Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

This it the last post about my trip to Utah back in April. But no fear--summer outings have commenced, so I'm not without photos to share! On the last morning of the trip, I got up extra early and headed out solo. No one else wanted to tackle a hike advertised as nearly 10 miles (it was actually barely 9), and I wanted to go fast and early both to beat the heat and crowds, and to have time to make some mileage toward home afterwards. The start of the trail. I believe I was the 5th or 6th car in the parking lot when I started hiking about sunrise. I hadn't gone far before I met two parties coming back, presumably from a very early hike to the Hickman Natural Bridge (less than a mile each way). After that, I saw no one for a very long time. Just the way I like it. Me for the distant goal, something I never had time or will to do before.   A little further on I reached the Hickman Bridge overlook, and enjoyed seeing the bridge for once with no people around it. Look carefully to s...

I'm nearing the end of my photos from the April trip to Utah, but I still have a couple more posts' worth. After spending the early morning at the Devil's Garden , we headed into the town of Escalante for  snacks and  showers (about $9 with tax at the Escalante Outfitters, so one of my pricier showers but much overdue--as some will remember from my May IWSG post ). We promptly undid much of the effect of the showers by launching on a late-morning hike up the Escalante River to Escalante Arch and Cliff Ruins Arch. I usually avoid hiking in the desert at mid-day, but the trail was flat and promised at least some shade, so we went for it. Spoiler alert: it was hot. Overlooking the Escalante River. The line of trees following the curve of the cliff shows where the river runs. Cottonwoods and red cliffs. The Escalante River. The word "river" is an elastic term; in the desert things are "rivers" that in Western Washington would barely qualify as "streams...

Last week I shared photos from Day 1 of a 2-night, 3-day backpack into Coyote Gulch. This was part of my larger trip with 2 friends to explore the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument back in April.  Today, we'll cover Day 2, with an 8-mile dayhike to Cliff Arch, and Day 3, the hike out. Despite the rain, hail and even snow the night before we started our trip, we were in early-rising mode to dodge the heat of the day. That country can change at the drop of a hat from cold to hot and back again. Moonset at sunrise. For a while, it's all about the reflected light. We were on the trail before 8 a.m. and soon hiking past lots of places that might have been nicer camps (but wouldn't have divided our days so neatly). I do recommend taking advantage of the wider parts of the canyon to camp away from the trail. About 35 minutes of walking took us to Swiss Cheese Falls, named for the ways the water has eroded holes into the rock. Coyote Natural Bridge was the next special f...