I flew to Vegas and drove to Escalante, Utah with Carly to do some hiking before my guided trips. It was colder than we thought it would be the first night, Carly and I slept in the back of the rental van, rain spattering the windows and the wind rocking us to sleep. Starting a guiding business is wild- I was here in October to scout these trip originally, it was great so I planned them for spring, but lying awake listening to the wind I thought Did I pick dates that are too early? Would later in April have been better? I know that once I’ve done all the different locations for a few years in a row things will be easier, I’ll know what to expect and the exact right dates to do everything- but in the meantime I’m so grateful for everyone who registers for one of my trips, while I’m still figuring out the little details.
The weather did improve. Along the Escalante river the tamarisk was just leafing out, and the leaves on the cottonwoods were the size of squirrels’ ears. The storm blew over and the sun appeared and we sought out shade for our lunch breaks, eating melted chocolate (me) and nerds ropes (Carly) and other disgusting things that become precious miraculous treasures from heaven as soon as you’re a far enough walk from the road. All the use trails were cow trails and when it was time to cross the river they would dump us, unceremoniously, into the water, and the water was cold. We didn’t see any other humans but we saw petroglyphs and cowboy glyphs and one night we slept in an alcove that was so warm, quiet and still, and a mouse circled our tent but then went on its way.
When I first got to Utah I was so anxious, all the panicked, frantic thoughts from the last two weeks of moving out of my house still bouncing around in my brain like pinballs in a pinball machine. Packing, finding a storage unit, renting freezer space for my salmon, renting a uhaul, finding friends to help move and watch my dogs while I was in Utah and to stay with when I get back (angels!!), getting ready for this trip, the actual moving (and discovering that I’d accidentally rented a second-floor storage unit, ha ha), then catching my flight on time. Sometimes I get all keyed up when I have to go go go! And then I can’t figure out how to wind down. The first day of hiking we got to camp in the afternoon, a little bluff over the river where the cows lie down, and by nightfall we were in bed. I was feeling allergic to the desert so I took a nyquil to sleep and then, dear reader, the desert pulled all the bad feeling out of me and in the morning my mind was still, like a pool of rainwater in the slickrock, not even a waterbug to disturb its surface, and it stayed that way.
My April guided hikes start in a few days- I’m thinking of offering some trips here in southern Utah this fall as well, if there’s interest. If you want updates on that subscribe to this newsletter if you haven’t already, I’ll post about it here.
Also, if you don’t yet know, I’m offering a two hour caltopo route-making workshop, via zoom, on April 28! The class is sliding scale and the bottom of the scale is zero- I won’t be mad if you sign up for zero, I promise. I just want you to come, and tell all your friends. Deets and the link to register are here.
And there’s just a few spots left in my Brooks Range trips this summer, if you wanna hang in Alaska!
That’s all for now,
Carrot
I'm interested in the caltopo class if it's offered again! I can't make 4/28 unfortunately