Moments in Dirt and Ink

Got some catch-up to do with the blog, but the sketches will do for a tease until then. Water was supposed to be a worry, but this rock box with water pouring over the sides showed it was needless while hiking up the Comanche Trail . There is a vast land of flats all at different levels looking over southern Utah and Arizona . Kolob Canyons are a dominant feature when there are views to the west . Some more close at hand rocks among the aspen trees. Walking in Fairyland in Bryce Canyon. On my way up the east fork of the Cimarron river and enjoying the cliffs with their scattered trees. We like to see patterns even when there is none to see.  This peak to the south seemed very much like an eagle with wings outspread to me. Playing a little with getting the patches of snow in and dealing poorly with there being a lot of rock between the Wetterhorn and Matterhorn.

Uncompahgre National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5  |  DAY 6 Wetterhorn Peak also has fairly close access from the road and sitting up on the hill, I can watch them wandering up the trail. One group seems to be moving a little oddly, dawdling here and there and popping up on rocks waving their arms about. They pass by the junction as I finish breakfast and I am sure they are past by the time I have everything cleaned and packed, but end up startling them a bit as I pop out from behind the trees. We chat as we attempt to navigate the creeks without getting wet feet. It seems I have fallen in with some famous climbers out showing a brother and his son some class 3 climbing. Up on the edge of the basin, there is a pair of skittish elk. We pass by large number of marmots who are not skittish as the green meadows yield to snow. Climbing up Matterhorn Basin to Wetterhorn Peak. The target for t...

Uncompahgre National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5  |  DAY 6 Things are wet in the morning from a few brief rains overnight. Today is an short day starting with a day hike attempting Uncompahgre Peak and I can leave the camping gear to dry while I do that. A couple posts can be seen climbing the hills, marking where the trail passes. The trail climbs very steeply to the first one along a couple tracks. A couple elk on it last night took the less steep one, and I agree with them. The snow is fairly solid when I hit it, sometimes a little too solid. The snow fields around Wetterhorn Peak look difficult to deal with leading to worry about getting up this slightly higher peak. The section of the San Juan Mountains to the south start to reveal themselves. Snow fields are under Uncompahgre Peak, too, but now I can see the trail avoids much of it. One day hiker is along the ridge ahead. ...

Uncompahgre National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5  |  DAY 6 The night was cool, but not freezing. Today, I will find out if it is too early to get out of the canyon because of snow. It is all melting just about as fast as it can. A little breakfast, a little packing, and I am set to really start the trip. I drop back to the trail below and start up the gentle slope beside the East Fork once again. The crags across the river from camp in the bright morning light. The few columbines along the trail are the least frilly I have seen. A glance up the East Fork.

Uncompahgre National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5  |  DAY 6 The Colorado backpacking loop I found last year was stunning, so now I am out for another. This year I chose a loop mainly in the Uncompahgre Wilderness following different forks of the Cimarron River up and back down connecting over the ridges to the south. This gives me access to two 14ers with trails most the way up. All this depends on the snow, of course. It is a little early in the season and a late snowfall may mean I cannot get out of the canyon, much less climb a mountain that is 14,300 feet high. I have been casting my eyes toward the San Juan Range for the last few days, and they do look very snowy. It seems unlikely that I will get out of the canyon and I am a little resigned as I collect everything together. The day hikers who went up to the Silver Jack Mine do not offer much hope. The trailhead says "no camping" so I stu...

Grand Mesa National Forest Rather than go to a high point on the mesa, like Crag Crest, this trail travels the typical top of the mesa that claims to be the highest flat top mountain in the world. I thought it would make a nice evening hike. This is another that is not on my map, although it is well signed from the road. (It is a Trails Illustrated 136 Grand Mesa map that seems so incomplete.) There is a map at the parking lot showing a trail progressing a few miles southwest with connector trails to the road to the west. I think I will maybe do a little loop and a couple hours. Wide grasslands lined with pines at the top of the mesa. Past a line of pines, there is wide grassland just getting started. It looks like it becomes cow pasture eventually, but is not yet. A faint old road seems to travel the middle of the meadow. Dotting the flat grasslands are a number of shallow ponds. Some areas are marshy and require careful foot placement to keep dry feet. One o...

Candlestick Tower Overlook Looking out over Soda Springs Basin (Green River side). The Candlestick Tower is in the distance near the right hand cliffs.

Canyonlands National Park Hanging off the edge of the Island in the Sky is the Mesa Arch. We stopped to have a look, which requires bout a half mile walk along one or both sections of a loop trail. The trail is a well trod path through the sand and sages, generally quite well marked by people traveling along it, but also by cairns when it crosses rocks. Starting along the trail toward the cliff and the arch at the edge of the Island in the Sky. First look at Mesa Arch.