Capitol Reef

We left Tropic behind as early as possible after one of the less memorable motel breakfasts we’ve encountered. Our route took us through the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. This 1500 square mile tract was designated a monument by Bill Clinton in 1996. More recently, Donald Trump ordered it reduced in size by nearly half.

Our opinion is that this area is definitely worth protecting, despite what Mr. Trump says. He would turn it over the the mining interests, but it is far too beautiful to be destroyed. The terrain changes, it seems, at nearly every turn in the road. We drove slowly, far below the 60 mph limit, so that we could enjoy it. There was almost no traffic, and any locals in a hurry could easily pass us.

In addition to the scenery, there is history here — or rather, prehistory. The state park at Boulder, Utah along the way is devoted to an archaeological site that has preserved the remains of a pre-pueblo tribe that lived largely in pit structures under ground. The natural air conditioning of the structure kept them cool in desert heat, and was relatively easy to keep warm in winter.

In Boulder we also enjoyed an excellent lunch at Hell’s Backbone Grill, a “foodie” type restaurant in a most unexpected location. We then continued on through the mountains to Torrey, Utah and to Capitol Reef National Park.

Capitol Reef is one of Utah’s lesser known national parks, but that made it no less popular with the spring break crowds. The only difference was that we heard fewer international dialects. Many visitors we encountered were big families with five or six kids under age 10 (presumably Mormon families down from Salt Lake City or environs).

The reef is a “wrinkle” in the Earth’s crust where bedrock was pushed up above the surface. Over the eons water has slowly worked its magic here, carving the rock. There are several large, and many smaller, “washes” — gullies, dry runs, wadis, watercourses. By whatever name, they are bone dry at this time of year. When heavy rains come, particularly in late summer, they can become raging torrents in a matter of minutes. All sorts of signs warn of flash floods here.

More recently, humans have also done some carving. Mormon settlers made some of the larger washes into roadways, even though they had to be rebuilt after almost every rain. Some settlers left their names and dates carved into “register rocks.” Aware that the next flood might erase the memory of their passage, the creative ones managed ropes or ladders to write their memorials high up on flat stone faces that would be above the water line for all but the most severe flood.

In this, the settlers were copying native peoples who carved sacred petroglyphs into the rock many hundreds of years ago using antlers or stone tools. This unique landscape was sacred to tribes who roamed here as long as 1000 years ago, and some of the petroglyphs have been dated back at least 800 years.

Reaching the trailheads involved driving a couple miles on unimproved roads. It was slow going to avoid rocks and ruts in the car — just as it is when walking in the wash. But the scenery made it worth the trip.

We totaled about 6 miles of hiking on the day, and ate only a picnic lunch before leaving the park in late afternoon (since we had already eaten lunch out). We spent the night in Torrey. The motel had an indoor hot tub of which we took advantage. It felt pretty good after the last few days of hiking.