on this trip so far, pretty much one per location. 

There are lots of nice fellow travelers, it is great to see smiles on their faces, the kind I can relate to because I have the same happy one on me too. 

I burned my finger in one spot and it blistered.  I somehow blistered my left toe.  It didn’t hurt or go red, just blistered.  Most likely from all the sand that got into my shoes and rubbed against the sock and shoe.  I was exhausted from the heat and wind plus 4 hours of hiking and lots of climbing with hands. 






 

 

 

I took another hour of scenic route down to Moab after the Devil’s Garden adventure trail.  I wanted to stop and photograph scenic landscapes.  I found Burger King to wash my face and hands then ordered veg burger and a side of fries, apple pie, salad.  I sat by an outlet and charged all my electronics and found reception to call family and catch up to report in that I am safe and alive.  I decided to wash my hair in the sink and blew dry my hair with the hand dryer.  Felt good to have clean hair. 

 

I stopped by the visitor center at Moab and got info on petro glyphs in Moab and wall art.  I hope to get another night of camp at the site tomorrow so  I can spend time looking for petroglyphs and wall art. 

On the drive up to camp I saw amazing sunset colors.  When I made it back to camp, the wind felt more like a tornado with black clouds looming over the valley.  I wondered as I approached my camp site how well my tent held up or did it get blown off the cliff?  I also wondered about the sand issue, how well did my tent block out sand from the sand storm? 

 

I sat in my car and tried to enjoy two Valencia oranges with my sunburned lips that are cut and swollen.  It was delicious and refreshing.  Any fire is a total hazard today, I wouldn’t dare to start a fire in this wind for my herbal tea for the internal heat remedy.  So I just infused it into my water bottle.  I really needed it.  I have a headache from today’s wind and sun.  Finally found my lip balm today, yes after all that and 2 splits and 2 swellings on my lips.  I now have it to prevent from happening. 

Lightening struck tonight just over the mountains behind my tent.  There was no thunder, just flash.  There are lots of empty camp sites tonight in the campground.  I saw quite a bit of groups choosing to not set up their tent in fear of the tent blowing off.  But they have no protection from the wind and the blowing sand this way.  This is when an RV feels like the presidential suite.  A lot of others who camped just stayed in their car as long as possible like me.  I see why the chi is so clean here, the wind takes care of everything, nature sets everything straight. 

There aren’t any bugs out to bite tonight.  They have all taken cover, hanging on their dear life.  My tent to my surprise was still standing and well staked down.  I did find a warp in one of the frame, bent by the wind.  I tried bending it back but I couldn’t.  Other than that there weren’t any damages.  Inside the tent, sand covered everything.  It was powdery sand that got through the mesh.  Oh well, I brushed sand to create enough room to rest for the night.  In any case there might be more sand tomorrow so I’ll deal with it when I am ready to pack out I guess. 

Arches National Park

Day 9 National Parks 2010

I woke up early to pee.  I wanted to rest some more but it was a race to sunrise watch and people bustling.  I was still too slow.  Lots of excited kids were already up climbing the mountains and enjoying the morning echo of their own vibrant youthful voice.  It was wonderful to hear their excitement for nature and to hear themselves in nature, yet it was difficult in the same time because it was so loud and so early in the morning. 

 

I was distressed over campsite availabilities for the week and I walked around and chatted with neighbors and I was referred to the campground hosts.  They told me to be at their RV at 7:45 am and bring a chair to sit and wait.  Jim was very helpful and sweet.  Jane the wife runs everything.  It turns out Jane was very upset about how I stayed at another family’s campsite last night and imposed on others.  She implied I was free loading off another family.  She pretty much blasted me with her chi and dumped me a very heavy load.  Who is she to judge and punish?  That is not how it is.  I was very glad I had already ate, that experience would have made me sick too sick to eat.  It probably would have given me the runs too. 

 I decided to let go of the fear of not getting campsite for this week here.  Whatever the camp hostess thought of me is fine too, she can think whatever she pleases.  I decided to respond instead of react or pre-anticipate react.  So I pulled myself out of the dark abyss hole of shame, isolation, and punishment.  Why am I shamed again?  I pulled my head up and greeted fellow travelers and struck up conversations and had more photos of me taken.  I fell or was smacked off the track of a wonderfully blessed vacation, healing journey for a bit and then found my way back on it. 

 

 

The Delicate Arch trail was strenuous but fun and adventurous.  At Delicate Arch, I met Bryan, Karen and their God daughter Allie.  They were sweet wonderful people who shared a lot of traveling info with me.  They were bright eyed people.  I’ve met many bright eyed people on this trip so far.  It’s quite a blessing.  I am glad I was able to truly enjoy my day despite a rough and toxic start. 

I truly am sorry to have troubled and bothered or afflicted anyone.  This is not the way I choose to live.  I better slow down and walk carefully.  Well, so many things I am not aware of, so many things I must learn.

I am drinking 3-4 liters of water today.  To backpack I’d have to haul 2-3 times more water.  Plus all these hikes of 3-5 miles stretch are beautiful and reachable without backpacking, it’s good enough.   Here, they also do not recommend backpacking.  There is no water access anywhere in this desert. 

This was left by the previous occupant of this site, what a lovely welcome greeting

I did get assigned a campsite, number 10 which faces the horizon and the sunrise and so I did relocate my tent.  This camp site is much better for me as my site sits on a hill overlooking the horizon where the sun sets.  I think more time and space to me is good.  The Perrys were kind but maybe I was not what they want to invite except it was their boys that really called me in and were fond of my company, that made the parents happy. 

I had to do the usual, sip High Mountain Tea and watch the sunset into twilight.  I also watch a Taiwanese couple drive by and was turned away for a campsite by the camp host due to no availability but was flagged down by another campsite off the road inviting them to join them.  How do you explain that to the camp host?  Different affinities, different karma, different life lessons I guess. 

 

What to do?  Here in nature, sleeping, eating, are all very normal and breathing is wonderful.  Here in Arches I feel effortless in my head.  I feel settled.  I feel strong, stable, and expansive in my head, fluid and flexible.  I feel the monastery within.  Now, how do I sustain this back home?

I feel like I am in the ocean and I can hear myself.  It is okay to breathe and have my heart beat.  My body is relaxed.