The desert tells a different story every time we go. To some it is ugly, barren, unpredictable, and unforgiving. Not us. We find wander, wonder, harmony and a chance to view the desert in its most spectacular showing- through Utah.
We have returned to civilization humbled, with amazing memories. In all honesty, this was probably one of the most scenic, and the most challenging of our overland adventures. It is commonplace for us to travel off-the-grid, but this was the first time we tested the trailer on the, it can go anywhere we can.
And it did.
The journey began with months of preparation, and included a lesson on the SAT phone with our first sunset, just in case.
The Maze region is remote, rugged, Utah-backcountry with few signs, no people to lead the way, and a proverbial horse, in our case a Jeep. Navigation would have to be trusted, unknown road conditions would be dealt with, and instincts to move along would be decided daily. The company of friends takes on a different role when it has to be someone we trust in the face of adversity. And it happens to be a college friend of mine who met the challenge.
I think of this expansive landscape with respect. We are not searching for the iconic images you see on most bucket lists. It is solitude, and sun direction we seek, along with the road that appears to be drawn with a pencil.
For him it is a playground, and for me it is a lesson of years in the making evidenced as we traverse up next to ancient layers of canyon walls. And to think of how the wind uses the landscape as its canvas is humbling.
We knew before we got here, Flint Hill would be our nemesis. Plan B, C and D were all possibilities. And while I often guide him on more difficult terrain, I walked away. He said later, that was part of his Plan B. That ascent would require a three point turn that became six on a canyon wall…
And we moved along with views of canyon floors, mountaintops, and dry waterfalls, thank goodness.
Our last night we camped twenty feet from the ridge at Panorama Point – 7000′ elevation. We agreed on leaving a day early. A rapid drop in temperature and gale-force winds was enough to warrant the trip back. That we were grateful for snow was an understatement, and a blessing in disguise. Had it rained, many of the roads and river washes would be impassable, and we are all too familiar with flash floods.
We packed up with thoughts of the fleeting moments that are now a part of our story. We talk of the night sky, the wildlife, and the flora that persevere in this region. We speak of a landscape different at every turn and of our footsteps that might just be the only ones ever placed there. And with the rising sun we moved along.
But first coffee.
Wind Kisses, Donna