South Mountain, Phoenix

Day 4: Apache Junction- Phoenix Arizona- The end of the journey

The morning of January 7th: Heather and Christi-Lynn "rise and shine" at 5:30 am with surprising vitality after yet another lovely night in the suburban. Why are they awake at this dark and windy hour? Why, to climb in the dark! The goal would be sunrise on the summmit, but as you will soon realize, the morning had much more in store for these intrepid hikers than even they could have anticipated. They made their breakfast in the shelter of the campground bathroom and then gathered their wits and their headlamps and headed off into the drizzly and black night.

The beginning of the trail lead through gently sloping desert terrain with a wide, well-groomed trail. After about one mile of this gentle terrain, they reached a sign that reminded them they were about to enter wilderness territory. They had an initial goal of reaching the basin, about 2 miles and 1000 feet of elevation, with hopes of reaching the actual summit, another 1 mile and additional 800 feet of elevation. As they continued to climb, the well-groomed trail gave way to- shall we say- no trail? It seems that the well mannered rangers of arizona are loathe to violate their wilderness with too many blazes. Indeed, Heather and Christi-Lynn were often at a loss to see, as the dark lifted- where exactly they were supposed to go. They found themselves staring curiously at patches of white on rocks- is it lichen? is it paint? what might it mean, if it is a blaze?

Somehow they continued to follow the canyon up, eventually reaching the basin, an area where one could imagine large volumes of water flowing out towards phoenix in a heavy rainstorm. Never ones to enter lightly into adventure, they re-checked their map and noted that "average" hikers were cautioned to not hike beyond the basin. This left Heather and Christi-Lynn with a difficult question- are they average hikers? or are they- Above Average?

Needless to say, they continued on. As they did, day light was upon them but it became very clear that there would be no sunrise on january 7th. The clouds and fog grew thicker around them as they struggled over the large boulders, the rain grew heavier, and the wind grew stronger. At times they seemed to be climbing straight up, using their somewhat rusty rock-climbing skills (and firmly ignoring the question: How Will We Ever Get Back Down?)

They climbed up and up, the rain fell harder and harder, and the wind blew, sometimes pelting their faces painfully. At 8:30am (which they had set as their turn-around time) they crested over a last, painful, vertical cliff--- to see further climbing ahead of them. Even worse, they were not even sure how much further the summit might be. Admiting to each other that there would be no hope of any view, that the rain would only get worse, that the arizona rangers most likely had not marred their landscape with something as tawdry as a sign announcing the summit, and that they had a long, hard descent ahead of them, they posed for the obligatory photo and turned back.

They made it safely, and slowly, down the worse of the vertical drops, and then began to descend into the first canyon. As they neared the bottom, they noticed several attractive waterfalls- that had not been there before. The slight trickles of water that they had encountered on their way up the mountain were now majestic streams, pouring through the canyon. Both Heather and Christi-Lynn realized- the basin could be horrible! by this point both of them were soaked to the bone, and their boots were soaked. As they entered the basin , the waterflow was luckily not as bad as they had feared, and they were able to creep their way down bracing themselves in cracks, ankle-deep in the water.

At 10:30, they finally found themselves back in the campground, shaking and shivering. Hot showers, dry clothes, and hot chocolate solved the chills and Heather and Christi-Lynn said goodbye to the Lost Dutchman state park as the sky became blue and the clouds lifted. Heather dropped CL off in downtown phoenix to seek her fortune at a youth hostel, and Heather took off with fellow med-student Jane in tow for the blizzards of northern Arizona and Tuba City.

Day 3 "We search for sunshine..." Blanding, Utah to Phoenix Arizona

Another cozy night in the bedroom on wheels ended with the startling realization that the rain and sleet of the previous night had turned into...two inches of snow. More of which was falling, might we add. Faithful readers, you might ask why this meagre display of winter would disturb two such women as these, used to hard winters of shoveling cars out of snowbanks and sub-freezing temperatures. In the words of CL "I DID NOT pay to come to the SOUTHWEST for SNOW." There you have it. It took approximately five seconds to decide to drive on to flagstaff, where Heather and CL were hoping for sunnier skies and hiking delights. After a delicious breakfast cooked in the warmth and comfort of the gas station bathroom (unanimous decision that using a propane stove in the suburban would be a BAD idea), they filled up with high quality diesel and drove on. They gazed sadly over the fog and ice-filled glen canyon but knew that (in heather's case) she looked forward to eight weeks' worth of weekends to explore the canyon from her new placement in Tuba City.

Not far out of Blanding, route 163 entered Monument valley. The amazing formations jutting out of the plateau against the cloudy blue sky made the drive something of a wonder, and lead christi-lynn to attempt to take pictures leaning out of the window of a the moving vehicle (with seatbelt on, of course). The road lead onward to Tuba City and then onward to Flagstaff. Not far out of Tuba City snow started to fly. Then the fleets of plows came out, spewing salt and gravel every which way. By the time the hearty suburban reached Flagstaff, it was clear that there would be no hiking done that day- Heather and Christi-Lynn made another command decision- south until sunshine. Somewhere south of flagstaff, the mighty suburban began to demonstrate some (ahem) signs of engine discomfort. Quick consultations with all of Heather's relatives familiar with diesel vehicles brought the solution- adding some magical juice to the gas would relieve the discomfort caused to the engine by ascending and descending thousands of feet in a short period of time.

