Flash flood warnings made Joan and me reevaluate our weekend packrafting plans.
The rain arrived Saturday, and Sunday brought partly cloudy skies. The original trip could wait. Desert canyons are not the place to stubbornly follow an itinerary when the weather suggests otherwise.
Thankfully, we live somewhere with plenty of alternatives.
Knowing the terrain lets us find a bit of wildness and solitude even when Moab gets busy. We chose a local hike on higher ground, away from the canyons and roads most affected by the recent storms.
Red rock, expansive views, rock images, and little nooks and crannies that most people never see.
I’ve written before about walking in a time of weather extremes. Fires, floods, heat, smoke, and changing conditions increasingly shape where and how we spend time outside.
Flexibility has become another tool in the outdoor kit.
And we’re glad we heeded the warnings. Not far from us, flooding along the San Juan River prompted evacuations near Bluff.
Sometimes the best trip is not the one we planned. It’s the one conditions allowed.