Capitol Reef: My Favorite Hike

September 22, 2018

I wanted to do the Hickman Bridge Hike in the early morning after the trail was sunlit, but before it got too hot to want to be out on rocks in the sun.   I was slow to get out of camp, so it was about eight before I got going. 

The trail starts between the Freemont River, east of where I was camping, and a rock mountain. Almost immediately it switchbacks up a mountain with a view into a side canyon. Volcanic rock has been rounded into black balls by floods and tumble down the mountain from the black band of volcanic rock. The Civilian Conservation Corp built the trail  so it has a lot of steps, making it easier to climb..  After you get to the top, you soon have to climb down again before gradually climbing to the loop part of the trail.  You get to walk through the natural bridge before heading back. 

The trail gives long view from the loop past the bridge and  goes through sandy areas with lots of fairly close views of  of the formations. 

The trailhead for this hike is just past the petroglyphs and just after the Freemont River  crosses the road. 

View of the Freemont River at the trailhead

View as trail turns and climbs up and behind the parking lot

There are volcanic "balls" dotting the landscape  made by action of floods over millennium 

A sharp turn in the trail

This formation reminded me of a building

There was a lot of diversity in the views

The beautiful work of the CCC

I was interested to see the range of the cochineal beetle  - this scale insect lives on prickly pear and 
is used to make carmine dye

Could only find three fingers of this "hand"

The landscape ranges from close to further

This was a mini bridge about half way along the trail

More cliff detail

This area was very sandy

Struggle to survive

The next pictures are from the part of the trail that loops through the bridge

The trail turns right and goes through another canyon

I never got tired of looking closer at the formations

These people are going under the bridge

Here is a longer view of it

And a view from the far side looking back at the rock formations

Another visitor and I traded pictures

One last look back

The trail continued

I got longer and longer views as I looped  back to the straight part of the trail 

All this beauty happened in less than two miles on a trail described as moderate. If you like to hike longer, you can connect to the Rim Overlook and Bald Knob trails for a total of 9.5 miles and reportedly stupendous views looking down on the orchards. Those trails range from moderate to strenuous.

This is the last blog on the adventures I had over the last month as I migrated to Texas. I'm finally in Galveston for about a week.  Today I voted, took my bike to be fixed, and started to get my car legal for next year. I'll try to remember to take my camera on a paddle this week. Otherwise, it may be a while before I'm blogging again.

Rock Art at Capital Reef

September 22, 2018

Petroglyphs made by the ancient Native Americans of the Fremont culture are visible in several parts of Capitol Reef National Park. The easiest ones to see are are right along the road, just east of the historic Fruita School. Their meaning is still unknown. Hopefully they will not be destroyed until we learn their secrets.

They are just off the road, accessible to all,  and protected by keeping the visitors on a walkway. A huge piece of rock containing other petroglyphs split off the main rock and broke up in the 1950's , destroying other petroglyphs here.

I had the hardest time locating ANY of the petroglyphs until someone helped me discover a few of them. I finally got my petroglyph eyes and started seeing them. The camera could see them better. I came back twice, because the sun was too bright to see all the details the first time I visited.

There are many quite tiny figures, some fading away more than others

The cliffs there are stunningly beautiful - but falling down

Apparently they had most of the animals we have today

Elk?

There were also people

More people, surrounded by animals - these are less than a foot high

This was my favorite group of people

This may be a big horn sheep - just not sure

Big horn and wolf?

More modern graffitti

When this comes up, I'll be playing in Corpus Christi. Then I'll be going to Galveston/Houston to vote.  play and also get my car inspected.

Capitol Reef- Fremont River Hike

September 21, 2018

I was pretty tired from doing several hikes in Capitol Reef National Park,  so decided to do an easy one that would not even require me to drive anywhere.  I was camping at Fruita Campground, which is on the Fremont river.There is a trail along it that is accessible and which dogs are allowed to be on for about the first half mile.  Then it climbs to two overlooks.  It is an up and back trail. I waited until it warmed up enough that I didn’t need a jacket before starting out. Where I started the trail, willows mostly hide the river, but it is very pleasant to listen to its song. In a few places, especially where big cottonwoods grow, you can see the river from the trail.  Then after you start climbing along a cliff, you can look down on the river, sometimes seeing its water and sometimes only seeing the willows that line it. 

I was on the trail for over a half hour before anyone else came along. Two couples passed me before a single lady greeted me. We ended up walking on up the trail together and she took a picture of me at the end. She also invited me to stop and visit her when I’m in Santa Fe. 

View across the river

Another view of clifts

And yet another

My new friend, Jennifer. - I stayed behind to photograph

An outcropping near the end of the trail

Pretty sure this slab came from the lake that was here millions of years ago

Just another view

I had to wait for the sun to get high enough to light up the river

I wondered what was this rock's story

Where the river comes over a little dam

Beautiful juxapositon of different rocks

This plant reminded me of Texas native poinsettia

Cliffs back near camp

I love getting close enough to see all the twists in the rocks

Jennifer's Picture of me at the end of the trail

I've been helping with the Kids Crane Festival, this past Saturday and then managed to get twenty-eight pictures of sandhill cranes Sunday afternoon.  Sunday and Monday (holiday) were cloud, windy, and cold and so I didn't feel like going on any adventures. Today, Tuesday, I've been hauling stuff back to Alamosa from Monte Vista, where the festival was held, then doing a lot of cleaning, including the Visitor Center, four bays, and two cars. I'm taking a break to get this out since I don't have wifi, then will go pick up trash near my house before ending the day. I was supposed to help spay weeds today but apparently my fellow weed crew decided 26 degrees was too cold.  Maybe that will happen tomorrow.  I did get my UTV hauled over from Monte Vista to Alamosa, where we will be spraying. 

Cassidy Arch Hike

September 30, 2017

I started driving to the trailhead at first light.  But it was cold and getting colder so I waited until the sun was rising. I didn't even make it to the arch, but the trail itself was exceptional.  This is a hot trail so it is best to hike it early in the morning. The light comes in from behind you then and makes for gorgeous colors. 

The trail was being repaired. The tape was to keep people out from under it - and possibly falling rocks

The trail does most of it's climbing at the beginning with steep switchbacks, and lots of tall steps

It also starts on the edge of the cliff - I never felt like I'd fall off the mountain

The trail starts about two tenths of a mile down Grand Wash, from the Scenic Road end. Then it goes back west, so I hiked back past my starting point. That little blue car on the far left is my Honda.

From a few hundred feet up

The sun was just starting to paint the highest cliffs

Another view along the trail in early light

That is the trail pretty near the top- pretty flat

The mix of rocks was amazing

Going up again

This almost felt like an alter

Several mountains had formations on top

And there were rock "meadows"

A close view

I met this lizard after I missed a turn and ended up in a rock field

That hole is the front of Cassidy arch

Just another sceen

Another topping rock

Can't get over these layors

Or how many rocks have broken off

View of the front of Cassidy Arch - from almost on top of the world

Just another view

These rock looked whipped to me

Trailside view

This was pretty much where I turned back.  But what a view. 

By the time I came back down, I ran into the trail builders. There were two woman and two men.  I stopped and talked to the women.  They are with AmeriCorps and have a few more weeks of work on this trail before going on to work on trails in Zion. There work was beautiful.  I only saw one place where you could see rebar holding the stone steps they were building.

This was a hike that had some kind of enjoyment every few feet. I highly recommend it.

When this blog comes out, I'll be in the Grand Canyon. I still have a few more blogs on here. Stay tuned.