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A semi-serious adventure

April - October 2015
A 186-day adventure by Kim and Read more
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  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    2
    11
    Day 33

    Trek America - Vernal to Moab

    May 22, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We drove south through Utah (taking a detour into Colorado so to add another state to our list of those visited) to Moab, which would be our base for exploring the Arches National Park and a stepping stone to the Monument Valley. The scenery changed again and even more dramatically as we left the dusty plains and entered canyons of towering red rock, which we seems to squeeze through. Moab is a major centre for mountain biking and off-road culture and with this weekend being Memorial Weekend in the US (think a Bank Holiday weekend and Remembrance Sunday combined) the road through town was streaming with off-road vehicles in various states of cleanliness as well as vehicles strapped with and towing mountain bikes.

    After setting up camp we had a few hours to ourselves (which we used to explore Moab and give this blog a much needed update) before heading out to the Arches National Park to view the Delicate Arch at sunset. After an hour’s hike up and over sandstone boulders and cornering a walkway hewn out of the rock face we came to the Delicate Arch. The arch starred back at us across a gaping amiptheatre of smooth red sandstone. On one side of the crescent walkway was a sheer drop whilst on the other was a steep slope to a floor 20 or more metres below. The arch itself stands 20 metres high and the scale is truly felt by watching others make their way around to stand underneath it. The sun began to set behind us and the light reflected against the sandstone to highlight its many red and orange shades.
    Unfortunately the sun was not to last as thunder clouds moved in and lighting began to strike in the distance. As dramatic as this was, the wind began to howl around the amphitheatre, buffering us like the warning of an angry god. With actually sunset still some hour away we decided to begin our descent for safety. Darkness descended as we returned to our van and back to camp. For a while the van was silent as we looked out the windows and contemplated what we had seen.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    11
    Day 34

    Trek America - Moab

    May 23, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We planned an early departure (5:30am) back into the Arches National Park to hike into ‘The Devil’s Garden’, which took us past and through some of the park’s arches. Emily informed us that the three requirements for an arch are; for it to be 3 metres or more in diameter; be naturally made; you have to be able to view the sky through it.

    Like a blanket being slowly draped over a surface, light moved across the domed sandstone towers as the sun rose up into the sky. It flashed through the arches that we gazed out of, like windows into the world. Small rabbits darted across the pathway whilst crows sang somewhere high in the rock. The first part of the trail was well trodden and maintained but as we moved further through our 6-7 mile hike, the path moved to being ‘semi-primitive’ and then ‘primitive’ as illustrated by our map. This meant that we were increasingly required to clamber and scramble over, round, down and through sandstone walkways along the trail. When we arrived at arches, we would rest under them, taking on food and water to continue on.

    The sandstone contains furrows and hollows like magnified fingerprints, which were created by water during the early creation of the earth. Whilst the sun rose higher in the sky we remained in shadow at times due to the towering rocks around us. At the highest elevation of the trail the views stretched for miles with distant mountain ranges visible across the bright blue sky. Again rain clouds threatened as we finished the trail whilst many others were only just starting.

    We moved through the park to view ‘The Windows’ arches, three connecting arches that when viewed from below form windows to the sky. Several of us climbed over the rock to look out through the end window, which has views across the park. We were especially grateful for starting so early as when we exited the park we saw the long line of vehicles attempting to get in.

    By the time we returned to camp it was only 11:30am but we had the remainder of the day to ourselves. Kim took a nap before we went out to Moab Brewery for craft beer and chips. We went and did some shopping in Moab and drank more beer before heading out to Horseshoe Point State Park for a picnic dinner. The views were fantastic with canyon after canyon of red sandstone rolling out into the distance. After being up close to the rock during our hike this morning, this view gave us perspective of how enormous the park and its canyons are. We can only imagine what scale that the grand canyon will be given the size of what we have seen.

    We ate our picnic and sat out with others on the cliff edges (including a motorbike gang where one member proposed to his girlfriend on edge of the canyon) hoping to catch a sunset, which was once again thwarted by rain clouds. It didn't stop us having a brilliant time and we returned to camp full from our sensory feast.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    1
    1121
    Day 35

    Trek America - Moab to Monument Valley

    May 24, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    We drove through a landscape of arid tundra and hillsides to the Monument Valley. The valley lies within the Navajo Reservation meaning that it is self-governed by the Navajo population and largely autonomous in this respect from the U.S. itself. The seemingly never-ending highway suddenly reached a point on the horizon where the dark but recognisable shapes of the valley's rock formations (buttes) began to stretch up to greet us. The valley has regularly been used in films, including John Wayne westerns and Forrest Gump because of its unique and dramatic scenery.

