Five Seven One

New York is a place where every aspect of a developed culture has been carried to excess, and what is left now is the aftermath. It is a place where 90% of the people you meet are atrocious self-promoters, a true stage for the talented and tragically ambitious. We spent seven years in NY, and now that we have moved to the other side of the world I think it is fitting to make a post about this great city.

Coyote Gulch can be accessed from the Red Well trail head 31.5 miles down Hole in the Rock Road. Which is located a few miles southeast from Escalante Utah. There are a few links at the end of the article with more detailed instructions and maps.

The Bridger Wilderness Area in the Wind River mountain range is located just a few hours south of Yellowstone National Park. This 428,169 acre expanse of jutting majestic mountainous land, rises out of Wyoming’s terra firma to its highest point on the top of Gannet Peat at 13,804 feet above sea level. The mountains are interlaced with cold, crystal clear, high mountain lakes. Black and Brown bears and the occasional wolf pack roam the lower elevations. The knowledge of which, at least for a city boy like me, puts your psyche into an atavistic tension that makes you feel like you are part of the great Mana.

What can I say that hasn’t been said about Arches National Park? Featured in literature, paintings, films, commercials, and thousands upon millions of photographs. Almost every person I have spoken to in my life that has done any traveling in the western United States has made the trip to arches, and rightfully so. The park is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches and just as many more unusual sandstone formations created by millions of year’s geological events.

Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah is one of my favorite places in world. Created by left over deposits from the Sevier River, which flowed into Lake Bonneville over 15,000 years ago, this one hundred and twenty four mile square living dune system is heading north at the rate of 9 feet per year. The nearest services for the area are in Eureka and nearest major city and airport are located in Salt Lake, which is 115 miles south.

My trip started at 7:00 pm in NYC. I boarded a plane for Salt Lake City that was supposed to arrive around 11:00 pm, but didn’t get in until 1:00 am. Since I was going solo and the route I was taking is a one-way trip I had to hire a shuttle from the base to the trail head. If you need a ride arrange it before you go. At the end of the article I provided a list of authorized shuttle providers. I had to meet my shuttle at Lee’s Ferry which is about an hour and a half outside Page Arizona, so I picked up my rental car and started the six hour drive. On the way I stopped at the BLM station to pick up my permit. You can get the required permit online at: www.blm.gov/az/asfo/paria/. I finally reached Lee’s Ferry at 9:30 am and started the two hour drive back to the Wire Pass trailhead. This timetable is a little extreme. I recommend spending the night in Page or camping in one of the nearby campgrounds before you start backpacking, rather than traveling for nineteen straight hours.