New to the area!

[JamesCulp]

Hey guys and gals! My name is James and I’m from Ohio! I’ve been lurking for a while because I was too stupid to figure out the security question (obviously, the obvious is not my forte), but I finally got myself smart enough to figure it out so here I am!
I’ve been backpacking for a few years now, thanks to my wife. We normally go to Daniel Boone National Forest(a.k.a. the Red River Gorge) in Kentucky but I had told my wife about my lifelong desire to go to the desert a couple of years ago so she let me plan a trip (also not my strong suite) and we spent two miserable days in Canyonlands in July 2017 and I was hooked. Who knew the desert is hot in July?!
But since I was hooked she let me have another shot at it in April 2018 and while it was not as hot, it sure was windy this past spring and having an opportunity to drive all through southern Utah (we went from Valley of the Gods to Escalante and back to Canyonlands) I realized that anywhere on the Colorado Plateau is my favorite place on Earth and you can literally stop the car and start hiking and have your mind blown.

So now that my wife has had her fill of the Colorado Plateau, I’m planning on hopefully going back this coming spring (2019) and making a Hayduke attempt in 2020. None of this sounds appealing to any of my friends so I figured meeting some like-minded people wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Hopefully I can contribute here since I probably know more about the Colorado Plateau than anybody who’s never been there more than 9 days!

Nice to meet you guys and gals(in advance)!

 

[LarryBoy]

Hey guys and gals! My name is James and I’m from Ohio! I’ve been lurking for a while because I was too stupid to figure out the security question (obviously, the obvious is not my forte), but I finally got myself smart enough to figure it out so here I am!
I’ve been backpacking for a few years now, thanks to my wife. We normally go to Daniel Boone National Forest(a.k.a. the Red River Gorge) in Kentucky but I had told my wife about my lifelong desire to go to the desert a couple of years ago so she let me plan a trip (also not my strong suite) and we spent two miserable days in Canyonlands in July 2017 and I was hooked. Who knew the desert is hot in July?!
But since I was hooked she let me have another shot at it in April 2018 and while it was not as hot, it sure was windy this past spring and having an opportunity to drive all through southern Utah (we went from Valley of the Gods to Escalante and back to Canyonlands) I realized that anywhere on the Colorado Plateau is my favorite place on Earth and you can literally stop the car and start hiking and have your mind blown.

So now that my wife has had her fill of the Colorado Plateau, I’m planning on hopefully going back this coming spring (2019) and making a Hayduke attempt in 2020. None of this sounds appealing to any of my friends so I figured meeting some like-minded people wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Hopefully I can contribute here since I probably know more about the Colorado Plateau than anybody who’s never been there more than 9 days!

Nice to meet you guys and gals(in advance)!

Welcome! What are you planning for 2019?

 

[Perry]

Welcome @JamesCulp!


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[Outdoor_Fool]

Your sarcasm is appreciated, welcome to the site!

 

[Glasterpiece]

July is a great time in the desert if you get some thunderstorms.

 

[JamesCulp]

Welcome! What are you planning for 2019?

My hope for 2019 is Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa, but it’s a hell of a drive to do solo from Cincinnati so if that doesn’t pan out I may end up in Green River (the best greyhound stop I can find) and attempting to hitch to San Rafael Swell and exploring there.

July is a great time in the desert if you get some thunderstorms.

I really wanted to see one, but the 107 degree days with no humidity were a bit much for my first Utah experience. Our summers get hot here in Ohio(100+), but 107 was really intense haha!

 

[LarryBoy]

Check out flights to Moab. They're really not as terrible as you'd think as it's subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service program.

For my money, flying into Moab and hitching to the Needles, Abajos, even Grand Gulch would probably be easier than getting to the Swell (I'm not super knowledgable about the Swell but pretty much anything worth doing is on a seldom-traveled dirt road).

Orrrr... fly into the Moab Airport, walk across the road, and start Hayduke Sec 1 via the Klondike Bluffs Alt. It's a fun preview of coming attractions, plus it's a snap to hitch from where Courthouse flows into the River back to the airport.

 

[Glasterpiece]

My hope for 2019 is Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa, but it’s a hell of a drive to do solo from Cincinnati so if that doesn’t pan out I may end up in Green River (the best greyhound stop I can find) and attempting to hitch to San Rafael Swell and exploring there.

I really wanted to see one, but the 107 degree days with no humidity were a bit much for my first Utah experience. Our summers get hot here in Ohio(100+), but 107 was really intense haha!

But it's a dry heat. Elevation is the key.

 

[JamesCulp]

Check out flights to Moab. They're really not as terrible as you'd think as it's subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service program.

For my money, flying into Moab and hitching to the Needles, Abajos, even Grand Gulch would probably be easier than getting to the Swell (I'm not super knowledgable about the Swell but pretty much anything worth doing is on a seldom-traveled dirt road).

Orrrr... fly into the Moab Airport, walk across the road, and start Hayduke Sec 1 via the Klondike Bluffs Alt. It's a fun preview of coming attractions, plus it's a snap to hitch from where Courthouse flows into the River back to the airport.

I had initially decided this wasn’t a possibility as a flight from Cincinnati costs like $800+, but I just checked Cincinnati to Denver to Moab and it’s literally like $300 round trip, thanks for making me use my noggin!

 

[Rockskipper]

Or ride the train - it stops in Green River right across from the Epicenter guys/gals who are very helpful.