    As part of our trek there are certain additional experiences that we can pay to do, for example as a keen horse rider, Katie, chose to do horseback riding in Jackson. For Monument Valley we and the rest of the group unanimously decided that we wished to go deeper into the valley and stay overnight with Navajo guides, something not possible to do on your own.

    Arriving at the valley's visitor centre we met our large and steady Navajo guide, Ron (who took a liking to Alex's Guns and Roses t-shirt) and our transport, a large open-backed 4x4 with seats and storage space.

    Ron guided us through the various buttes that dominate that landscape and were originally formed as a result of up-thrusts from the earth's trembling surface during its early creation. The different shapes of the rocks allowed your imagination to create faces and pictures from them and Ron advised us on what each were named by the Navajo.

    We drove to where we would be sleeping for the night, a structure made from cedar wood and the red clay of the valley floor called a Hogan. There are male and female Hogans with the male version being narrower with a pointed end to represent a man holding a bow, which is only used for ceremonial purposes. The female version is a dome with a hole in the centre of the roof for a fire/stove pipe to project from. The female hogan represents the womb and its structure is supported by 9 outer cedar beams for the 9 months of pregnancy. Each hogan can take 8 people working 8-10 hours a day, 3-4 months to construct.

    Inside the female hogan that we were designated to sleep in, a female Navajo guide demonstrated Navajo weaving. She explained that genuine Navajo stitchings will be left open at one point so to not close up the mind of its designer.

    After this we drove onto Hogan Cave, so named as at its top is a large hole letting through the sky and sunlight. We were invited to lie back on the rock and look up at the ceiling whilst a traditional Navajo song was sung with double flute and drum beat. On the ceiling you could make out the giant face of an eagle whilst drops of water hurtled down towards us, catching the sunlight as they fell. It was a visual and auditory experience that we don't think we'll ever forget.

    We moved onto the Sun Arch that is high up on a butte overhang and as we stood underneath it, Ron invite us to shout up as loud as we could, the result of which was a resounding echo that seemed to go on long into the fading light.

    We viewed glyphs on the rock face and saw wild horses grazing in the distance as we moved on again. This time we headed to a sand dune that we raced each other up and down. Lucky none of us tumbled head over heels on the way down, which would have made for a very dusty and itchy night.

    After some constructive 4x4 driving over the dirt track we made our way into a camp where we ate Navajo tacos (beef steak atop a salad of onion, tomato, lettuce, cheese and beans on a base of flat bread), which was very tasty and filling. This was followed by a display of Navajo dance with Ron donning traditional regalia to move around the campfire. We were all then encouraged to join in, with the men (warriors) and women (maids) lined up with each other to pledge to care for each other before dancing around the campfire ourselves.

    After the sun had truly set we made our way back to the Hogan under the cover of darkness. With the absence of light pollution in the valley, a galaxy of stars were on display and once back at the Hogan we all decided to sleep outside under the stars. Wrapped up with only our faces exposed to feel the cooling air brush past, the stars were the last thing we saw before sleep took us.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    4
    Day 35

    Trek America - Porta-loo

    May 24, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    This is a special post for an incident that occurred at the Navajo dinner.

    After dinner fellow trekker Jade braved the unlit porta-loo, using her IPhone's torch to light her way. The first we knew of anything was Jade shouting out something ineligible. When she returned to our waiting jeep she explained that she had managed to drop her phone down into the loo!

    Jade's phone had a huge amount of her photos, both from the trek as well as from her travels prior to joining us. It had a lot of her music and it was also her method to call/Skype home. 'Gutted' didn't quite cover it.

    As everyone was at a loss of what to do, Alex jumped out of the jeep, switching on his headlamp and heading for the villainous porta-loo. The rest of the group followed in sheer bemusement with another jeep of tourists forced to also watch as their jeep was sitting behind ours and unable to move on.

