barefoot backpacking

is the bomb! if you want to try it for yourself, i'm not sure that there is a better spot to do it than coyote gulch. its in the glen canyon recreation area of escalante, utah. nolan and i experienced it first hand this summer. among other amazing things about this backpacking trip, the time spent tromping along barefoot, in the soft, sandy, shallow river bed was such a wonderful feeling.

during the first week in august nolan and i had our first backpacking trip together. its amazing that in all the times we've travelled, we've never done something like this before. we both agreed that this, by far, was the best vacation we've ever had!!! we're looking ahead and planning to make backpacking (at least) an annual thing. i can hardly wait for where we're going to explore next year.

southern utah has been a special place for me since highschool. as a senior i was part of a "survival" course in escalante, utah. it has been locked in my heart since. its an incredible, magical place and is easily one of my favorite places to be!!! nolan absolutely shares this love.

i hiked coyote gulch about 6 years ago and have always wanted to go back because it was just so amazing. 300-400 foot red rock canyon walls shooting up alongside you as you follow the trickle of a river bed . . . it just doesn't get better.

the quick run down of our trip . . . i arrived in salt lake and spent one night there to visit with dillon and cerra and gather a few last minute supplies. nolan and i then drove down to southern utah, about 5-6 hours from his house if i remember right. we started hiking at sunset and went until it was pretty dark. the next 4 days we averaged about 5 miles a day, so there was lots of time to sleep in, relax around camp in the mornings, take long lunches, have pitstops to play in the water (or more importantly to pump our drinking water), and just to really enjoy ourselves. when we found a natural spring we thought we had found heaven. i remember it from when i was there before, but it definitely didn't take away any of my enthusiasm for it this time. after conserving luke warm filtered water from a silty riverbed the crisp, clear, cold water from the spring was quite possibly the most incredible thing i've ever tasted (or poured over my body).

the weather was sunny, hot, overcast at times, and rainy one night. it was a nice combination. we took lots of pictures and appreciated every step we took. it was great to be there with someone that was as awe struck as i. sometimes we would just stop in our tracks and scream out loud, laugh deliriously, or throw our hands up in the air at the unexplainable beauty we were in.

its so lush and green you wouldn't even know you're in the desert. there are endless "perfect" camping spots along the way, incredible natural arches, and about a million tiny frogs and lizards. the canyon walls provide some shade from the heat and the water keeps the air fresh and cool. its a place that takes my breath away just thinking of it. being there truly nourishes my soul.

returning to this hike with my brother was simply the best. for so many reasons, there could absolutely be no two people who are better backpacking buds than he and i. we just mesh together so well. it helps that we're great friends who love eachother, but beyond that we're just similar people who so often share the same simple pleasures, sense of humor, etc. i never feel more me than when i'm near him.

nolan and i are both trying to become healthier by losing weight and becoming more active and part of planning this trip was to set in motion a turn toward making our vacations together active ones. if we were both in better shape we may have covered a little more ground, but truthfully probably not much more. our pace was less determined by our capabilities, and moreso by just the kind of people we are. we both take a lot of joy from just being in nature and the way in which we both like to just relax and soak it all in is definitely something that isn't likely to change no matter what shape we're in. slow and steady fits us well.

i really wouldn't change anything about this trip, but if i could i might just add to it. specifically a few more days. the longer i can be tucked up in that canyon the better. its such a freeing experience to have only that which you can carry. it breaks it all down and brings you back in touch with the simplicty that is so often lost in the day to day life. i absolutely love it.

thanks again noley for a fantastic time and a memory that will be with me forever.

a special note to you nolan . . . jacob hamblin arch - woo woo!!

and i can't forget to share my romy inspired haiku for this trip . . .

never have i felt

more free and able to be

at peace and just me

after backpacking, i got one more day/night in salt lake and got to see alethea and her family, as well as spend some time with my cousins. i have some great pics of lee and her gorgeous babies, but they got stuck on my brothers computer. i'll get them eventually. these cute boys are just a few of my cousins.

then i got another quick stop in idaho on my way home. mom was working so i didn't see her, but i did get to visit with with my boise family (jim, nikki, emmett, their newest edition, lily, and brian). brian took us out in his boat for a nice afternoon on the water, and i also got to reconnect with my old girlfriend, amy too. i'll get those pictures up another day.

i know its been a while since i've posted, but i have some catch up posts waiting in the wind. this is the first of a few more to come. the weather has definitely taken a turn (it snowed today!) which means i will likely find more time to get on the computer. i know i know, you can hardly stand the anticipation . . .

hope you're well . . .