Day 7 – May 26 Fisher Towers and Star Trek

I left the campground where I’d been staying the past four nights this morning and moved closer to Moab. I wanted to do a few hikes north of town these last few days I’m here before I move west. Because it’s Memorial Day weekend, I was a little unsure how easy it’d be to find another campsite, but I figured it would all work out right. And it did.

I headed up 128, north from Moab, because I knew there were a lot of BLM campgrounds along that road. Last year, Jesse, Deb, and I found a really lovely campsite right on the Colorado River with shade trees and no red sand.  Not that I don’t love red sand, but I’d had about enough of it in my stuff for a while. When I broke camp this morning, I dumped the tent over to get rid of all the sand in it.

Speaking of breaking camp this morning, I got a very early start, thanks to my neighbors last night. A new group of campers came in while I was out doing my thing last night (which was sitting on the main drag, eating Gelato, people watching, and using the free wifi), and when I got back it was dark. I quickly made a fire and sat, writing my blog entry for yesterday, and listened to the group of adults and kids talking. They were up till midnight, talking loudly and making no attempt to keep quiet. This is unusual in my experience. Most people respect the quiet rules at campgrounds, keeping the noise and conversation level low from about 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Not my new neighbors. Not only did they keep it going pretty loudly till midnight, but they were up, visiting and laughing before 6 a.m.

Now I’m a pretty tolerant person most the time, but this morning I wanted to yell for them to shut the hell up. I wished I had gotten my ear plugs out of the car the night before, and I went and got them about 6. I did lie there a few more minutes, but finally decided I might as well get up. So I was on the road to Moab and to hunt for a campsite by 7 a.m.

Of course, things work out like they’re supposed to, so my early start enabled a good campsite find. I tried the first few along the Colorado, and they were full. I thought I might as well check where we stayed last year, and what do you know – the campsite next to the one we had had just been vacated. I quickly snatched it up and set up camp before heading out to my hike. So I guess I should thank rather than curse my noisy neighbors this morning.

I hiked Fisher Towers today, at the recommendation of Joe the camp host. It was a wonderful suggestion. The spires and walls of rock were stunning, and the hike takes you right up against them. And there were some climbers there too, summiting the tall, craggy spires. I stood mesmerized, watching them scale the heights and then, on the return trip, watching them rappel down. If I were younger . . .

The hike led over and through some saddles and crevasses – in one place a ladder had been installed to assist with getting from one side of a crevasse to another.  I couldn’t help but think of the time, maybe 15 years ago, that I sat atop a 10 foot ladder and cried, afraid to descend it. Look at me now, would ya?

The day was not all great – when I got back into the car after the hike, I pulled out my camera to look at the pictures. I had lost almost all of them. I’m not sure what happened, and I’m going to visit with Jesse to see if knows if there was something I did wrong, but I’ll certainly check that they’re recording more regularly. I do have a few, but the one of the climber on top of the spire is gone. I have some of him descending, but that first one was a great shot. A bit far away for my little point and shoot, but you could still see him. (Update: The pictures showed up on the computer when I copied them – I still can’t see them on the camera, but I’m so happy they showed up. Perhaps it’s time for a new memory card.)

I’m also a little lonely today. With it being a holiday weekend, everyone is out celebrating with their friends and loved ones, and being alone is harder when you see so many enjoying each other. The first ten days were tough for me last year too, so hopefully I’ll settle into the solitude more comfortably as time goes on.

I alleviated some of the feeling of loss by escaping into story and air conditioning. Since I’ve recently become a Trekkie and am watching the original Star Trek series for the first time, I’ve been excited to see the new ST movie. So I bought myself a ticket, some popcorn and M&Ms, and had a great time watching Kirk and Spock, Bones, and all the rest of the crew recreated. It was just what I needed. Sometimes, a familiar face, even a fictional one, can bring a sense of companionship and connection.

Tomorrow I’m taking an easy day of hiking – just a short, three-miler to Corona Arch – before spending the rest of the day planning my next destination. I have a week to fill before I meet a backpacking partner at Capitol Reef next Sunday, and I’m not sure where exactly I’m headed. I do know it’s time to move on.  I love Moab and this area, but new vistas await, and I’m eager to be off.