    Alex called out for someone to get him a stick as he flipped the toilet seat. A scene that can only be described as hell itself starred back at him whilst the smell was gag worthy. Unperturbed, Alex pulled up his Buff scarf around his mouth and nose. Kim returned with a stick but unfortunately this was only 6 inches long and would do nothing but stir up the madness sitting in the bowl. After some more furious stick hunting, the hunt for the iPhone was on as Alex sought it out with his makeshift prongs. One of Navajo guides offered a rubber glove before finding that it was full of holes.

    After what felt like an hour, but was more like minutes of searching, with some false alarms, there was ultimately no success in finding Jade's iPhone. We trudged back to the jeep with Ron telling Jade not to worry and that he'd call her from the phone if it eventually turned up. We might not have recovered the phone but as far as a memorable comedy moments go it was a success.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    1
    22113
    Day 36

    Trek America - Mnt. Val. to Grand Canyon

    May 25, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After our night under the stars we awoke at 6:00am to view the sunrise over the buttes before breakfasting with our Navajo guides. We then returned under the rising sun to our start point at the visitors centre where we were back on the road again to our next destination - The Grand Canyon.

    We crossed from Utah into Arizona as we travelled South and when we arrived Emily blind-folded us as agreed so she could lead us to the edge for a 'big reveal' of the canyon. We must have looked like a very special cult as we tentatively stepped blindly in a column, hands on the shoulders of the person in front, to a point when we were allowed to remove our blind folds. The sun pierced our eyes, temporarily blinding us, before we regained our senses to see that a few feet in front of us the world fell away to ravine after ravine into the Colorado river twisting below. Standing on the southern rim, the canyon stretched into the horizon where the northern rim looked back. In sheer size alone it deserves the title 'grand', being a mile down at its deepest and 70 miles across at its widest. Yet it is the spectrum of shapes and colour that make up the canyon which really makes it brilliant.

    We toured the the rim near us known as Desert View before heading away to set up our campsite. Unfortunately the campsite had not been reserved correctly by the Trek America office but Emily quickly turned us around to another campsite. We headed back to the canyon for sunset, where we dined on pizza whilst sitting on the rim watching the setting sun changed the colour and shape of the canyon's surfaces.

    We returned to camp and quickly all retired to bed as we were all tired from last night's sleep under the stars as well as the knowledge that we would need to be up early tomorrow for our hike down into the canyon.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    2
    3212
    Day 37

    Trek America - Grand Canyon

    May 26, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today we had the opportunity to explore the Grand Canyon by taking one of the trails down into the canyon itself. There are many signs warning of the risks involved due to the changes in altitude and increased temperature as you descend (it can be as much as 30C hotter at the base of the canyon than it is at the rim). This has led to people dying as they are unable to ascend back out of the canyon and help cannot get to them quick enough. Signs warn against attempting to travel down to the Colorado river at the base of the canyon and attempting to return to the rim in the same day, however we've heard people still attempt to do this. Emily advised that the Grand Canyon National Park is the country's most dangerous with deaths numbering in the hundreds each year due to these risks as well as people getting too close to the edge...

    We chose to descend at the South Kaibab Trail, originally honed out of the rock with pick and explosives by workers in the 1920s. The trail is just wide enough for two people to travel side by side or allow mules through to carry goods between the base and the rim. The trail is a 6 mile round-trip iand descends a total of over 2000 feet (the rim to base is nearly 4800 feet) There are three stages to the trail, Ooh Aah Point, Cedar Ridge and Skeleton Point.

    When we began our descent from the rim, along steep switchback trails, we had our jackets as despite the sun and bright blue sky, the breeze and canyon's shadows kept the temperature cool. Acknowledging the risks we took plenty of water and went slowly, prepared to turn back at any point if needed. The enormity of the canyon's drop at the side of the trail was knee-buckling (for Alex at least) to view but this was a mental battle and we pushed on with the physical task ahead. We reached Ooh Aah Point and decided to continue on to Cedar Point. It was here that the geology changed from yellowy limestone to a rich copper of sandstone, reminiscent of that we had experience in Arches National Park and Monument Valley. The trail narrowed here and returned to switching back and forth as we descended further still into the canyon. As well as moving down, we were also moving further out into the canyon as we approached Cedar Ridge. Drawing us away from the cliff face of the rim, we became exposed to the sun, which began to beat against us and quickly our jackets were removed.

