I have spent only 5 of the last 25 nights in a bed (4 different beds, to be precise). At this point I feel a touch claustrophobic in bathrooms and feeling clean is certainly a novelty. My Wilderness Medicine elective is over and I have had an exceptional visit in Moab (more on that in another post). Tomorrow I head to the mountains of Colorado for one last stint in the wilderness before heading back to New Jersey where I will start a radiology elective on June 3rd. From a month in the wilderness to an elective spent in dark, windowless rooms- the change in environment couldn’t get much more extreme (which is saying a lot, coming from someone who has gone from alpine camping to desert camping in the course of 3 weeks).
This is the final installment of “Pic of the Day”, at least for the Wilderness Medicine Elective. I may not be able to resist a “Pic of the Day, Moab edition”… we shall see.
For the desert portion of the course we headed to Canyonlands National Park, specifically The Needles District of the park. We spent 4 nights in 3 different sites, hiking up to 12 miles a day with heavy packs. I found this portion of the course the most physically demanding, but at the end of the day it was unquestionably my favorite section.
I’ll write details in future posts, but for now: Pic of the day- desert edition.
Day 1- Canyonlands
The geology of Canyonlands (actually, the geology of much of Utah) is stunning and fascinating. This is in the Needles District, near Lost Canyon, where we spent our first night in the park.
Day 2- Perspective
Looking back at Lost Canyon as we hike out to Elephant Canyon, our next campsite. From many vantage points in the park you could see the snow capped La Sal Mountains in the distance.
Day 3- Druid Arch.
Before we hiked our big packs out to Chesler Park, we took an early morning hike out to Druid Arch.
Day 4- The Joint Trail
One of the coolest trails I have every hiked, The Joint Trail winds through a narrow slot canyon.
Day 5- Sunrise and out.
We left camp at 4am for the 3+ hour hike out. I led the group of 19 by head lamp for 2 hours before stopping on a bluff to watch the sun rise around 6am. Pre-dawn hikes are something I will be adding to my repertoire.
I did not expect to fall in love on this trip, but I have certainly fallen in love with the desert. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I hope it is soon…
Chesler Park.
