Spring has sprung for the winter that never was.
While Joan attended other activities, I scouted a potential route for a packrafting trip.
I also took advantage of the not-quite-busy season to revisit a place I have not seen in a few years.
A relaxing day.
Moab works best as a basecamp.
Sunday, not by design but by fortunate timing, Joan and I proved that point. We did exactly what I mentioned to a gentleman in a recent comment:
Honestly, the secret sauce of Moab is how much is concentrated into a few areas.
Unlike my Colorado Front Range days, it doesn’t take literal hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic to get in and out.
Joan and I can still reach places in under 30 minutes, park, and not see anyone all day.
There are challenges in town, for sure, but for us Moab is more basecamp than the experience itself.
The vans arrived.
The Moab Brewery parking lot filled up.
Left-hand turns became problematic.
But not far from where I type this, we did not see anyone from the moment we left the trailhead until we returned a little over eight hours later.
We ambled, rambled, climbed, scrambled, and ducked in and out of canyons and alcoves.
Canyon country often means three-dimensional hiking. You think less in terms of miles and more in terms of hours wandering, unlike a traditional AllTrails route or a well-known thru-hike.
The bends of the canyons and the scrambles off the canyon floor lead to places you would never reach in a straight, linear walk.
An overlook hidden behind junipers on a ledge often shows you that you are not the first to enjoy the view.
And the path you follow, as always, was walked before you.
Only the local residents bear witness to your travels, even as the busy season begins.
The ravens watch and wait and greet you back at the parking lot. A cold drink gets opened while you look out over the land you just walked.
Up and down.
In and out.
Hidden alcoves and scrambles around the corner.
Not linear.
But hiking in three dimensions.