Member III
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
It was time again for the whole Happy-Our-Overlanding gang to head out for another adventure
. This time—a 13-day adventure on the way to Overland Expo West in Flagstaff. And this adventure had…well let’s just say, a few hair-raising experiences, lots of rock rearrangements, and of course, many beautiful views. However, the best part was learning a few more lessons in rock crawling outside of Moab, Utah.Saturday – third day of trip - Hidden Canyon
Prior to reaching the City of Moab, we turned right onto a pre-determined trail that Barry and Lori had traveled a decade or so prior. He still had the route in his Garmin/InReach file, so we followed it. The trail to the campsite was rated 2 out of 3 (or Easy to Moderate) that a stock 4-wheel drive vehicle could traverse. There were some interesting rocks to climb over known as slickrock, and some dirt and rocky trails to ascend but nothing too technical. This was just the appetizer for what was to come…
The campsite was a wonderful location overlooking a steep colorful canyon and the LaSalle mountain range in the far distance.
A perfect location for a happy hour toast, dinner and a good nights sleep after watching the sunset.
Sunday – fourth day of trip - Top of the World
In the morning we headed in the direction of Moab but turned off onto Potash Road to view Petroglyphs or known locally as Indian Writing.
Afterwards, it was off to find the route to the Top of the World. The trail starts on Shura Road—an unassuming dirt road off Hwy 128. At the split of Shura and the Top of the World roads, this 9.2 mile trail started getting more rocky, with some slick rock, and ledges. Further down the trail the rockiness increased which Barry and Lori didn’t recall from a decade earlier…Well nature is fickle and does change her attire often.
It took 3 ½ hours to climb this now moderate to difficult technical trail to reach the summit.
There was a whole bunch of rock stacking to make several climbs passable. But, with Barry and Lori’s expertise, it was a safe ascent though Bill’s knuckles were a bit white. The Happy Hour toast this night was well deserved—And what a view to have while celebrating Bill and Connie’s first technical challenge—it was an accomplishment!
The next morning, we continued following the trail loop which would eventually join back to the main trail. This loop of the trail was just as challenging and took us five hours to descend.
We all pitched in moving rocks and spotting to safely end up with no dings or breaks in the rigs. And we did it—Hurray!Monday – Fifth day of trip - Hidden Canyon via 3D trail
More learning for the Bill and Connie
Well, Bill and Connie’s training wasn’t completely over. After picking up a few supplies in Moab, the Happy-Our-Overlanding gang headed back to Hidden Canyon. This time Barry lead us on a different route over slick rock and up and down ledges. It was fairly challenging for Bill but after the Top of the World trail, he was ready for anything…so he thought.
It was getting late; the sun was setting, and even though we knew which way to go, the gang was tired and needed a break. Much less, it is always better to rest before pressing onward when the terrain is new and unpredictable—especially at night. Even Elsa, our mascot, was tired of sitting on hot rocks watching us slowly crawl over the slick rock. So, we found a level spot at the base of a large dirt hill; made camp for the night, then reviewed our day’s journeys during happy-hour and dinner and called it a night.
Tuesday – Sixth day of trip - Still Working Our Way to Hidden Canyon
Another Obstacle
Morning seemed to come too fast, but we were ready to push on to the top of Hidden Canyon. After a scrumptious breakfast, we broke camp and continued down the trail and climbed up and over the dirt hill. Thinking this would be easier, it wasn’t long before the gang realized there was a major hurdle to overcome.
Shortly after the dirt hill, the slick rock path took us into a small water filled ravine that seemed to be the only path along this trail. This was a challenging obstacle that entailed expert guidance—no rocks to stack, no go arounds, just slow small maneuvers to allow the rigs to creep into and over the ravine without damaging or getting the rigs stuck.
Again, Barry’s skill and expertise guided both rigs safely down the slick rock, over the gulley, and up the opposite rock face.
After a few more (and easier) slick rock maneuvers, we were back on track and found our original campsite.
Solar Panels, a Propane campfire, and Light Painting
Since we were at the camp early enough, Barry and Bill deployed their Solar Panels to keep their batteries topped off, set up an awning between the rigs, and then relaxed to take in the spectacular view. As dusk set in, Bill set up the propane fireplace and the ladies set up the kitchen for dinner and…Happy Hour.
Later that evening, Connie wanted to experiment with light painting—a technique where light is exposed on an object for a short interval during a long exposure picture. Once she explained to the gang how it works, Bill positioned the camera on the tripod, set the exposure settings, attached the remote shutter trigger, and the fun began. From overexposed faces and some movement, the gang was able to capture a shot.
Later, Bill turned his camera to the sky in an attempt at some star shots with a splash of foreground light painting.
Wednesday – Seventh day of Trip - Headed to Devils Canyon
It was now the seventh day of our travels to Overland Expo as we exited Hidden Canyon via the ‘easy’ route. Soon we were back on route 191 heading to our next destination.
Along the way, the photo opportunities seemed to never cease until we arrived at Devils Canyon dispersed campsite in the Manti-LaSal National Forest. The temperature was moderate being at 7400’ elevation and the trees provided shade. We had our second wood campfire of the trip and enjoyed another evening of good food, wine and friends. After a few photos of the sliver of the moon at night it was off to bed.
For the full story of the 13-day trip, you can visit our website at HappyOurOverlanding.com.
