Category: Adventure

Stories from all over North America. #americanadventurist

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Weekender: Winter Storm Warning

“You don’t have to see it to ski it” Forrest exclaimed as he surveyed the nondescript white-everything that was the world around us. “True story!” I replied with a laugh, pausing to look around and seeing nothing other than white in every direction. On a bluebird day, we would be standing on the top of a ridge at just shy of 13,000 feet above sea level in the San Juan Mountains. To the West, we would be able to see the La Sal Mountains outside of Moab, UT. And from the Northwest, circling around the compass in a clockwise orbit all the way to the Southwest, we should have stunning views of the Colorado Rockies. Yet today, we were standing in a ground blizzard with visibility at no more than 25 feet and the wind was actively trying to un-shoulder our skis. Our objective was a narrow chute carved into the Northwest ridge of Palmyra peak – and if my hunch was correct, it was going to be chock-full of fluffy new snow.

The series of events that lead Forrest and I to the place where ice was forming on the windward side of my face even without a beard started a few days ago, with conversations that tend to repeat themselves every time a snowstorm is on the horizon. When the predictions for total accumulation were measured in inches, talk of making a trip home to ski was casually brought up. When the total accumulation started closing in on a foot, and the Flagstaff school district started talking about snow days, we started seriously thinking about going skiing. And when the National Weather Service pulled out the serious red forecast background (it’s a thing) and started talking about feet of total accumulation, we knew we had to make it to Telluride. We would be travelling long after the storm had started to turn the Southwest white, but if the forecast panned out, we would be looking at some exceptional powder skiing conditions.

Our drive to Telluride took us through periods of intense snowfall that would stop just as suddenly as they would start. After exiting each period of precipitation, we would stop to de-ice our lights so that we could actually see to the end of our stopping distance on snow-packed roads. Outside of Rico, CO, snowfall was almost non-existent and we were able to take in the sheer volume of snow that had fallen in the San Juan Mountains. The snowbanks on either side of the highway were well over the roof of my truck. Conditions and coverage were going to be excellent for our weekend of skiing.

On Saturday, Forrest and I awoke to heavy snowfall that made the ski area’s report of one whole inch of snow seem like a mistake. We accepted the fact that we weren’t going to get to play in the bottomless powder that we had dreamt about, and opted to go enjoy some of the more technical chutes off of Palmyra peak that we really enjoy skiing. Yet by the time we were shouldering our skis for the hike to the chute, we were walking into a blizzard and there was definitely more than an inch of new snow on the ground.

We caught up to and passed another group of skiers on a steeper pitch of the hike. The lead skier was barely ten feet away from me when I turned back to snap a photo with my GoPro. By the time Forrest and I were stepping into our skis at the top of the chute more than a foot of new snow had fallen. Skiing out of the choke in the chute we were rewarded with bottomless new snow and visibility that allowed us to open the taps and ski fast.

Our run on the chute was the opening salvo to a weekend of world class skiing thanks to a storm that didn’t let up the entire time that we were in Colorado. Sunday was no less enjoyable and Forrest and I ran ourselves into the ground skiing in feet of fresh fluffy snow.

I know that many folks tend to discourage travel in inclement weather, but I’m here to tell you that it can be done safely. As long as you take your time and go prepared (for getting unstuck or an overnight in your car), a winter storm can be just part of the adventure.

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The Best Road Sign in Utah

“Louise, look for it.” Her eyes scanned the desert landscape of central Utah. The canyons of the San Rafael Swell glistened in the distance as we approached the best road sign in Utah. It lies just off of Highway 24 and marks a dirt road that traverses 100 miles of grandeur through the deserts of central Utah.

It’s not much…the sign measures two feet by three feet but directs the traveler to the “goods of canyon country.” The remoteness of The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, the stunning rock art panels of Horseshoe Canyon, and the many twists and turns in canyons of Robber’s Roost remain accessible for the adventurous willing to explore via vehicle and foot. Outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid in these canyons! Yep, the desert wanderer can find adventure, by whatever personal definition, in this high desert playground.

