Trek America

Since my last post I’ve seen and done some fairly incredible things both on the trek and after it. As I said beforehand I’m not going to go into the level of detail I did before because I’m not sure I could squeeze it all in to the available time. Still, hopefully this will give a taste of the experience if nothing else.

After a very brief bit of sight-seeing in Hollywood, where we failed to see the sign because of fog, we headed up the coast for a home-made lunch of wraps, sandwiches etc. By the end of the trip, various members of the group had sold limbs to avoid another lunch out of the coolers.

There we saw an interesting van belonging to a hippie man.

If you can’t tell, it’s covered in thousands of figurines, emblems and other paraphernalia. After some time in the town and some Ultimate Frisbee action on the beach we were soon setting up camp for the first time. As my job was van loader/unloader I didn’t have to cook or wash up and spent a little while feeling like a bit of a spare part until the food was ready.

Then there were sea-lions, and a waterfall, and Robert Pattinson* showed up.

*Daniel from Luxembourg.

Then there was a big, impressive bridge which was basically impossible to see because of the weather. Of course, the next day when we were elsewhere in San Francisco, the weather was wonderful and the bridge visible.

Then there was a boat tour around part of the bay. Which was the first real bonding experience for the group and was excellent fun.

There are some with everyone in, but not on my camera. After that we went for a meal and some drinks.

The next day was a free day in San Francisco culminating in a Giants game. As such a large group of us set off together, there were inevitable delays and I think I in particular began to feel frustrated; the contrast between this and travelling alone was jarring. However, before long we had divided ourselves into more manageable groups and managed to see some sights, such as Chinatown, and Lombard Street, the crookedest in the world.

After some cable car riding it was time for the game. The Giants lost to the Diamondbacks and I learned a lot about baseball. I still don’t enjoy it on the TV, but watching it live was a lot of fun. I also had the chance to test the limitations of my 70-300mm lens, and there were many.

From the city, we made for Yosemite. In spite of bear warnings, one member of the group decided it would be a good idea to decorate the insides of her bag and tent with coke.

There were big trees.

There were big trucks.

And there was beauty I cannot convey here.

Between Yosemite and Utah we crossed through Nevada and made a brief stop at the Little Ale’Inn in Rachel, where some of Paul was filmed. Of course, being near Area 51 protective clothing was an absolute necessity. Some American tourists even insisted on taking our group photo.

With that, we’d arrived at our first Utah campground. Basically deserted and in the middle of a State Park, we didn’t even bother pitching our tents. After making smores on an open fire, we retired to fall asleep to the sight of many a shooting star. There will be photos of the sunset/sunrise but as I was trying multiple exposures they will have to wait.

Up for sunrise, a few of us investigated a nearby slot canyon as the rocks began to glow with the sun’s light, and on the way back to the camp we encountered this little fellow. I’m sure someone will be able to tell me whether it’s a rattler or not.

When we arrived in Zion we retrieved our water-proofed day packs and made for the Narrows, a hike which involves walking through a river at many points. And I mean walking, not wading. It easily came up to my chest at one point.

As some of us had spent longer there than planned, we rejoiced when we returned to the campsite to find the table laid and dinner coming off the stove. Fajitas never tasted so good.

The next morning some of us rose very early in time to catch a shuttle into the park to conquer Angel’s Landing, a hike so named because it was once proclaimed that only an angel could reach the summit. Of course, somebody had to prove them wrong and found a route. Since 2004 there has been on death a year on this hike.

Basically, if you fall, you fall roughly 1400 feet down a sheer drop and you’re fucked. Thankfully, the closest we came was Daniel dropping his lens cap over the edge.

This is me at the top.

And whilst it’s not very effective, this may give you some idea of the scale.

The small white oblong on the left is a two-carriage bus.

Following an entertaining sing-song on the way down, we made for Bryce Canyon, which is probably the best thing on Earth. The well known shots from Sunset Point belie the intricacies which lie between the hoodoos if you venture in.

I cannot do it justice.

After Bryce, we noticed an advert for a Rodeo, and made an impromptu stop to watch.

