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Boulder Mail Trail, Jan 2014


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  • #1313003
    matt vogt
    Spectator

    @mattvogt7

    Winter in the desert is different​
    The Swell

    Places we know (above) take on a new character. They're quieter. More ephemeral. Intimate. We began our walk outside Boulder (Utah). A sloppy river of mud gives way to an avenue of stone.
    Slickrock

    SR

    Lucky to be asked to tag along, I share this work with three friends and three dogs

    Because we can, we stop early the first day and stretch out to bask in fleeting winter light.
    Late light

    Its cold at night. More so for some (me). I awake early to greet the sun and take in the large sandstone bowl that cradles us.
    Bowl
    Camp

    With morning activity, dog and human quickly reconnect​dog

    Not in a hurry we enjoy the morning. After the sun has sufficiently warmed us, camp is packed and we move on.
    morning

    We crunch along. Up and through snow-drifts clinging to sandstone.
    Crunch
    Crunch crunch

    A place of known beauty becomes transformed with the addition of snow. Landscapes with a well known aesthetic, icons with titles that include "Death Hollow" become…….different.
    DH

    It's important to stop on smell the roses on these occasions.
    Chad

    The canyon calls to us and we make our descent.
    group
    grp
    sideways look

    I can't help to take in the contrast in size between the red blip that is Cody and Death Hollow
    cody

    I look on from an incredible vantage point to see a canyon folding in on itself.​
    folds

    Kudos to Nick for picking the perfect route for a winter time stroll. The warm open rim walking we had become accustomed to is contrasted heavily once we touch down on canyon bottom.
    winter

    Despite the cool temperature and frozen mounds of snow. Death Hollow is mind blowing. So still and quiet, winter adds an extra touch here of something special. Something different.
    cbotton

    In defiance of the cold temperature water still flows
    .​cbottom
    tooth
    reflect

    Senses become heightened in such a quiet space. I wonder how different this canyon will sound come Spring run-off.
    calm
    lght

    Even the nature of light is different this time of year. More subdued, it yields a restrained aesthetic in all that it touches, including the massive Ponderosa Pine yawning up towards its filtered light.
    ponderosa1
    ponderosa2
    ponderosa3
    ponderosa4

    As hard as it was to not drift off, to maintain a rational route finding sensibility, we eventually find a bend in the canyon and a large cairn indicating our exit. Up we go, chasing sunlight.
    Chada

    Short of breath trying to keep up with Chad on the ascent I pause and take a second to look behind me. I see this, and it is hard to continue moving.
    overrlook

    We decide to layout on another long carpet of stone. Home for the night as the light races past us. We are slow to set-up, on deck for evening entertainment: illuminated stone. We all become observers and chatter stops. Magic happens.
    gus
    nick

    Another cold night (thanks for letting me join you in your tent Chad) is met with another glorious morning as the sun greets us from our frigid slumber. We are all a little morose setting off, following what remains of the telephone line on the old Boulder Mail Trail
    line
    ramb

    I am originally from the Northwest. The land of green trees and endless rain. I have been living in the desert southwest now for four and a half years. With the exception of family and friends I feel little pull to return to the place I spent my childhood. Whenever I return home to visit and am confronted by the myriad of variations on the theme of "when are you moving back?" and "what do you like about being down there?," what forms is a wordless thought, a mental construct of place. As I move through this landscape, seeing these places, I find a lively internal dialogue unfolding, in which I say, "This is why I stay rooted in a harsh land of stone, mud, and wind. For places like this, places which puts ones existence into a neat category." Pulling off my sunglasses to gaze I wonder, "what kind of place is this?" Well, this is just the kind of place where at the end of the day, even in winter, you have fried your retinas out because you constantly worry that your sunglasses obscure your view, impede your ability to take it all in. That is what this kind of place is. Sun burnt, wind chapped, sweaty, tired, and with blurred vision – you still can not get enough, and you awake each day more excited than the last.
    look
    tree

    Taking a second to stop, we all become inspired in different ways.​
    chad sketch
    cd

    But we must make progress. Down we go.​
    treee

    Crossing down into the drainage our path is momentarily obscured by the pillows of snow covering any semblance of a trail. We split up only to come back together.
    wave

    We are by no means rushed in passage and as mellow as this trip is, as enjoyable as my companions are to be around, there is a part of me that wishes I had more time to stop, take off my pack, and let eye and camera comb this landscape. Profound details come to light that are just so unique to being here, at this time of year. Its just so……different.
    ice
    sdwirl
    line
    wild
    sw

    However, we dont have time to linger. Responsibility, though highly overrated in our society, beckons. Maybe this reality makes our time here all the sweeter. Cowboy decides to take the lead.
    cb
    cb2

    Soon, Nick and Sage join us and we take a second the scout our vantage. In the near distance the Henry's loom large while a hazy Sleeping Ute slumbers.
    vw

    Up and over one more saddle and the landscape drops off. Below, the town of Escalante enters and we know we are nearing the end of our journey.
    down
    down1

    Paraphrasing an astute observer, our time in the desert is often measured by the sun. Mainly (and for most of the year) attempting to escape its harsh oppressive glare. It is the metronome of a desolate, solitary visage, keeping score, omnipresent, ticking incessantly with the coming and going of the seasons. For the majority of the year; weather by boat, bike, or foot, we look for routes with ample room to tuck into a shaded nook, immersing ourselves in cool inky shadows. But in the throws of winter, ones relationship with the sun is changed, different. It no longer becomes something to seek shelter from, rather, a necessity that is embraced with open arms. One of these two realities is not better than the other, but the former gives meaning to the latter.
    paint

    Our fearless leader, soaking it all in before returning to his truck. Thanks Nick, Cody, Chad, Sage, Cowboy, and Gus for a great trip.
    nick

    #2070880
    Sam Haraldson
    BPL Member

    @sharalds

    Locale: Gallatin Range

    What a gorgeous and ethereal landscape.

    #2071147
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    I agree…the dessert in the wintertime is magical. Thanks for sharing!
    Tom

    #2071629
    Jon Leibowitz
    BPL Member

    @jleeb

    Locale: New England

    I did a section of the Boulder Mail Trail last fall. Such an incredible place. I'm insanely jealous of your recent trip.

    #2071634
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    at a loss for words, so all I'll say is thank you very much for sharing this magical journey.

    #2071856
    Edward Z
    BPL Member

    @fuzz

    Locale: Sunny San Diego

    Thanks for the fantastic summary and incredible photos. Leaves me aching to get back outside.

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