March 18 Fiddling about is a fine way to pass the time, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. As I break camp I must have touched each thing at least twice–creating piles, moving the piles about, packing the piles, unpacking the piles. By the time all is put away the ground around my … More Hayduke Day 8
March 17 All night and all day the planes pass overhead, silently. East to west, east to west, always to the coast. As if the Pacific holds something dear and secret and covetous. I wonder what those people who look out their window think when they see this vast red deserted expanse spread out below … More Hayduke Day 7
March 16 My morning perch allows me to see Canyonlands come to life in the morning. All the cantilevered platforms and mesas of the earth have their own surface characteristics–tilt, shape, size–and each casts it’s own unique shadow so that the earth becomes a bouquet of textures. Have you ever wondered how many things have … More Hayduke Day 6
March 15 When I woke my tent was covered in frost. I looked out at the canyon walls to the east, waiting for the sun to poke through and bring some warmth, but no luck this morning. Sometimes the world is too tall, even for the sun. Instead I pack lazily, sipping on hot coffee … More Hayduke Day 5
March 14 By 6:30 I was in the common room of Lazy Lizard Hostel eating the dregs of a community jar of extra crunchy peanut butter. As I topped off my cell phone battery a couple of early risers filled in the room and I casually asked one if he was going in to town … More Hayduke Day 4
March 13 All night long the rain fell, and the creekside camping site turned into a riotous affair. The stream churned a chocolate brown and far above a waterfall opened on the lichen stained cliff wall. Melanie and I attempted to continue our route, trying the exit Courthouse Wash just near where it meets the … More Hayduke Day 3
March 12, 2019 “Am I a thru hiker again?” I ask the sky in the morning. It doesnt respond–that silent assessor–but something inside me says no, not yet. The old skin is still there, not completely shed, but I can feel it peeling. Melanie and I walk along at an easy pace, talking as we … More Hayduke Day 2
March 11 2019 It wasnt supposed to start like this, but what good stories ever do? My journey from there to here has run its course and I’m in the parking lot of Devils Garden Trailhead with my sister, ready to begin. We’re beginning a day early because of a poor weather outlook over the … More Hayduke Day 1
As I type these words, I’m looking at an internet browser page with nearly a dozen tabs open: Hayduke Handbook, Hayduke Trail Alternates–Caltopo, The Hayduke Trail Reference, Hayduke Water Report, personal blog pages. Next to me, on a low wooden table, the official Hayduke Trail guidebook sits half opened, and 100 pages of maps–USGS quads … More The Hayduke Trail and Sir Bear
tcmauer 