One of my favorite things about lightweight (read: fast) hiking is the variety of terrain you can see in the same day. We started today on a rolling plateau by Ponderosa and Oaks, transitioned into classic Pinion/Juniper/Sage and we are now camped in the depths of Buckskin Gulch after making our way down a set of short spectacular slot canyons.
For the first few hours today was just like yesterday. The only distinctions from the monotony were the occasional forest road and a large sinkhole (maybe 180 meters in diameter). I was covering miles rapidly and singing songs to keep myself entertained. Admittedly the weather was perfect.
Suddenly, I look around and was startled to find that the Ponderosa/Aspen/Oak forest I had been walking through had given way to Pinion/Juniper/Sage—high desert scrub. The transition had taken about ten minutes. The new vegetation was a blessing and a curse. I could now enjoy the occasional view north and east to the Vermillion Cliffs and Grand Staircase, Escalante N.M., but the lack of shade made the afternoon slightly less comfortable.
After descending a stretch of annoyingly gentle switchbacks the Arizona Trail ended at a small campground. Surprisingly, only four campsites were taken and not one of the campers seemed particularly interested in the Arizona Trail. Of course there were plenty of other things to recommend. The area was beautiful. Thirty minutes later Sharon showed up interrupting my nap. Lindy was another thirty minutes behind her, having trouble with his feet.
We left the trailhead together and soon left Arizona behind, for good (parting is such sweet sorrow). The bright red sandstone glowed in the setting sun, and as we strolled down Coyote Wash, I became more and more trigger-happy. It was getting toward the end of the day, so we were hiking together. I took advantage of the pace to scramble around some buttes and slickrock gullies, searching for a shot that could capture the moment. Of course such a goal is impossible to accomplish. I grinned to myself in the realization that I would always know how to retrieve it.
I just got to watch a pair of daddy-long-legs fight or mate; I couldn’t tell which. Bats flutter around us, the stars are innumerable and the canyon wrens were singing for about a half an hour a few minutes ago. No sound now but the bats, bugs and Lindy’s snoring. Good night!
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