INTERNATIONAL DOG DAY

Happy International Dog Day! August 26th has been declared as the day to celebrate human’s best friend. By honoring our past and present four-legged companions, we recognize the friendship, loyalty, and unconditional love dogs bring into our lives.

On this International Dog Day, I wanted to share some of the adventures I shared with my dog Shadow. Born on the streets of Fresno and raised in Northern Arizona, Shadow experienced the extremes of desert living.

https://remoteleigh.com/2015/09/18/a-dogs-year-in-the-desert-unleashed/

Capturing his world through my camera lens, served as a personal reminder that home is a world without walls, windows, and doors.

Happy Dog Day, Shadow!

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JUNE IS NATIONAL CAMPING MONTH

” I don’t need therapy. I just need to go camping.”

June is National Camping Month, a four-week celebration of reconnecting with mother nature and ourselves. In honor of National Camping Month, I decided to share some of my favorite camp spots.

1. QUAKING ASPEN CAMPGROUND

Situated in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, this seasonal campground provides an escape from the summer heat. At 7,000 feet, Quaking Aspen serves as a base camp to explore the Sequoia groves.

2. ARIZONA HOT SPRINGS, ARIZONA

Located on the Colorado River, this campground can be accessed by kayak or by hiking a three-mile trail down from Arizona State Highway 93.

Hidden away in a colorful slot canyon, the spring forms several soaking pools averaging 112 degrees Fahrenheit. With endless opportunities to soak, swim, and camp, Arizona Hot Springs remains one of my favorite winter camping spots.

3. LOCUST POINT, ARIZONA

In the North Kaibab Ranger District, the remote Rainbow Rim Trail hugs the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The trail connects five overlooks: Timp, Parissawampitts, Fence, Locust, and North Timp. If you are looking for a remote camping experience with sensational views, Locust Point is your destination.

4. LOST COAST TRAIL, CALIFORNIA

Stretching twenty miles through the Kings Range National Conservation Area, the Lost Coast Trail is a premier coastal backpacking trail.

Sea Lion Gulch is my favorite camp spot on the trail. Consider the views, imagine the coastal breeze, and expect to be serenaded by sea lions throughout the night.

5. MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, CALIFORNIA

There are so may different shelters to use when camping. A hammock between two trees, the simplicity of a tarp, a two-pound ultra-light tent, a backpacking tent, the bomb proof four- season tent, or even the traditional bulky Coleman car camping tent. At the end of the day, I prefer cowboy camping.

The Mojave National Preserve is one of my favorite places to sleep under the stars. Located between Los Angeles and Vegas, the Mojave’s 1.6 million acres guarantees sand and solitude.

6. BACKCOUNTRY YURTS, ARIZONA

Yurting is backcountry winter glamping at it’s best. Yurt’s bridge the gap between roughing it and camping in comfort. These portable round tent type structures offer the security and warmth of being protected from the elements while still preserving one’s connection to the environment.

The ultimate winter yurt experience can be found at the Arizona Nordic Village for $50 a night.

https://www.arizonanordicvillage.com/back-country-small-yurts-winter/

7. SHADOW CREEK, JOHN MUIR TRAIL

In 2013, I hiked the John Muir Trail. A torrential four-day rainstorm was the highlight of my first week.

Wet, cold, and desperately looking for a place to set up camp, I threw my pack off and claimed Shadow Creek as home for the night. Little did I know, there was a masterpiece waiting to my discovered behind camp.

8. BUCKSKIN GULCH, ARIZONA

Considered to one of the longest slot canyons in the world, Buckskin Gulch lies within the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area. In 2011, I spent five days exploring Buckskin Gulch before following the Paria River to Lees Ferry.

This camp spot felt like a raised platform bed within an amphitheater of ever-changing light.

9. SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

California’s archipelago, the Channel Islands, is considered to be one of America’s most remote national parks. Campers arrive by boat, then explore the islands by foot or kayak.