    We rested at Cedar Ridge, which offered us a near 300 degree view of the canyon. Looking back up we could see just how far we had come but knew that the hardest part, the ascent back out, was yet to come. We sat resting and replenished with water and food (even when descending, at such altitude and with such heat, it was still crucial to do this). We walked out to the very edge of the ridge to take in the views before contemplating whether to continue on to the end of the trail, Skeleton Point. Our fellow Trekkers had all turned back at Cedar Ridge and it was appealing to try and achieve the full trail. However the sun and our depleting supplies of water were foreboding a very difficult and possibly dangerous climb so we decided, sensibly, to return to the rim. Quickly we realised how sensible our decision had been as the heat, altitude and steep climb took their toll on our bodies. Nevertheless we kept a steady pace and after a brief rest at Ooh Aah Point we returned to the rim in just under an hour. The round-trip to Cedar Ride was 3 miles and we descended just over 1000 feet.

    Overlooking the canyon and using our camera lens we could make out specks of people moving to and from Cedar Ridge whilst more people near us were contemplating the descent themselves.

    We walked along the rim and attended a talk by one of the ranger guides on how the canyon was formed. In short - the canyon was originally formed when the Colorado plateau was pushed up through the earth's surface when the plates that cover the earth's surface collided billions of years ago. This also created the Rockies mountain range from where the Colorado river flowed and began to break its waters against the edge of the plateau. Over millions of years the river steadily flowed through the plateau creating many tributaries along the way. Again, over millions of years, the force of the flowing water caused the limestone and sandstone (two stones very susceptible to water erosion) to break off and up, making the river bed deeper and wider, eventually creating the canyon you see today. The Colorado river still flows furiously at the base of the canyon and at certain points on the rim it can be seen with the distance disguising it as a slow trickle.

    We returned to camp happy with the success of our hike as well as the knowledge that tonight was our last night under canvas and tomorrow we were heading to Las Vegas.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    2
    111
    Day 38

    Trek America - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas

    May 27, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    It was a long hot drive out of Arizona and into Nevada for our destination, Las Vegas. However we sought temporary refuge by stopping at Delgadillo's Snow Cap, an American diner on what, before the interstate highway, was 'the mother road' through the U.S. - Route 66. Full of memorabilia from the 1950s on, including cars, music and photographs, this diner was originally set up the father of the family who now continue to run it. Forget McDonalds, Starbucks and other super chains, this is where it's at. We ordered classic hamburgers and Kim a butterscotch shake to eat them on the shaded patio as motorcycle gangs thundered down the simmering road. As if by some divine intervention, Free's 'Alright Now' came on over the radio and for 5 minutes the world felt perfect.

    It was then back in the van to push onto Las Vegas. Time seemed to stand still in anticipation but we finally arrived hot and tired at our hotel, The Golden Nugget. However it wasn't anything a shower and some beers (we took a large cooler up to our rooms) couldn't sort out.

    The best way we can describe Las Vegas is that it is a huge theme park where anything appears possible, but everything will cost you something. We sat in 40C heat by the hotel pool with its flume slide that runs through a shark tank. After dinner we watched a display projected from a tunnel of screens set above Fremont Street before taking a 'party bus' (think limo interior but with higher ceilings), complete with lap dancing pole and an array of alcohol, down the Strip to watch the water fountains at the Bellagio and the town lit up. We drank and danced in the balmy neon night before crashing to sleep in our comfy beds by early morning.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    11314
    Day 39

    Trek America - Las Vegas

    May 28, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Fortunately it was not 'The Hangover' for either of us when we stirred in our hotel room - no tigers, Mike Tyson or a fat Jesus. Alex was bouncing and ready to go by 7:00am whilst it took Kim a little longer but soon enough we were on The Strip under the blistering Nevada heat. We can't quite get over the contrast with our surroundings and climate from a week or so ago.

    We took a bus down to one end of The Strip and began to walk back North through a variety of hotels/casinos, each with their own themes. Through the jungle of Mandalay Bay, the towering pyramid of the Luxor, the ramparts of The Excalibur, the golden lion of the MGM Grand as well as the facades of New York New York, Paris and the Venetian. We managed to win $4 playing slots along the way only to lose it again. We watched as all walks of life flowed through the flashing and ringing floors of the casinos, seemingly gravitated like moths to a flame. Street hawkers to giant LED signs were advertising what appeared to be the sale of the century. Show tickets, night club entry, food, photographs and an assortment of tat. You name it, you could buy it for a price.

