I haven't been out to Canyonlands or Moab, UT until now. With the weather a little crapier than I prefer here in the high country of Colorado, it was the perfect opportunity to check out the desert.
I hiked the Syncline Loop around Upheaval Dome. Just one night. About 8.5 miles and 1500' or so elevation. Thanks to P-MAGS for the info.
Here I am stoked at about a mile in. The weather was in the mid 60's. My camp site was directly down there:
The rock formations are awesome. Keep in mind that these below are approximately 400' tall:
Fall colors…..BLUE plants?:
After descending quite a bit, I find a spot for the night. I liked the backdrop and surrounding buttes:
Opposite angle:
After getting the tent up it was time for a little R&R. I typically bring wine and nice cheese every trip. For some reason, it makes me happy:
Since there was no rain in the forecast and zero wind, I was going to sleep without the fly this evening. I had to use rocks to hold down my BA Seedhouse 1 partial freestanding tent. Can't insert steaks into sandstone ground. Here is the evening shot:
In the middle of the night I was awoken by a rain drop and blowing wind. I noticed it was pitch black out when previously it was bright with stars. Then came the lighting and gnarly winds. I had to get up at 3:30a and put the fly on and totally reinforce the guy lines with piles of rocks as the wind was pulling the initial ones around. It was fun. Here is the morning shot:
After coffee and breakfast, I pack up and headed out. It was all uphill from here:
Once I got to the top I did a little site seeing in the car. Everywhere you look on Island in the Sky are views for miles:
I was going to camp here the second night (Pucker Pass on the way to Moab) but the winds were 40+ MPH. Without being able to steak my tent into the rocks, I wasn't in the mood to be blown over the cliff since I left my parachute and hang glider at home;) :
So I decided to head towards Moab and the Colorado River and find somewhere to setup shop for the evening. I'm glad I did cause I got to drive on some awesome canyon roads:
I ended up with a sweet spot near the river, away from the wind, and it had clay like soil. Perfect for tacking down my shelter:
The next morning I got up early and rode Slickrock trail.
Then, the mandatory post trip eats:
