Hi. this is Alex. I've hijacked Amms blog to write while she goes to collect our laundry from the laundromat. She's excited by the idea as she hasnt been in a big American Laundromat before!
I'm going to show her around and take her out to Taco Bell for dinner tonight for a romantic treat!!
All our stuff reaks and is covered in thick slimy mud from the stagnant pools of water that lived down the last canyon we explored. The canyon was Buckskin Gulch and must be the worlds longest slot canyon. We trekked on day one for 8hrs and remained in the cool depths of the canyon for the whole time, every now and then having to scramble over rockfall or wade a cooling water hole that was about thigh depth. The campsite was in a big ampitheatre at the jct with the Paria (which eventually flows into the Colorado). The hike out today was hot as once we left the canyon there was no shade, and my pack was heavy as Amms made me carry 6L of water (thats 6kg for those who weren't good at science!). We are having difficulty adapting to US hiking times. Either the US hikers are a lot faster than the Europeans and Aussies or we are getting old and slow, but every hike we have started on has taken the recommended time.
We tried to get a lottery permit to see the mythical 'wave' formation but lucked out man. They had 30 people at the rangers station all eager for the 10 places. Each person was given a ball number and then in true US style they inserted the balls into an official ball spinner lottery device and one at a time announced the lucky winners. We did not win, never was anygood at lotto.
The advantage of canyoning seems to be you get out of the heat for most of the day but you get a crook neck looking up at the sky way above hoping that the blue sky doesnt give way to grey clouds, thunderstorms and then flash floods. There is so much exporing still avaiable in Utah though for those with the time. Just the other day in the rangers station someone came in with information on a previously undiscovered slot canyon.
We are holed up in Page, Arizona for 2 days rest before we commence the next leg down into the Grand Canyon for 3 days.
I'm off to get a massive american portion ice cream now (going to try bear claw flavour) and to have a nanna nap.
Alex
Go the A team - thanks for the start of a very good blog. Your 'adventures' sure sound much nicer than sitting in a dentist's chair and having a tooth out, like I had to do today. Please feel sorry for me. I hope Alex' bear claw flavoured icecream was more palatable than my mashed potato and soup dinner! And where did Alex learn about nanna naps? Go well on your next adventure, love M and P
ReplyDeleteI experienced exactly the same thing re hiking times, when i was in the Rocky montains a few years ago. My theory is there are 2 types of Americans, You are either a bus em in and eat Macdonalds type who just about makes it 100 m along the trail before getting scared of bears and the fact they cant see their 4 x 4 anymore or they are the adventure trekker type- who walks the John Muir trail in a long weekend with 100kg on their back. So I guess the trail times refer to the latter?!!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good blogging!
Helping me through my mind numbing detailing on a school I'm working on.