I’m not sure little children are supposed to ride sheep, although to be fair most of them didn’t do a very good job.

The next day we arrived in Moab and went to the Delicate Arch to watch the sunset. Of course, in true tourist form the group departed almost before the sun did, and I ran the trail back to the car in around 16 minutes to ensure I didn’t keep them waiting for dinner, overtaking most of them on the way.

I tried pushing it over but apparently delicate is a misnomer.

The next day those of us who wanted to went rappelling.

There are photos of me on other people’s cameras. I’m sure they’ll make it to Facebook if they haven’t already.

Then those of us who wanted to went on a Hummer tour, which was very hard to take photos on because of the bumps.

After all the excitement, I spent the next day doing laundry, chilling out, and the whole group then went to relax with a sunset at Dead Horse Point, where Thelma and Louise’s demise was filmed, amongst many other Hollywood moments. Note: Sun not yet set in photo below.

We had soon reached Monument Valley.

I gotz dem mad skillz.

We had a Navajo guided tour of some of the valley, including some of the backcountry which is prohibited to members of the public. We ate Navajo food and once again slept under the stars, with the threat of a thunderstorm not enough of a deterrent.

One of the recurring themes for me on this trip was the timing. There were so many places where I could quite easily have killed for just half an hour longer in a particular place, and nowhere could that have been more true than here. As we rounded a corner, the sky above the central hub in the valley burned bright orange with the clouds hovering above. We did not stop, and by the time we made it to the camp it was too late.

There was some consolation in our watching the sunrise the following morning.

The next stop was cowboy camp. Being at the back afforded not only some of the best photo opportunities, but also the chance to slow down and catch up rather than take the trail at a single monotonous pace.

Lots of cool stuff happened there, including a lot of alcohol consumption and one of the finest steaks I’ve ever eaten, but let’s face it, nothing beats the fact that I ‘swung on’ and then stood on a fucking horse.

After that came the Grand Canyon. Yes, it was spectacular, but I’d like to remind you of my analogy regarding pop stars and their dresses. Except the Grand Canyon is not Lady Gaga, but Janet Jackson at the Superbowl. Compared with everything else on offer, frankly embarrassing.

Although the conditions were in our favour I must remember that when I’m told a hike is difficult I shouldn’t listen. Although you’re advised against it, maybe next time I should attempt a trip to the river and back. The unofficial record, so a ranger informs me, for South to North rim and back again on the Kaibab Trail is 6 hours and 59 minutes. I think that might be a little too much of a challenge.

I’d also like to express the point of view that the marathon runner who thought a 28 mile hike was only 14 miles, only took a litre of water, an apple and two energy bars (which is nowhere near enough even for the shorter distance) and then died was perhaps one of the dumbest people on the planet. Remarkable, considering she was at medical school.

Post-Canyon, it was party time. Our hotel was an absolute bargain, with two TVs in our room, three pools, a hot tub and so on, and all for $20/night.

Photos are few and far between, unfortunately.

I had a budget and I was well within it. Although at one point the Blackjack table had me reeling following a fairly successful start, Roulette was my friend for a while, and I finished even for the day having lost only a little the day before. It could certainly have been a lot worse!

We left Vegas for San Diego knowing the trip would soon be at an end and I was interested to see what it would be like to return somewhere I had already been. The experience was somewhat different as we were camping out near a beach as opposed to staying in the centre.

I took those who were interested to Hodad’s for lunch and we then moved on to the campsite and settled in before dinner. The next day we did a little sightseeing including Balboa Park before heading to the beach for our final afternoon. In the evening we had a final meal out together and the next day set out for LA.

With a quick stop at Newport Beach on the way, we were soon back at the hotel. Those of us who didn’t fly home straight away went to the pool and then for another meal but I for one was so tired I headed to the hotel to arrange some more transport shortly after I’d finished eating, and that was roughly that.

If the brevity of my writing is making this post feel rushed then I’ve done my job because that’s how I felt for most of the trek. Still, it’s a lot to cram into three weeks so of course some sacrifices had to be made.