memorial day

regehr

regehr

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Mar 28, 2012
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We drove past Lower Calf Creek Falls yesterday (Saturday May 27) and it was wild, not only a full parking lot but people were parked all up and down highway 12 for maybe a quarter mile in both directions, leaving their vehicles stuck out into the traffic lane, and some bros in a pickup had let a wheel drop so far off the pavement they were stuck and the police were just arriving. It can't have been a fun scene at the falls! We were looking for a short hike and went to the upper falls -- that parking lot was mostly full but not bad. Also we finally had dinner at Hell's Backbone Grill after sort of thinking we should eat there for the entire >20 years we've lived in Utah. Of course it was lovely.

I'm happy to not have seen what Arches or Zion are like this weekend!
 
On holiday weekends, I always hike in places where you rarely see a single soul.
I saw 5 people yesterday on my hike, all on my way back.
That's the way I like it.

Just reading stuff from Zion and Bryce that they shut down their parks due to overcrowding let me cringe. Who on earth wants to go to these popular places on a holiday weekend where you are with thousands of others and where you do nothing else than wait in lines and it feels like you're in a busy downtown city area?
 
we did better today... walked a lightly-used ATV trail through some very pretty country, didn't see a soul

Hiking Slickrock Bench Trail - Torrey - Road Trip Ryan

Slickrock Bench Trail is a 6.5 mile round trip hike to a viewpoint overlooking Capitol Reef and the surrounding areas. Here is the hike description, map, and gps waypoints for hiking the Slickrock Bench Trail.
www.roadtripryan.com www.roadtripryan.com
 
You have great choices for less crowded hikes out there. Holiday weekends back here in the east are nuts if the weather is good. I don't even think about trying to get away, even to the nearest AT section. Local hiking group I do a lot with has 15-20 people signed up. Nope... Spending some time looking latest REI sale trying to convince myself to spend $$ to lower my pack weight.
 
Get new gear and come along with Scat and crew....
 
Bob said:
Get new gear and come along with Scat and crew....
Click to expand...

Yeah, it'd be great - but can only afford 1 trip/yr out there.:( At least it's 4 wks!
Looking forward to Bear Basin and other possible routes

Ultralight is ultra$$$ (& maybe ultra-delicate)
Hard to justify replacing my old big 3 for shoulder season alpine:

WM Versalite 10F + OR compression sack 2lb, 6z
Deuter ACT Zero 50+15 (35lb comfort) 3lb, 6z
Six Moons Skycape Trekker (with stakes & groundsheet) 2lb, 2z

Can go single wall route, but don't like dealing with condensation or $$$ dyneema
For $200 (REI sale) the GG Crown 3 saves 13z, meh....
 
(also, on Friday, after arriving mid-afternoon in the Capitol Reef area, we hiked the Cooks Mesa / Meeks Mesa route, above the crowded boondock camground a bit outside the park, and again didn't see anyone once on the trail)
 
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