Family Letter 11-08 Red Canyon National Forest

Hey Back2Basics families, we made it back from another amazing trip! We loaded up early last Sunday and set off for a five hour van ride that was filled with laughs and jokes. On the drive north, we stopped at the Navajo Bridge that spans the Colorado river. Its always a spectacular view and is one of the spots where the California Condor was reintroduced. Eventually we made our way to Red Canyon National Forest were we hiked the Golden Wall Trail before heading to Bryce Canyon National Park. The hike was filled with orange rock towers and was a sight to behold. It is unlike anything we have seen in our travels around the southwest.

On our second day we woke up and drove to Bryce Canyon to hike Queens Garden/Navajo loop trail. We hiked down into the canyon and added a bonus hiked along a horse trail.

After our hike we we drove to Escalante Petrified State Park, our campsite for the next three nights. We woke up to find our Nalgene water bottles frozen solid! Budgee reminded us that it builds character and the love for the outdoors quickly got us up and rolling for the day ahead.

Fortunately for us we had hot drinks and breakfast to kick start our day before embarking into Peek A Boo and Spooky Gulches in the middle of the Escalante National Monument.

In these canyons we climbed and squeezed our way through the canyon walls that were at times inches apart from one another. None of us had experienced anything like it before and it was a great experience!

But our favorite day was still yet to come. Our guides hooked up with a local Escalante outfitter that specializes in technical canyoneering and had an amazing day planned for us. We got to the outfitter’s shop where we met Rick, our guide. Rick started us off with a safety orientation and outfitted us with the gear we’d need for the day, including ropes, packs, and helmets. He took us out to Bo Bo canyon where we repelled in after some rope and climbing education. We ended up finishing faster than any group that he could remember, so he took us to Egypt 2, another complicated canyon to explore. We used one another to assist each other throughout the canyon to lift and drop-down sections that had big drops but could not be rappelled.  There were a few sections that we anchored with our packs and rope to drop down into the next section. During our time with Rick, or as he became known in our group, The Legend Rick, we found out he had a story and struggle of his own. We went back to his outfit and ate ice cream while he shared some of his knowledge and experiences with us. Rick was awesome and seemed to enjoy our company, and we certainly enjoyed his. After saying our goodbyes and thanks we went back to camp ecstatic, with ice cream in our bellies and a new experience under our belt!

After a good nights rest we woke up and had a class on how to prepare and  pack for backpacking backpacking tips and prepared for an overnight backpack down the Boulder Mail Trail. After we got to the trailhead we adjusted our packs and went into the wild. At our camp spot we had some amazing conversations and enjoyed each other’s company. The site that we picked had mice running around and one of our residence had a mouse running around and inside his pack and sleeping bag. The creatures made for an interesting night under the stars. In the morning we had an A.A. meeting to start the day and hiked out.

Before departing back towards Flagstaff, we had a celebratory meal at a local pizza joint in Escalante. There’s nothing better than an amazing meal to end the trip! We made our last nights camp at Badger Overlook, an incredibly scenic point that over looks the start of the Grand Canyon through the Colorado River. With spirits high, we wished the trip would never end. Overall our week long trip was a success and always good for friendship and memories!