Desert Hike: A Photo Essay

I live in a great location.  A biologist friend one described it as "living on the edge" (to the tune of the Aerosmith song, which cracked me up because he was in his late 70s at the time and addressing my class full of 4th graders who'd never heard of Aerosmith).  I'm technically in the geographic region called the Great Basin, a cold desert, but I'm on the edge of two distinct climates.  We get snow and freeze all winter but we're much more mild than in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.  If I drive 40 minutes north/east, I reach a ski resort whose peak reaches above the timberline (11,306 feet).  The resort averages 368 inches of snow every winter.  If I drive 40 minutes south, I drop into the Mojave Desert, a hot desert where temperatures do freeze but it rarely snows.  When I've had enough winter, I drive south.  Yesterday, I loaded up the kids and went where it was warmer.  Temperatures were in the low sixties all day. We wore sweatshirts instead of parkas. We didn't get the sunshine we were hoping for, but the ground was dry. The change was welcome and the hiking was good.

We met up with friends to explore some cool rocks not far from the middle of the city.

Utah's desert is never dull, and the red rocks never get old.

Lots of little hiding places.

Natural arches abound.

I'm always amused in the low desert.  These little plants are dry and dormant, but later in the spring, when they're
renewed, they'll look very much like this still.

It's hard to beat the southern Utah vistas.  In the distance is the gateway to Zion National Park.

Layers of sandstone are endlessly interesting.

I like to imagine the aquatic life that would have been here in the years these layers were being laid down. 

Rolling sandstone hills with low brush provides the perfect hide and seek location.  Can you spot my son?

Scramble to the top and see how far you can see.

Even at this distance, the kids could hear me perfectly.

Going separate ways.  I like this scrubby little tree in the middle.  

These aren't the red rocks Utah is particularly famous for (they're on the other side of the state), but they're still pretty.

A mini-slot canyon.  Note the little tree pushing it's way up from the sandy bottom.

At the bottom of the little canyon.  You can see where  water runs over the rocks, keeping them free of sand.

Wandering.  Alone, but together.

I like the pockmarks and desert varnish here.  The striations caused by water are so interesting.

This location features what I believe to be a pioneer era store house.  There's a natural chimney which has been reinforced with cut rock and a stone doorway.

Erosion is a fascinating force.

Another cool slot to squeeze through.

My daughter looked all day for an interesting bug - we have some good ones in the desert - but all she found was a sleepy bee.  Good enough.