Book Number 2 Due Out in February

Get 'em while they're HOT!

Our second book revision is due to hit shelves in February 2010.  Emily's second cover photo graces the front and the VERY photogenic JD is in the shot again.  Hmmm... the first cover photo was of his back and you can barely see him in the second cover photo.  It doesn't get anymore photogenic than that.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hiking-Grand-Staircase-Escalante-the-Glen-Canyon-Region-2nd/Ron-Adkison/e/9780762760619/?itm=1&USRI=hiking+grand+staircase

Just thought this was a cool picture.

Emily and Arnie hiking near Hole-in-the-Rock Road.

Fred Flintstone?

Does anyone see Fred Flintstone in this rock spire?

We were hiking in Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah and came across this rock spire called the "Fred Flintstone Spire".  I (JD) do not see it. Emily said she sees it.  Do you?

Dance Hall Rock

We saw a huge rock formation called Dance Hall Rock while we were driving down Hole-in-the-Rock Road one day.  It is said that the earlier settlers used to have square dances here while others in the group were out exploring routes.

Emily standing on top of Dance Hall Rock (this picture is from the backside of the rock).

Here is the front view. Can you see Emily up on top?

Slick Rockin!

Southern Utah is full of slick rock. Here we are near Buckskin Gulch at a trailhead called The White House Trail.  Rumor has it that the herders used to run their herds through this area so that they could take advantage of the spring that was close by.  They said the water was so good it was fit for the White House in D.C.  Therefore the name White House Spring.

JD, Arnie, and Aspen enjoying the views.

JD and Arnie navigating the slick rock.

Buckskin Gulch!!!!!

We have been waiting for this hike ever since we got out here.  It did not let us down.

Buckskin Gulch is considered by many as the mecca of slot canyon hikes.  The hike includes a section 12 miles long of endless slot canyon where the only way out is to go back or push forward.

Check out a picture and a short video:

Buckskin Gulch

The Toadstools

Today we hiked a short 1.6 mile trail to an area known as the Toadstool Trail.  What a crazy place!  The 160 million year old bottom layer of rocks are eroding faster than the 97 million year rocks on the top.

Check em out:

A Toadstool.

JD and Arnie.

A couple more Toadstools.

Hickman Bridge

So, for the book revisions we are writing, we have been asked to include a few new hikes of our choosing. We selected the Hickman Natural Bridge hike in Capitol Reef National Park as one of them. It is a 2 mile round trip hike to this massive natural bridge that you hike under.

Do you think this looks like a good addition?

Hickman Natural Bridge

The Adventures of Arnie Continue

As Arnie continues to travel throughout Southern Utah, he wanted to take a few minutes of your time to show you some proper travel technique in the backcountry.

#1 - Climbing ladders that may have been placed on trails by land managers.

#2 - Crossing icy rivers in the backcountry

Stay tuned as Arnie continues to report on his amazing adventures.

The Boulder Mail Trail

We attempted a hike on the Boulder Mail Trail the other day.  However, when you can't even see where the trail begins it tends to slow you down quite a bit.

Supposedly, the trail starts where I am standing.

We did get to cross over the Boulder, Utah airport?  Yes, it does say "Boulder Airport and UFO Landing Site.

The Box

We checked out The Box hike just outside of Escalante today.  An amazing 8 mile hike through a canyon in the Dixie National Forest.  Used the new Leki Makalu Thermolite trekking poles today. They are SWEET!

The view coming out of the canyon.

JD entering The Box.

The Devil's Garden

We spent part of the day exploring the Devil's Garden, which is located down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road near Escalante, UT. The dogs, especially Aspen, had a great time running around the rock garden.  The garden has a rock arch, a natural bridge, and plenty of rock goblins.  Check out some pics.

The entrance to the Garden

Emily, standing with the goblins.

A rock arch.

The Gulch

Today we checked out a few hikes down the Burr Trail road just outside of Boulder, UT.  The Gulch Trail is a 19.4 mile hike through some beautiful scenery.  I know, I know.  You are thinking that we are so hard core to hike 19.4 miles in a day.  Well, we are hard core but we didn't hike the whole trail.

Entrance into the Gulch

Did you know?  -  The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is actually managed by the Bureau of Land Management instead of the National Park Service.

Lower Calf Creek Falls

A short 6.4 mile hike (6 miles from the trailhead, 6.4 from the parking area) to the falls at Lower Calf Creek today. The hike was great and it wore the dogs out which makes for a quiet evening.

Lower Calf Creek Falls

We are gonna hit up the 6.6 mile Escalante River Trail tomorrow. I think Arnie is gonna take the day off. He is a bit tuckered.

We have arrived in Escalante, Utah!

So, we arrived in Escalante late Friday night and were welcomed by about 8 inches of snow. We also received another 6 inches on Sunday morning. If you know anything about the Grand Staircase-Escalante, it gets about 16 inches of snow all year on average.

Hopefully the sun will come out and melt it all so we can get to hiking and write revisions for a couple of Falcon Guide books!


The car after a morning snow.


Our little cabin for the next month.