The descent into Phoenix brought with it the hoped-for sun, a lower elevation, and balmy temperatures in the 50's. Lovely! On recommendation from C-L's family members they headed to Apache Junction and the Lost Dutchman State Park, at the base of Superstious mountain. Heather greeted the Saguaro cacti with wonder (this being her first experience in the desert)and they took a sunset walk on one of the parks' shorter trails. A last check-in with CL's mom left them with these parting words: "Don't climb in the dark, christi-lynn. It is dangerous!" What a fun idea! Climbing the dark. CL was thankful that she has a mom with these wonderful ideas, and the two immediately made plans for a pre-dawn summit of Superstitious mountain.

Day 2: Moab, Utah to Blanding, Utah

Who would have guessed sleeping in the back of a suburban could be so restful? After 10 hours of shuteye in the quiet and comfort of their very own bedroom on wheels, Heather and Christi-Lynn opened their eyes to overcast skies and buffeting desert winds whetting their appetite for adventure. First things first, though- where would they find wireless internet to send word home to their beloved family and friends of their trip? Miracle of miracles, the Texaco station itself had wireless- and coffee! What fun! After getting some hot water from our new friends at the Texaco station for oatmeal, we ate breakfast and cruised back down the strip in Moab to find Arches National Park. We entered the park after a great debate about whether to get an annual National Parks pass or just pay daily the entrance fee (the same for a suburban or a Hyundai, interestingly enough). However, the friendly woman ranger reassured us that we had 14 days to change our minds and could apply our entrance fee from today at any park when an annual pass was purchased. We drove along the windy road to the north end of the park, deemed the devil’s garden. Praying for the safety of our souls, we embarked on a loop trail with a goal of seeing 7 arches. Christi-Lynn soon found that her short legs were no match for Heather’s long stride- she gasped and wheezed trying to keep up with her energetic friend.
5 hours, many welling-up-within-one’s-soul moments, multiple pictures, some slippery moments on “surprise ice,” hundreds of peanuts and raisins, 7 arches, and 8 miles later, we emerged from the trailhead, feeling like we had truly earned our dinner. But then the question arose, where to? We swept our boots off with the brush on Mr. Burban’s bumper and set forth down Moab’s strip once again, continuing along on 191 through canyons, spotty cell phone service, and rain/snow on the high points. With a “phone-a-friend,” we checked the weather and received suggestions on camping in our next destination, Blanding, Utah. We heard there was a Kampark with tenting sites (i.e. sleeping in the back of Mr. Burban/our bedroom) and wireless. After driving the strip in Blanding, Heather stated, “I think I saw an office sign on the Shell station.” Yes, it was true- another campsite behind a gas station. After checking in with the gas attendant, Heather and Christy-Lynn pulled up to their campsite in the rain and looked at each other. After much debate over their status as hikers/backpackers, they decided to go to the Old Tymer Restaurant for a hot dinner and hopefully free wireless. Thus, we find our happy and full travelers, eager for another night in their bedroom behind a gas station. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Snow that forces our adventurers south into Arizona or yet another day in Utah before turning to the south?

Day 1- Denver CO to Moab, Utah

It was a bright and windy day in Littleton, CO, when Heather Anderson and Christi-Lynn Brown set out on their quest to seek adventure in the canyons and wilds of Utah and Arizona. Prepared for anything with two-weeks' worth of food (for their three days of travel), an atlas, and the biggest vehicle known to man (not really, but it seemed that way) they left the warm beds and hearty food of Heather's relatives and roared off (of course, the suburban DOES have a mighty diesel engine) towards I70. Threats of avalanches not-withstanding, they feared little (except for Christi-Lynn's fear that Heather would refuse to stop and let her pee until they reached Grand Junction- this proved to be a valid fear, as grand junction found CL rocking and moaning in the passenger seat begging for a bathroom, any bathroom) and expected much out of these few days in the southwest.
After failing to spy the bright beacon of Wal-Mart to acquire some fuel for the stove, a small sign kindled the fire of hope within Christi-Lynn and Heather's hearts. REI. There had to be a bathroom, fuel, and perhaps even maps to facilitate the planning of this adventure in the Southwest (Planning? Who plans?). After the acquisition of fuel, use of the bathrooms, and frustrations with the maps, they set out once again, crossing into Utah, and soon exiting on Rt 128. Heather's heart filled with pride as they saw the sign (paraphrased): Narrow winding road with open range cattle. Moab 46 miles. This was the moment that the suburban was made for with its grill guard, diesel engine, and large brush on the back bumper to prevent mud-slinging. 46 miles, amazing views (at least by daylight, they were sure), and many bright stars later, they entered Moab.
The lights of Moab filled their adventure-loving hearts with thrill--or was it the looming shadows reaching into the sky that signaled-possibly--the mountain hiking they craved? (these shadows were not, as Christi-Lynn had first feared--the resting shapes of brontasauri and t-rex--mind you, it had been awhile since she had visited the southwest) As they cruised the Moab strip in their roaring beast of a vehicle, they reveled in the bright lights of fast food and motels. But the question begged to be asked: where would they sleep on their first night in the desert? Would it be a secluded pull-off, a back-country camping spot beneath the utah mountains?
Their weary eyes were finally drawn by this beacon of hope: "CANYONLANDS CAMPGROUND!" Nestled behind a texaco station, with the lights of the strip playing friendly games with their tired eyes, they found a welcome resting spot.
Curled up for the night in their sleeping bags in the back of the suburban, they were thankful that they had been protected from avalanches, roaming dinosaurs and sleeping in the shadowing back parking lot of the burger king--and they anticipated a great day of hiking in Arches the following day.