Santa Cruz Island is a sixty-minute boat ride from Ventura, California. Nature lovers should allow a few days to explore the sea caves, snorkel the kelp beds, and hike the island trails.

10. YOSEMITE PERMIT OFFICE

In 2013, I made numerous attempts to obtain a John Muir Trail permit via the advanced lottery system. Unsuccessful, I decided to apply for a walk-up permit. To ensure I was first in line, I cowboy camped on the backcountry permit’s office front porch. The highlight of my night was a fellow hiker applauding my dedication as he walked by.

EXPLORE UTAH – DRIVING THE MOKI DUGWAY

A serpentine of switchbacks, a remote red rollercoaster, and a hairpin hell track; are just a few of the terms used by road trippers to describe southern Utah’s, Moki Dugway.

Built during the uranium frenzy of the 1950’s, the Moki Dugway transported uranium ore from the Cedar Mesa mines to the processing mills in Mexican Hat. Over two million tons of ore were extracted from local mines, leaving a toxic environmental legacy for generations to come.

No longer used as a mining road, Utah incorporated the Moki into its highway system. Every year, forty thousand road trippers take the plunge and drive the Moki. Today, it would be our turn.

Exercising caution, the Perfect Stranger, Shadow, and I made our way onto the unpaved gravel dugway. Over the next three miles, we would ascend 1,100 feet on switchbacks that had been blasted into the cliff’s edge. Considering it was late winter, we were prepared for road conditions of snow, slush, ice, mud, and rock slides.

Regardless of the season, expect the unexpected on the Moki, and keep your eyes on the road at all times.

After traversing our first set of switchbacks, the Valley of Gods came into view.

Winding seventeen miles through isolated buttes and towering pinnacles, the Valley Of The Gods is a dusty backcountry road that guarantees an escape from civilization.

The Valley Of The Gods

Backcountry escapes had been the foundation of our desert winter love story. What started as a friendly eight-day road trip evolved into a never-ending honeymoon of adventures.

https://remoteleigh.com/2015/01/25/the-perfect-stranger-part-1/

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In a few weeks, I would be returning to my seasonal job in Vermilion Cliffs, Arizona, and the Perfect Stranger would be completing her thesis and managing her foundation in Long Beach, California. How would we manage the distance? Being together was now more familiar than being apart!

Continuing our Moki ascent, the road started to narrow; leaving minimal room for oncoming traffic.

Driving the Moki is a master class in blind faith and mindfulness. Without guardrails, the Moki leaves no room for human error or driver negligence. One can only hope that drivers respect the speed limit without the temptation of treating the Moki like an off-road race track.

Our final set of switchbacks left me with a new-found respect for the civil engineers who deemed the Moki’s construction possible. Eighty tons of explosives transformed a mountain into a uranium ore thoroughfare; convincing courageous Cold War truck drivers that this human-sculpted road was drivable.

Despite our numerous stops for photos and honoring the five miles an hour speed limit; we completed the dugway drive in two hours.

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On the Moki’s summit, a five-mile access road leads to an overlook and camping area, known as Muley Point. Originally, our plan was to spend the night there. Unfortunately, after noticing the road was covered in slushy snow and soft mud, we decided otherwise. Without a four-wheel drive, we were not willing to risk a potential bogging in the middle of nowhere.

Muley Point access road

After a family conference, the Perfect Stranger and I decided to drive an additional fifty miles to Blanding, Utah. Having spent the last few nights camping at Goosenecks State Park, a hot shower and a warm bed sounded very appealing.

https://remoteleigh.com/2017/05/11/goosenecks-state-park/

The Moki Dugway serves as a living testament to the Cold War and our nation’s urgency for nuclear superiority. Forgotten, is the government’s sacrifice of rural Utah’s health and environmental safety. Thousands of uranium miners, mill workers, local residents, and Native Americans died or were sickened from toxic exposure. Contaminated soil and water supplies have been left for generations to come. Millions of tons of radioactive tailings continue to cost American taxpayers billions of dollars to remove and safely bury.

VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT – FINDING WIREPASS

Every morning I wake up to the rugged and remote beauty of Vermilion Cliffs.

The ruggedness serves as a reminder that mother nature is my C.E.O. and the remoteness reinforces my belief that the environment is our entertainment.

Every day, from sunrise to sunset, mother nature reveals her ever-changing moods and weather patterns.

In the blink of an eye, a double rainbow can appear as quickly as an afternoon downpour ends.

A flash flood can quickly transform a dry river bank into temporary natal pools for red-spotted toads.

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A pre-sunset sky transforms into a mosaic of pink, orange, purple, and red mystical hues; like a kaleidoscope of colors dancing across the desert sky.

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Mother nature’s magical moods entertain and energize me on a daily basis; however, there was still something missing, the Perfect Stranger.

https://remoteleigh.com/2015/01/25/the-perfect-stranger-part-1/

Every other week, the Perfect Stranger honored our romance by driving over a thousand miles (round trip) to Vermilion Cliffs. Even though she was completing her thesis, managing her non-profit foundation, and taking care of her two dogs; she still made time for me.

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How many people would be willing to drive to the middle of nowhere to pursue a romance with someone who could only offer their love and desert landscapes? Would the drive become tedious over time; diminishing the romantic sense of relationship urgency, or would the early morning desert driveway embraces serve as a reminder that this was no ordinary love?

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On a February winter’s morning, the Perfect Stranger and I set out for Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. After a twenty-minute drive to the Kaibab Plateau, we headed north on House Rock Valley Road (also known as B.L.M Road 1065). For twenty two miles, we followed the unmaintained gravel road before reaching our final destination, WirePass trailhead.

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Wirepass is a 1.7-mile trail that spills into the longest continuous slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch.

Buckskin Gulch holds a special place in my heart. In 2011, I celebrated my 40th birthday with a thirty-eight-mile backpacking trip into the lower intestine of Buckskin Gulch, before following the Paria River all the way to Lees Ferry.

It was during this trip that I fell in love with slot canyons and made a mental note to myself; this is a place you only share with someone special. Four years later, I found myself day hiking Wirepass with my love, the Perfect Stranger.

In sections, which were less than three feet wide, the Perfect Stranger and I navigated and negotiated our way through the slot canyon. Having bruised several ribs a few weeks prior, rock scrambling was quite a painful endeavor.

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Slot canyons can be treacherous during flash flood season. With higher ground exit points few and far between, the B.L.M. (Bureau Of Land Management) strongly suggests avoiding slot canyons July through September. Rain from fifty miles away can deliver barreling flash floods within minutes.

As we approached the Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch junction, petroglyphs left by the Anasazi came into view.

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Petroglyphs of humans, bighorn sheep, and a mysterious dotted line followed the entire length of the rock wall.

Canyons with vertical walls a few hundred feet high and only a few feet wide are considered true slot canyons. True slot canyons are found on the many rivers and tributaries that flow into Lake Powell. Branches of the Paria River, Escalante River, and the numerous creeks that cross Navajo lands south of Lake Powell, are birthing grounds for mother nature’s masterpieces.

Buckskin Gulch’s curved sunlight sandstone walls screamed the works of Georgia O’Keefe. Perhaps Georgia O’Keefe was speaking on behalf of mother nature when she said, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way-things I had no words for.”

Georgia O’Keefe was right! No words or pictures could accurately convey the beauty of this slot canyon.

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Unfortunately, the Perfect Stranger and I were unable to venture any further into the belly of Buckskin Gulch. Within a half a mile, we hit our first mud puddle; a sign of recent rain in the canyon.

A few hundred yards later, a deep water trough ended our hike. In thirty degree weather, a cold water swim was not something we had planned for.

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As we made our way back to the trailhead, the Perfect Stranger and I made plans to camp inside Buckskin Gulch for a few days. Due to the lack of water, most backpackers only spend a day or two in the Gulch. In order for us to stay three to four days, we would need to carry in enough water to sustain us.

