Picture to right is of Capitol Reef 'Castle'This weekend, I spent two days hiking down in Capitol Reef with my outdoor recreation class. Capitol Reef has had 157% snowfall this year, so I was a little worried. The whole way down, my teacher kept saying, "Wow. There's never been snow (or ice) there before!" That really helped keep us calm. NOT. Well we get there and yes, there is quite a bit of snow. But luckily the sun was shining and we were all excited to start our adventures. Friday afternoon we started did a hike through the Grand Wash, about six miles long. It was really neat! We hiked on slick rock, did a little stemming (when you're in a slot and to get through, you but your back/buttocks on one cliff wall and your legs and feet on the other and shuffle sideways through the slot), and even a bit of rock climbing on some porous sandstone. It was pretty strenuous, a lot of uphill and downhill. Honestly I'd rather go uphill because going down is rough on my knees. I learned a lot about geology and leaving no trace on the environment. The Grand Wash was incredible. I love red rock! Friday was a bit windy, so it was pretty cold even though the sun was shining. At one point, we were up as high as you could go without the danger or dying and the wind was so strong that it was difficult to keep your balance as the gusts whipped every which way. But man the views were outrageous! This was supposed to be a camping trip, but we found out about an educational observation study and decided to spend the night there because it was so cold and windy. We ate dinner and had a great devotional in which our teacher expressed his views on taking what life gives you and running with it while learning to appreciate the world around you. He has such a passion and such a love for nature and God's creations. It's really inspiring. We then sang a few hymns and played some games before heading off to bed. The observation's manager was a man named Ho. He used to be a park ranger, but now runs this observation house. He isn't LDS and it was really strange having him there for devotional. But he later expressed his gratitude for our warmth and our singing skills. He said he prefers silence and solitude and believes that nature for him replaces any church or religion. He had some very interesting views but he wasn't afraid to share them or observe the things we did. I can see where he's coming from in the fact that there is a peace and serenity up there that you just don't find anywhere else. That was the best part for me. The silence and chance to think and not be distracted by the world.
Saturday we woke up bright and early to make breakfast, clean up and check out of the observation, and be on our way to the next hike. The sunset over the Henry mountains and the sun beaming on the red cliffs was an incredible view! Stupid me, my batteries on the camera weren't charged. But I'll get pictures from everyone else. After breakfast, we left the observation cleaner than we found it. Ho said we were 'very thorough.' He also is doing a study on how much waste (trash, not human waste) humans in society produce. So before we left, he weighed our trash. And funny little tidbit here. Everyone in the group had noticed how much I ate and didn't let me hear the end of it. I ate so much Friday night that I was deemed the 'garbage disposal.' I had a little fun with it and I was happy to be there to entertain everyone else. Anyway, Ho gathers the trash in one bag and lets me, Miss Disposal, do the honors of putting it on the scale. 2 lbs! That was only .19 lb per person per day. He said we set a really high bar and that the average person produces 2.5 lbs of waste per day. WOW! He was very into recycling and preservation of materials. So congratulations to me- I lowered the group trash amount! Or so everyone else kept telling me. It was fun.
This picture is what Gooseneck is supposed to look like. Now our Saturday hike was the infamous 'water hike' in the goosenecks of Capitol Reef, along the Fremont River. Luckily Saturday's forecast was much warmer and with no wind chill. It was a beautiful day, blue skies, no clouds, a bright sun. We spent all morning/early afternoon hiking the stream bed. It was about five miles, but we took a while and enjoyed ourselves. Phil, my teacher, had never seen so much ice and any snow down there at this time of year, so he was very excited to see something different and new. This hike was INCREDIBLE! The natural beauty was just amazing. We saw waterfalls frozen to the cliff walls. In the areas of the winding canyon that are shaded most of the day, the stream was frozen over. You could see the layers of the ice and snow so clearly on the ice shelves. And the ice crystals were so intricate and beautiful. In many places, we had to find new routes, or walk across the ice, hoping it was thick enough to hold. In the sunny stretches, the stream wasn't very cold and I had a good time running a splashing in it. I don't like having to watch my footing and concentrate on finding a route avoiding the water, so I just walked in the stream bed. It was delightful! A little cold at first, but it made the experience better. We saw coyote tracks, dear tracks, and cool rock/ice formations. There were waterfalls into pools of freezing cold water. Everything was so beautiful! I wish we could be there a little later, when all the wildflowers are blooming. Since there's been so much snow, there's going to be a lot of wildflowers that I would love to see. The effects of erosion are so varied and so severe and magnificent. What a beautiful earth we live on! I didn't want the hike to end. Capitol Reef is one of the parks that kinda stays under the radar and I hope it stays that way. What makes it so amazing is the fact that it looks untouched and in its natural state. The trip was so much fun and I really gained a greater appreciation for the world around me and God's creations. There is so much more to life than many people see. When you get away from all the distractions and noise, it is easier to feel of God's love and feel the peace that will one day cover the earth when it becomes the Celestial Kingdom. We live in a beautiful world, hand-crafted by God and my respect for it deepened and my desire to explore it grew. I highly recommend getting away and going to see the natural beauty of the earth. It is a contagious learning experience.
This is what goosenecks really looked like. SNOW!
