Utah: Backpacking in Canyonlands

For our last overnight in the Arches area we stayed at a motel in Moab – for the double bonus of showers and a load of clean laundry. Bright and early Wednesday morning we headed off to Canyonlands National Park. We were blessed with good fortune in the first-come-first-served department during our time in Canyonlands. We arrived at the campground just as several sites were being vacated, so we scored a great site within the park. At the visitors center, BN went to the backcountry office to try our luck at getting some backpacking passes. We got 3 nights of reservations for backcountry campsites, beginning the following day. Score! The ranger talked us through the features of the area, the rules and regulations, and informed us that there were no water sources out there so we would need to pack in all of our water for the 3 days. They recommend a gallon of drinking water per person per day… That’s six gallons… That’s 48 pounds of water…

That afternoon we took it easy and wandered around Pothole Point, which was a lot prettier than it sounds. It was like a garden. We saw lots of cryptobiotic soil, which we had learned about in Arches. A symbiotic mixture of bacterias and algaes lives in the sandy surface, creating a sculpted, bumpy crust that is akin to the large rock formations but in miniature. Learning about this vital part of the desert ecosystem really taught us to watch our step! The very dirt is a living thing here.

After dinner we scrambled up on top of the rock bluff next to the campground and hiked out to a good sunset-viewing spot. It was a pleasant and scenic way to end the day.

Thursday morning we spent loading up our backpacks. An icy, biting wind made it hard to concentrate on what we were trying to do – decide what to bring in addition to lots and lots of water. Brrr. I sorted and re-sorted the food while trying not to let my teeth chatter too much. We had about 10 Nalgene bottles, a collapsible “Platypus” water bag, and 3 large plastic containers full of water that had been frozen, in use in our cooler up till now. It was about 5 gallons all told. Finally we were packed and drove to the trailhead.

When we got there it was snowing. It was a very dry, corn-like snow but plenty cold! We strapped on our packs, adjusted our hiking poles, and hit the trail. It was a 4-wheeling trail for the first bit and we were passed by several groups in Jeeps testing their mettle on the rocky “trail.” Parts of it were like a giant stone staircase, I was astonished to see how the vehicles were able to climb like that. Riding probably felt like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. It was challenging terrain on foot, what with our overloaded packs. Luckily we had those hiking poles – I literally don’t think I would have made it 3 miles to our campsite without them. By far my heaviest pack load ever!

The sun peeked out a few times on our way but when we arrived at the site it was snowing again. The loose, dry snow was in tiny pellets that blew into the crevices and collected there. We saw snow on a cactus! We set up our tent, walked around a bit, and then BN hurriedly cooked dinner which we ate in the tent. The wind was so cold! My sleeping bag is a “15°” bag and it’s kept me quite warm in the past. I dozed for awhile, but kept waking up cold and put on more clothing. By the time I fell asleep for the long term I was wearing everything I brought, including my parka and I still was faintly chilled. Wow, it was cold. When we woke up in the morning our water containers were frozen.

Our site was in “Devil’s Pocket,” a grassy little valley surrounded by pinnacle-y rocks. In the morning it was cold but crystal-clear.

We packed up our stuff and hiked to our next stop, Chessler Park, where we’d been assigned a first-class camp”suite.” It was backed by a sheltering rock wall, and contained several trees which were perfectly shaped to act as kitchen counter and living room couch. We had a wide, panoramic view and we were the last site on the row so no other people were around. After our short-but-weighty hikes we needed to just be lazy for awhile so we set up the tent without the rainfly and let the sun pour in. If it had been a little bit warmer it would have felt like summer. Later we took a walk to a big rock in the middle of the field and climbed on top of it. We had a good view of the “bay” where the campsites were – ours is down around the left side of this “cathedral.”

On Saturday, our day hike (read: no packs) took us through a dry, sandy riverbed to Druid Arch. We saw some caves (with an overhead slit open to the sky), lots of cool rock formations, colorful gravel on the wash floor, a make-your-own mini rock cairn project, and even some puddles of water. BN found a sheet of ice on one of them. BN got some great shots of the desert plants.

Druid Arch was SO cool. What a striking shape, with that slit-opening on the right. One of my favorites for sure.

Back at camp we enjoyed a clear, still evening. Our campsite was just around the bend from an historic site, a cowboy camp. There was a wall of graffiti, a collection of bitsy artifacts, and an old cast iron stove.

One interesting thing about backpacking is it really brings the importance of essentials into sharp focus. You realize how little you really need in the way of stuff. On this trip, we obviously learned about how much water one needs and how heavy it is! I tend to look forward to dinner all day. Mmm, dinner. Our best dinner was a freeze dried Beef Stroganoff. We boiled a whole Nalgene of water to reconstitute it, and ate 4 “servings” between the 2 of us. On this trip I wish we had brought more cheese. I get mighty tired of dried fruit and nuts. Good quality dried dates, though, are as good as a cookie or muffin.

The greatest thing about backpacking is getting out to the really good scenery that only the few get to see. You get to see it at all times of day, and really take time to LOOK