    By mid-afternoon we had retreated back to our hotel pool for a few hours, cooling off in the pool and riding the shark tank flume. We all met in the lobby for dinner but not before the safe in our room stopped working with all our money, passports and Alex's cards in it. A tense 45 minute wait saw security and maintenance reopen it for us and then we were on our way. We went to Rollin' Smoke Barbecue where we ate giant plates of barbecued and fried goodness before Kim ate an enormous slice of cake from the Cheesecake Factory in Caesar's Palace. As we made our way back to the hotel, a LED clock told us that it was still 32C at 10:00pm. Heat and food exhaustion took us to sleep.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    1
    Day 40

    Trek America - Las Vegas to Los Angeles

    May 29, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    All good things must come to an end and as it was we departed from Las Vegas for our final destination on our Trek America tour, Los Angeles.

    We went to bed around midnight but some of our group went back out to The Strip, not returning until 4:00am before getting up early for the final leg of our journey. Dark sun glasses and fragile looks accompanied them before the van rocked them to sleep.

    It was a reflective drive down through California as we contemplated all that we had done in the space of just 2 weeks. We have travelled North to South across Western USA, a total of 2650 miles in a arch through 9 States (Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and California). We've hiked up peaks, down canyons, rafted on white water and slept under the stars from the snowy mountains of Yellowstone to the blistering heat of Las Vegas.

    It has been a great group with a brilliant leader in Emily. We felt sad to leave them for our hostel, everything suddenly feeling very quiet with it only being the two of us again after two weeks with 9 other people. We wish our fellow Trekkers and Emily the very best in their future travels and hope that maybe someday and by someway our paths cross again.    Read more

  • Kim and AlexA semi-serious adventure
    1112
    Day 41

    Los Angeles

    May 30, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We planned that our first day after Trek America would be a 'rest day' thinking that we would need it. However after spending most of yesterday sitting in a van from Las Vegas to Los Angeles we felt restless and wanted to get out in the California sunshine. With our hostel situated in Hollywood we are well placed for views of the Hollywood sign as well as getting to the Griffith Observatory, both situated high on the hills of Griffith Park. Our hostel had information on three hike routes of varying difficulty and we chose the moderate climb. However even this started with an ascent of 600 feet over the first mile of the trail. Furthermore it was a two mile walk from our hostel to the trailhead. As said, we felt restless...

    We arrived at the trailhead in good time, leaving paved streets for sandy tracks which quickly rose above nearby houses. Being Saturday morning there were a number of families, dog walkers and hikers out on the trail, there were even groups of horse riders whose shit stank in the rising heat (the horses' not the riders at least). With the city below us we moved up and around ridge lines of hardy thorny shrub.

    When we reached the junction with the Hollyridge Trail (the first and more gentle ascent) we thought we were getting close, however as we moved closer to the Hollywood sign we could see the trail continue to rise and switchback across the hills. Midday was closing in and the trail simmered in the 26C degree heat. We would approach a blind bend in the trail with only bright blue sky visible over the lip. Approaching, we were poised to turn the corner and see something to indicate that we were closer to our goal. Yet we only found another steep rise to another blind bend. We trudged on, determined to get to the top and eventually we did. To our surprise we found that we had actually risen above the sign and made it to the peak itself. We sat under some scant shade to greedily drink from our water bottles before making the descent. From our position we could see Los Angeles stretch out to the horizon in all directions, however heat and air pollution obscured much of this.

    We could see in the distance, across the ridge lines, The Griffith Observatory, built in 1933 to observe stars in the night sky but made famous by stars of other kind from its use as a location in films including 'Rebel Without A Cause' and 'The Terminator', leading it to become an emblem of the city.

    Whilst at the observatory we managed to meet with Matti from Trek America, who is staying in Santa Monica before he begins his surf school tomorrow. Matti has been a very good friend on our trip so it was brilliant to see him as we toured the observatory with its exhibits on space. However it was also bitter sweet because it involved a further goodbye. We really hope Matti has a great time at surf school and that we are able to keep in touch.

    By the time we returned to the hostel it was after 6:00pm, having hiked a total of 11-12 miles. We arrived back proud but exhausted. So much for a 'rest day'!    Read more

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