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Month: February 2016

Mack RidgeMack Ridge

Mack Ridge

Sunday, February 28, 2016

After spending Saturday at Arches National Park I decided to stay close to home on Sunday and just go on a short local hike in the morning. I was originally thinking about hiking in the Book Cliffs, but thought it still might be a bit too muddy there with the recent melting snow so instead I headed west to Mack to hike something in the Kokopelli Trail System. While I have ridden the Rustler’s Loop and Horsethief Bench trails on my mountain bike before, I have neglected hiking the other trails that are out there, especially the ones closer to Mack.

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The Fiery Furnace in Arches National ParkThe Fiery Furnace

The Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park

Saturday, February 27, 2016

About three years ago I went on a ranger-guided tour of the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park with my friend Jackson to check out the area for the first time. Since I was in a group of about 25 people that day I didn’t bother to pull out my camera and take many photos and I knew that I would want to come back on my own another day. Today, Diane and I decided to get a permit and head back to the Fiery Furnace so we could explore the area on our own.

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Behind The Rocks & Pool ArchPool Arch

Behind The Rocks & Pool Arch

Moab Area Rock Art XXVI | Sunday, February 21, 2016

On Sunday morning I met up with Marty in Moab so we could hike into the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area to visit Pool Arch (also known as Teardrop Arch) and do a little more exploring in the area. We drove over to the mouth of Pritchett Canyon along the Colorado River and started hiking up the 4×4 road. We soon left the road and began to follow a narrow slot canyon that would take us pretty much straight to the arch. Much of the hiking was easy but there was one steep section near the beginning that was a bit trickier than I had expected. At first we were a little worried we wouldn’t be able to continue, but we managed to climb up it and carry on.

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Birthday Weekend in Capitol ReefBirthday Weekend in Capitol Reef

Birthday Weekend in Capitol Reef

President’s Day Weekend | Saturday – Monday, February 13-15, 2016

This year I decided to head down to Capitol Reef National Park for my birthday weekend. It’s always nice that my birthday is near President’s Day so I usually have a three day weekend to enjoy. While I’ve spent some time in Capitol Reef before, it’s typically been to the backcountry areas of the park. This trip I was planning on spending most of our time in the area surrounding Fruita and the Fremont River. This part of the park is usually the busiest, especially in the spring and fall, and I was hoping the crowds would still be small this time of the year, even on a fee-free holiday weekend.

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No Thoroughfare Canyon SnowNo Thoroughfare Canyon Snow

No Thoroughfare Canyon Snow

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Late this morning Diane and I headed over to No Thoroughfare Canyon in the Colorado National Monument for a short hike. I didn’t take many photos today, but I did want to share a couple since there was the most snow on the ground that I’ve seen in this canyon. We hiked to the base of the First Waterfall where we ate lunch and watched a lone ice climber. There was a packed trail the entire way but we did find our microspikes helpful on a couple of steep sections of the trail and on some of the ice we encountered.

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