MONDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2023

(Grand Junction, CO)

Woke at 0640, shortly followed by Andrew. I volunteered to go and get us coffee from the lobby. With that done, I opened the blinds, climbed back into bed and watched the colour of the sky change as the sun climbed above the horizon. There was not a cloud in sight today, and as a consequence the temperature was below zero.

We went for breakfast at 8am, then came back to the room to rest ourselves for today’s slightly longer and uphill hike. We drove the short distance to the trailhead, pulled on our boots and packs and set off.

The trail initially followed the line of ‘buffalo fencing’ which marks the edge of the Monument. After three quarters of a mile, it turned into the canyon and started to climb more steeply. The trail was easy to follow, and generally easier under foot than the river bed was yesterday. There were some sections of rock to steep up over, some sandy bits and a lot of basic gravelly ground.

The air had warmed up a bit to positive numbers, and the sun was warm, but there was a cold breeze, making it difficult to decide what to wear. As we climbed up the trail, we stopped frequently…for photos, to spot wildlife, admire the scenery, remove clothing one item at a time, to pass other people…oh, and to breathe. Because breathing is very important…

Wildlife spotted included a long eared jack-rabbit (no photo), canyon jay, lots of skittering lizards, small birds (no photo), and a chipmunk which only showed up while I had food instead of a camera in my hand (but he was quite shy and didn’t pester us).

Our turn around point was at Independence Monument, which we saw from the rim on Saturday. After having our lunch there, comprising a Cliff Bar each and a flask of tea, we started on the return trip. There is an alternate route via Wedding Canyon, which is an unmaintained trail. We might try that one next time… (yes, we have enjoyed this park so much, that we fully intend for there to be a next time).

After getting back to the car we returned to the hotel, rested and showered, before heading to Pablo’s again for pizza. (For those keeping nutritional notes, I did have a salad with it!).

And that’s it for Grand Junction, at least as far as hiking goes. Tomorrow we’re headed for Moab, going from the unknown trails and exploration we’ve had so far, to more familiar places and trails.

A basic video from today’s hike is here: https://vimeo.com/879637171

A video of yesterday’s hike at Devil’s Garden is here: https://vimeo.com/879639432