Robber’s Roost

After reading “The Best Road Sign in Utah,” Louise and I aired down our tires as we turned off of Highway 24 and headed east. On this day, our destination was Blue John Canyon. This canyon was named after a blue-eyed outlaw cowboy who hid in the canyon to escape the law. Recently, it became infamous after Aaron Ralston amputated his arm to escape the canyon’s depths in 2003.

Over thousands of years, flash floods have carved the twists and turns of this canyon, and we simply reveled in the sculptured sandstone. We rapped 80 feet and untied our harnesses. We truly witnessed Mother Nature at work. The flood debris high over our heads signified this was not a place for recreation when the forecast included rain. We exited the canyon system via the Main Fork of Blue John and headed for the Land Cruiser. As our feet sank in the desert sands and sagebrush, Louise spotted an Attala point. Yep, the Native Americans called this place home thousands of years ago. Louise dropped the point in the sand, where she found it. We savored the setting rays of the sun.

“Are you sure this is the right spot?” Louise questioned me.

“Trust me, all good things need a little time to come to fruition.”

But, as we trudged our way along a desert two-track in the middle of Robber’s Roost, I had my doubts. Without warning, a canyon popped into view to our south. We eased our way into the head of the canyon; and soon enough, we were at our next rappel. The webbing looked good and signified we were the only ones enjoying the goods of canyon country on this day. We dropped into the slot and admired the sculpted walls. After four casual-straightforward rappels, we were deposited into a canyon oasis. Water flowed, trees grew, and fish swam. The outlaws that hid from the law in these canyons weren’t idiots.

Louise and I gazed at the 400-foot walls coated with desert varnish (iron oxidizes within the sandstone). As we climbed our way out, we both agreed that the canyons of Robber’s Roost are the most attractive in southern Utah.

Horseshoe Canyon

Rock art… Pictures on the wall… What do they mean? Why were they made? Rock art appears all over the Maze District of Canyonlands. Horseshoe Canyon has some of the finest in North America. Rock art is broken up into two categories: pictographs and petroglyphs. Pictographs are painted figures and shapes, while petroglyphs are carved into the rock. Horseshoe Canyon is known for its pictographs. Some of these paintings date back 4,000 years! Like the desert wanderers before us, we guessed what their meanings were as we stared at these masterpieces. It appeared that they were painted just yesterday, not thousands of years ago. Edward Abbey (a southwestern writer) said “that the desert would not give up its goods easily but when you find them, you will appreciate them even more.” Louise and I stared with amazement and savored every minute we remained in the canyon.

Under the Ledge Country—The Maze

In today’s world of environmental conflict—drilling, fracking, gas permits—I was grateful that 60 years ago uranium miners decided to explore into the Maze and blazed the road known as the Flint Trail down into one of the most remote spots in the lower 48. The Maze is broken into two sections: the high country with namesakes such as Cleopatra’s Chair, Panorama Point, and High Spur; and the low country known by local cowboys as Under the Ledge Country.

The Flint Trail descended steeply along a sandstone cliff, and we agreed 4-Low was a must to control our speed on the descent. Louise and I marveled at the views and the immense land of canyons, arches, and towers. We acknowledged that we must respect this land and hoped that all would relish in it when taking the plunge into its depths. The appreciative adventurer must experience each of these places with names such as the Chocolate Drops, Maze Overlook, the Dollhouse, and the Land of Standing Rocks. But, on this day, we set off on a hike from Waterhole Flat to the southeast seeking the view of Cataract Canyon. The Colorado River flows through this land and the miles of rapids make Cataract a rafter’s bucket list. However, Louise and I simply delighted in the solitude and beauty of the high desert. As we approached the 1,500 foot drop off to Cataract, we smiled at one another—thankful that we had followed “The Best Road Sign in Utah.”