Somewhere winding along a dusty road, surrounded by the vibrant reds of desert dirt and the warm tones of rugged rock, holds a deep energy that grounds you in the Earth. Under dozens of dazzling stars sprinkled against darkened skies, you peer up into the heavens. There is nothing between you at the bottom of a canyon and the upper limits of the sky. You fall into a magical spell that calms you in its stillness. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful. Unforgiving and dangerous, yet inviting and open. The sun-soaked hills and canyons of the desert transfix the wandering explorer, luring them away from the rest of society and into the wilderness.
I often feel as though I become a little wilder out in the desert. The old western film backdrops and layers of sand drown any lingering ties to large cities. You’re exposed standing in a sea of dry air and dust, and you get to see everything at face value.
The views around the state of Utah are not any different. I can understand why so many have wandered into those desert landscapes and stayed in what looks to be the middle of nowhere. I recently found myself exploring the desert areas of Utah. I hiked to the Emerald Pools in Zion National Park and backpacked 14.5 miles of the Boulder Mail Trail in Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument.
I walked through cedar flats to Sand Creek, hiked down into the canyon of Death Hollow to camp near the river, stopped to treat water in Mamie Creek, and camped in Antone Flat before exiting at the Escalante Trailhead. The descent into Death Hollow zig-zags down to the base of the valley, where there is a ton of poison ivy, then meanders along and downstream to the confluence with the Escalante River.
The hike is classified as a difficult trail with all of its elevation gain and undulation in and out of hills and canyons, but there in the desert, you’ll see colorful sandstone cliffs soaring above narrow slot canyons. You get picturesque washes and seemingly endless slickrock. You might also spot prehistoric sites and abandoned old Western movie sets if you pay attention.
I drove through Zion National Park, seeing rainforest-like oasis under towering mountains, and then drove up to Bryce Canyon National Park in the cooler air to witness all the arches that would frame the entrance to the Grand Staircase. Knowing that those same rocks that begin in Bryce, continue into Escalante, and are connected to the Grand Canyon in Arizona is a mind-blowing marvel in itself.
Witnessing the change or erosion of the Earth, with draining seas, lakes, and flowing rivers, is a trip and a different experience from the usual hiking in mountains formed by moving tectonic plates and volcanoes that I’m used to seeing. To notice that the Earth is constantly in motion, changing, shifting, and molding into new things, reminds you that you, too, are always evolving. Whether it’s a canyon lowering me closer to the Earth’s mantle or a mountain raising me up towards the clouds, I am reminded that we are always moving, and to be ready to adjust to life in constant motion.
I recorded a little bit of my journey in Utah. You can watch it here.