Germar's Monthly Updater

Utah 2002 Day 4 When we packed up our tents in the morning of the forth day, we found lots of critters. One couple discovered that it had squashed a scorpion over night. The poor fellow was hiding between the bottom of their tent and the protective tarp underneath it. But it was not the only member of its kindred. We found another one, which was still rather lively. A sting of these guys can be pretty nasty. They were greenish, translucent, and much smaller than their more common brownish brethren. They very similar looking as a species living in Arizona whose sting can be deadly for little children. I assume that we were innocently sleeping in a nest of scorpions. And that is not all: another couple was squashing a mouse between tarp and tent. It shared the same fate as the scorpion. The next stage of our journey was Little Wild Horse Canyon, located very close to our campsite. This time we did not have to hike down from the plateau, but rather entered the mouth of the canyon. It started pretty mundanely. Soon, however, the canyon got narrower, and finally we were walking through a spectacular slot canyon. It was so narrow that a horse (even a little one) would not be able to pass through. So the name of the canyon is a bit misleading, or horses have been smaller in the good old days. Below are just two impressions of the canyon. The play of light and shadow was glorious, with hues alternating from red to gold. Kathy, Denise and Dennis Suddenly the canyon widened again, but the texture of the rocks still remained fascinating. The next picture is one of my favored. The downward facing ridges suggest that we are fleeing in panic. I deliberately chose a long exposure time so that feet appear a bit blurry, underlining the movement. After having escaped the slot canyon without any goblin or troll encounter, we jumped back into our Jeeps and headed west. We soon drove through the most bizarre landscape shown below. If someone had told me we were driving on the surface of the moon or some other planet I would have believed him. There was not a sign of life whatsoever. If I am not mistaken, the name of the otherworldly hills is Wild Horse Badlands. Here is a picture from above. Only a few miles further southwest was Factory Butte. We passed this enormous monolith on the left side. When you look closely, you may see the dust plumes from some Jeeps ahead. We finally reached the end of the dirt road, "aired up", ... John and Dennis ... and drove to Capitol Reef National Park. The park preserves the Waterpocket Fold, a giant wrinkle in the Earth's crust, 100 miles long and about 2 miles wide. The fold features colorful cliffs, solitary temples of rock, twisting canyons and many arches. It is also the place where Indians hunted for more than 1000 years and Mormon pioneers settled and founded orchards. After dinner in Torrey, we hiked to sunset point and enjoyed the glow of the red sandstone ridges in the evening sun. Dennis I could not resist climbing on a pile of rocks nearby to have a better view. Me and Dennis Move your mouse over the picture to see the whole scenery! We stayed over night at Fruita Campground in the center of the park.

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