Coyote Gulch Natural Bridge(310.9)-Hole In The Rock Road/Escalante(319.9)~9mi
Town day! It's been quite the leg and feels like an eternity since we've been in a town. It was seven days and a lifetime of hiking that's for sure. We had just 9mi to get to the pretty remote road of Hole In the Rock Road. We had heard it can take hours or even overnight before getting a hitch, but fortunately for us, it is Sunday and that road leads to many trailheads for popular hikes. We got going at 6:30am and I was once again stuck with using the iPhone until my Lumix warmed up. I've tried warming it in my coat in warm socks and in my sleeping bag with not luck. When it's cold out, little can be done to keep it warm. Hoping it will work itself out in time and I also know the heat will return. For now, I'm tolerating it and my morning pictures will be a little hazy. Here is the early morning hiking 4mi of Coyote Gulch.
Then there was 5mi of walking in the gravely, sandy, Hurricane Wash. It improved as it opened up the last few miles and we cruised to the parking lot and setup in the shade of a van to wait.
In the distance is 50mi bench. The massively long and high feature we will be going over next leg. We could see this all the way from the top of Waterpocket Fold two days ago!
Fortunately, a couple we had passed this morning arrived about 30mins later and they took pity on us and gave us a ride the thirty miles to town. Thanks you two for the ride! We were checked into the Circle D Motel by noon and immediately went to have a real meal.
Much of the rest of the day was spent doing laundry in hopes of washing out possible poison ivy with TechNu and doing blog and emailing catchup from the week. I seriously just want time to do nothing and watch shows and might get that time tomorrow while Katherine and Gavin do resupply and PO chores. My resupply was sent to the hotel and I'm happy to be all done. Here is 9 days of food for the next leg to Tropic. I tend to average 5-6 different bars a day not including a breakfast bar, lunch, and hot dinner. THANKS to Chris, Charles, Dave, Glenn, and Carol for the Mountain Houses this leg! I'll be getting lunch to add to this which is tortillas, string cheese, and tuna packets. I love that lunch, which is sometimes dinner out here depending on the water carry situation.
This is fairly short so I can get more town stuff done, but I'm excited about what's ahead as we head toward Bryce. Temps are great in the 60s-70s, but there will be a day or two where the temps drop significantly with strong winds again and possibly even some snow Weds night, brr! I'm just glad for everyday we avoid strong heat! Ok, off to sleep in a wonderful BED!
