The noise of cars from the nearby road woke me up bright and earlier. I was energized to pack up my gear as quickly as possible and get the hell out of Moab. I wanted to get to Zion early to get some good hiking in. It was a fairly quick process to deflate my sleeping pad and pack up my tent.
The drive from Moab to Bakers Dam outside Zion was about 5 and half hours and 350 miles. I was able to stop several times at scenic overlooks to view the Canyons. There were signs displaying the history of outlaws in the area.
I couldn’t help but think of the Sergio Leone Westerns starring Clint Eastwood even though they were filmed in Italy. The Ennio Morricone scores became earworms for the drive. It felt the closest I could get to living out my fantasies of being an outlaw cowboy.
I arrived at the Bakers Dam campground early afternoon and was not overly impressed by the rolling desert scenery. There wasn’t much in terms of hiking and those camping next to me were all in RVs. There was a lake nearby, but I had no plans of fishing, so it wasn’t a destination.
I decided to quickly set up my tent then head to Zion to get in as much hiking as I could before dark. It was dismaying when I found it impossible to drive my tent stakes into the hard clay ground. I had not packed a mallet, so I improvised by using the tire iron from the rental vehicle. I was able to drive the stakes half way in, but not before breaking and bending over half of them. Thank god that I had brought a second emergency tent and was able to use stakes from that set.
While setting up my tent, my neighbor’s dog decided to visit and jump all over me as I tried my best with the tire iron. I’m not sure what my neighbor thought of the sight of me brandishing a tire iron next to their dog. I really didn’t care though as they should have done a better job controlling their pet.
In the end my tent seemed stable enough that it wouldn’t blow away. I jumped in my car and headed to Zion.
I decided to go to Kolob Canyon which had several trails and a scenic drive. Upon arrival, the worker at the park entrance informed me that part of the scenic drive was closed down due to a landslide. I was able to hike one of the trails though and made a v-line to the trailhead.
It was starting to get overcast, so I didn’t want to go too far into the trail and risk having to walk back in pouring rain. Most people had left or were on their way out as I entered the trail, so I was lucky for the hike not to be too crowded.
About a quarter mile into the hike I heard rustling in the bushes to the right of me. I looked down to see a 2 foot plus long snake. I didn’t glance long enough to get a good look and hurriedly made my way to get some distance. I’m deftly afraid of snakes.
I soon found out that I was vastly unprepared for the hike in my Nike running shoes as I had to cross several streams. My options were to get my feet wet or try balancing on slippery logs or stones to get across. I managed to make it across the streams without slipping or falling in, but there were some close calls. My feet ended up getting soaked.
About 3 miles into the hike, I decided to turn back as it was getting very overcast. I avoided getting lost but did become somewhat confused. There were many streams to cross and there was a lack of signage on the trail.
Once I got back to the trail head, I drove down the scenic drive until I reached another parking lot. The road was blocked off at that point. While I couldn’t drive down the road, I was able to walk it and made the mile trek up the hill. I saw some of the most gorgeous sights of mountains and cliffs that I had ever come across.
There was a giant boulder that had destroyed a big section of the road. It was easy to realize why vehicles were not allowed.
Once I got back to the parking lot it was getting close to dark and I went to grab dinner at the Applebee’s in St. George. I’m not a big fan of chain restaurants, but I do enjoy Applebee’s for its consistency. This would be the first of many Applebee’s visits on the trip. When I’m eating there, I always think of this clip of the great Marshawn Lynch.
After eating, I headed back to my campsite. I was fairly exhausted and was looking to read a bit before heading to bed. When I got there, I was overwhelmed by the sound of the generator being used by the RV site across from me. I’ve worked in loud factories, so I’m used to noise, but this was ridiculous. I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts.
I was going to have to get up the courage to say something to my neighbor as there was no way I was going to be able to sleep with all the noise. Elation ran over me when the generator was turned off when dusk set in.
I had a rough night of sleeping as there was quite a bit of wind and it was causing my tent to move because I had not driven the stakes in fully. Somehow the tent did not get blown off the ground though and I was able to get some sleep. I prayed that the rest of my camping would go smoother.
