Our friend Mike joins us every November for a desert backpacking trip, a few laughs, and usually a new story or two (or three, or four).
This year was no different—except he brought his friend Katie along, and we took them on a variation of the route I’d hiked right before heading off on my New England walk.
Joan hadn’t been out to this corner of the desert in a bit; Mike had never seen it; and Katie found herself making her first desert backpacking trip in one of the more spectacular spots we know.
My REI ad campaign—if REI stocked $10 grease pots.
It’s one of those pockets of canyon country that rewards the old adage from one of my favorite philosophers: “You can observe a lot by just watching.”
And out here, you really do.
Joan pushed for this route because it checks all the boxes: a friendly introduction to the area, reliable water, and enough memorable sites to make anyone fall in love with the place.
And honestly, centuries-old sites tucked into dramatic canyon country? That’s a high bar to set for someone’s first desert backpacking trip.
We ambled through slickrock, climbed red ledges, visited ancestral sites, and introduced two friends to an area that keeps pulling Joan and me back with every passing season.
I’d call the trip a success—our friends found this place just as intriguing as we do.
From Joan.
As of this writing, I’ve been home for about two weeks, and Joan and I have spent nine of those nights backpacking or camping.
I’m pretty sure our priorities are in the right order.