Canyonlands

Little arch we hiked up to a couple of days ago

Sunday, 8/9/09:

Slick Rock CG, Moab, UT: This morning I woke up feeling lousy, but we donned our hiking boots and packs and drove over to the Negro Bill Canyon trailhead. The canyon was named after William Granstaff, an early settler who grazed his cattle in this canyon. I thought it would be a much easier hike but the trail went up a slick rock ledge a little way and through boulder fields and a lot of the trails were in deep sand which is hard hiking. But it followed this sparkling, pristine stream all the way. And the stream is a perennial stream—a rarity here in the desert. There were a couple of side canyons as well and one of them has a huge natural rock bridge. We didn’t make it that far. We also had to cross the stream three times, but there were plenty of rocks and it wasn’t deep, so no problem. I was glad I had my hiking boots on and brought my trekking poles as well. When we came back over that rock ledge, said I…”are you sure I hiked over this?” Mike said…”yes, you did.” Said I… “…and I didn’t whine or anything?” “Nope, he said, you did good.” I don’t remember it being that bad going, but coming back was another story. But the sky couldn’t have been any bluer and it was beautiful up there. Think it hit the low 90s today.