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Leaving Wirepass trailhead, I realized I had a few weeks until I returned to my seasonal job. Would my work affect our extraordinary love? Would the Perfect Stranger continue to make the pilgrimage out to the middle of nowhere in a Northern Arizona town? Would the miles that separate us continue to keep us close or would they painfully remind us of our geographically challenged romance?

Perhaps life is a series of years managing unanswered and answered questions. Do we look for stability and a safety net in the answers? What if the answers only lead to more questions? Was I looking for a lifetime guarantee with love or was I simply fearful of losing something so precious? For now, I could bank on the Perfect Stranger’s willingness and determination to be with me regardless of life circumstances.

GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE – FOR THE LOVE OF HOODOOS

“Our parents and grandparents saved the Grand Canyon for us; today, we will save the Grand Escalante Canyons and the Kaiparowits Plateau Of Utah for our children.” President Bill Clinton

On a cloudy January morning, the Perfect Stranger and I left Vermilion Cliffs bound for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Remote and extremely rugged, it’s 1.9 million acres was the last area to be mapped in the continental United States.

Driving north on Highway 89a, we doubled our altitude in less than forty minutes. At 9000 feet, we were greeted by a snowy Kaibab Plateau.

Two days earlier, the Perfect Stranger had driven this stretch of road. In the early morning darkness, the Perfect Stranger negotiated hairpin corners on a highway without guard rails and navigated a terrain that offered no cell phone cell service. Love tends to inspire drastic acts of madness when you miss someone. It had been ten days since our yurt adventure. We both missed each other. No rain, snow, sleet, or ice storm was going to stop the Perfect Stranger from coming to see me.

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After a brief stop in Jacob Lake, we rapidly descended the west side of the Kaibab Plateau. Views of Fredonia, Kanab, and St.George, quickly came into view.

Forty miles east of Kanab and twelve miles west of Big Water, lies the unmarked trailhead for Paria Rimrock Toadstools. With no official entrances to the monument; it’s a small parking area on the north side of Highway 89 that identifies the trail.

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The Toadstool trail is a 1.7-mile hike through rimrock sandstone, toadstool terraces, and sun-baked eroded badlands.

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Differential weathering has created these mushroom-shaped columns, also known as hoodoos.

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For the love of hoodoos; the perfect stranger and I spent the afternoon exploring and capturing the magic of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Many tourists focus on visiting Utah’s Mighty Five: Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, and Capitol Reef. There are many lesser known national monuments and state parks that are overlooked. Grand Staircase-Escalante is a monument not to be missed!

As the Perfect Stranger and I explored off-trail, we were mindful of the cryptobiotic crusts that are prevalent in the area. These crusts often go unnoticed; however, they are vital to the stability of eroded soils and in dry regions that receive minimal precipitation.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton declared Grand Staircase-Escalante a national monument. At the time, it was a very controversial decision; preserving 1.9 million acres versus mining the largest coal field in the country. With an estimated value of one trillion dollars, the debate remains open as to whether the monument has hurt or helped southern Utah’s economy.

After a final glance back at the Paria Rimrock Toadstools, the Perfect Stranger and I headed back to the parking lot. The desert no longer felt mysterious to me; I felt at home. Remote desert landscapes were now a geological postcard that symbolized a friendship that organically morphed into love.

Update: U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, is urging President Donald Trump to abolish national monuments created by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The action would be unprecedented. No president in U.S. history has undone the creation of a national monument by a predecessor. Grand Staircase-Escalante is one of the monuments that could lose its protection.

REMOTE LEIGH

Tag Archives: remoteleigh.com

INTERNATIONAL DOG DAY

JUNE IS NATIONAL CAMPING MONTH

EXPLORE UTAH – DRIVING THE MOKI DUGWAY

VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT – FINDING WIREPASS

GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE – FOR THE LOVE OF HOODOOS

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