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Boondocked near Cave Lake State Park
Extra driving and a very snowy looking Wheeler Peak convince us to pass Great Basin National Park. Before reaching Ely, Nevada, we turn toward Cave Lake State Park, where enticing limestone formations jut up out of the earth. I need a phone signal to work, so we camp outside the park on an open hillside…
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Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
We pull in knowing nothing about this park. Up the canyon a ways we can see some strange looking landscapes, but first we’re interested in the shower. We had to use our on-board shower in Saint George. It’s functional, but a full size shower and water heater feel luxurious now. We sleep soundly under our…
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The Dinky Cone
Today we put the rig together and head north. Saint George has been great, but it’s getting hot. There are some climbing crags in the mountains outside of Cedar City, 48 miles north, but when we reach the access road a sign says the road is closed at Cedar Breaks. Thoughts of alpine meadows and…
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A last trip to Prophesy Wall
This is my favorite of the areas we’ve visited while in Saint George, and it’s shady in the morning, so we offer to take Justin here before his shift at work. High clouds make the morning feel especially cool. This is a much higher wall than Green Valley Gap and Chuckawalla offer, and at first…
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Human Power to Three Ponds
Being active seems to make my cold recede into the background, so I go with Ann for another outing today. We ride the bikes ten miles into Snow Canyon State Park, lock them at the Three Ponds trailhead, and start up the trail. Ann at the Snow Canyon Entrance It’s less than two miles to…
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Chuckawalla Wall Cures Runny Nose
I have a cold and my nose is running like a faucet, but our friend Justin wants to climb again, and somehow a few routes at Chuckawalla still sound good. Justin leads his first climb after a practice run on toprope and we move our rope left to toprope the next three. Ann and I…
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Utah Hills
The forecasts have been calling for colder weather, but the morning is so clear and warm we don’t believe it. Canceling plans to return to the sunny Zen Wall, we drive instead to the north facing Soul Asylum. This is a remote limestone crag, higher than town, and cool and breezy when we arrive. There…
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Green Valley Gap with Justin
Justin, who we meet at the natural grocer here in Saint George, expressed interest in learning to climb. It’s hot this afternoon, so we take him to the Green Valley gap where we hope to find a little shade. This works pretty well, and we enjoy the short, featured sandstone routes into the evening. Justin…
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Scout Cave Trail Run
It’s another long run for me today. Ann drops me off at the Chuckawalla trailhead where I start running barefoot. My feet feel like they’re hungry for trail, and I quickly get into a flow that feels like I could maintain forever. But of course I can’t. After three or four miles I descend into…
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Hellhole Headstands and Utah Vegans
I read about a monthly vegan potluck in the area and decide to go. In the morning we hit the farmer’s market where I buy a load of local collard greens and onions. I take those home and prep them. We’d like to sneak a hike in before the event, so we find the well-disguised…