Escalante in the Spring

M. and I decided it was time for some desert hiking. Unlike most of the time, it was pretty cold all day and there was an extra color I'm not used to down in the desert: Green. We hiked up the Gulch, going upstream with blooming plants, green grass, a high flowing stream, and evidence of recent flooding found in the bent down reeds, flattened plant life, and tangled grass hanging at waist-height off of more stout things. The weather could not have been better and the 10-mile hike in was splendid. After droping packs and setting camp we traveled up a side canyon to see an arch and frolic about.


We topped off the trip with a visit to the Hell's Backbone Grill. Its not what you'd call a dirtbag sort of resturant, even though you can definitely dress like one in there and have nobody care, but after a long hike some gormet food is pretty good. My reccomend: Before you drive home, go in for a cup of coffee and a wiskey and black pepper chocolate bread pudding, which will run you about 10 bucks.

-w&m

Josh the Wasatch Sasquatch Sighted in Porter Fork

The abomitable snowman himself was seen in porter fork last sunday. Its hard to miss Josh when he is coming right at you as can be seen at this link

The Sasquatch Himself!!!!!

...


Anyway.... Josh, Bobby, and I all headed up to porter fork last sunday. I think this might be one of my favorite places in the Wasatch. It was a lesurely day, plodding along in the warmth of spring in heavy sticky new snow but I'm not complaining. At the start Bobby said he was not feeling well and wanted to turn back. This sort of situation requires subterfuge. I told him that the view of the run "lies just beyond that tree" and "you should decide what you want to do when you get up there". The old carrot and stick tactic... After several iterations of this tactic we all got near the top with a view of the porter fork limstone wall that would make for some great sport climbing in the summer. Splitting the wall was a nice chute on a shady northwest aspect. I pointed the chute out to the team and muttered some passing comment about how it would be cool to someday ski it. Bobby spied chute and the fategue turned to excitement as he piped up "I'll ski it!" I said that I would watch and film. Then Josh said he wanted to do it. "Fuck it" I said, "I guess I'll go up there to". I mean how hard can straightlining be. I mean its kind of defined by what you are not doing: turning, which I've only sort of got down, so not turning wouldnt do any harm. It turned out that I did to some turns and a fair bit of sideslipping but anyway...


What ensued was a great day of skiing. The following links are to films of the event...

1

2

3 (rocket man=josh)

4

5

5

6

-will