We are always grateful for our local mountains.
In under an hour, we can hike among the wildflowers, go on alpine climbs, and look down on our desert home nearly 7,000 feet below.
The contrast between our desert home and the alpine terrain above never gets old. While the red rock country below bakes in temperatures over 100F, the mountains offer tundra, scree, and the sounds of marmots and pikas among the peaks that tower over Moab.
And the remnants of snow even allowed for some impromptu and delightful snow angels!
We spent the evening watching the alpenglow over a small pond near our campsite.
The following day, we followed an old social path up to a cirque tucked among the cliff walls beneath peaks rising above 12,000 feet.
I am not sure how much longer these snowmelt-fed streams will last this year, but for now, they provide a near-musical backdrop as we climb higher into the rolling alpine terrain.
We soon reached the cirque and enjoyed the scenery on a quiet day in the mountains.
We then made our way back to a saddle to wander in a part of the range new to us.
From the saddle, we followed the obvious contours on the map and, no surprise, found a “ghost road” leading the same way.
The old road gave us a few final views of the mountains we enjoy so much during our summers on the Colorado Plateau.
