We take a very Zen approach to climbing today, hauling our gear a few miles up a mesa to climb nothing at all. Every plant seems to have produced different colored blossoms to compete for our attention. The boulders hulk right next to the trail as if ready to give us a good-natured nudge as we go by. Clifftop views display mile upon mile of tread through the red and gray badlands below. I keep stopping to examine and photograph things. When we approach the edge of the wall, we first find a perilous-looking knotted rope descent, then wander further to a short ladder made of rebar drilled into the stone. Too late to climb? Oh well, chop wood, carry water. The hike back is just as nice, if a little bit longer.
Ann on the edge