La Sal Traverse: The North Peaks

October 11, 2015

Day 5

The sun rose over the mountains and gradually lit the whole Moab valley. When the light finally shone on us during that cold morning - that was the best gift possible at that moment! We met a hiker passing by our camp who would be rappelling down the Pleiades, which Connie had told me about. Now we knew what creek it was in and that we were camped nearby. This route has 7 drops total. We walked down the creek to check it out and see how technical it was. Once we stood above just the first plunge pool, we knew we had to stop! Returning to Squaw Springs Trail, soon we reached the trailhead and ascended another trail up Boren Mesa. More great views from up there! 

Coming down the other side, we met sisters Spencer and Alex (of northern Utah) and Swedish exchange student, Aiden. The teens were sitting along the trail, taking time away from their parents who were waiting for them back at Oowah Lake. They asked how far it was to the top of the mesa, though they cared more about alone time than getting to the top. Alex in particular was very talkative and open with us. Somewhere in our conversation Freebird asked if their parents were hippies. Alex responded, "My mom may be a hippie beneath her therapist exterior." Once we reached Oowah, a woman asked if we had seen her kids. Freebird confirmed that we had and then asked, "Are you a therapist?" The mom was taken aback and laughed. She knew Alex had talked a lot with us. Apparently she isn't shy at all with strangers. We met the father as well. They were planning on going all the way out to Newspaper Rock but didn't have much time, and so we gave them suggestions of other places to go that were closer. Soon the teens returned. One of them, with a mischievous smile, told me that they had never made it to the top of that mesa. 

As the family drove away, we found a lunch spot at a picnic table overlooking the lake. It was rather chilly in the shade, and the wind picked up just as we finished eating. I was grateful to continue hiking and warm up again! Back at the top of the next flat, we approached a bull inside a fence whose sole focus was on a bull outside the fence that was grazing in his territory. He was irate! We named him Sassy after the bull we met in the La Sals in June; for all we knew this could be him. Then we arrived at Warner Lake. 

Past the campgrounds we filled up on water from a stream and then road-walked to the Hazard County trail, part of the Whole Enchilada - a mountain bike trail that starts in the mountains and descends along Porcupine Rim to the Colorado River. We decided that it was time to drop down from the mountains and return to Moab - food was running low. Hazard County Trail led us to the top of Bald Mesa with 360' views of Castle Valley, Moab, and the La Sals. The trail led us down, down, as we moved aside for the bikes that whipped by, and at some point I couldn't go on. We decided to camp on the mesa that night and see how I would feel in the morning. Freebird took care of me - cooked, did dishes, got camp set up. It was a bit warmer in lower elevations and so I cowboy camped for the first and only time during our La Sal hike.

Some pictures that were taken that day...

Following the Pleiades route.

Cows are allowed to graze on national forest lands - very controversial as they ravage and destroy the area.

Spring flowers in bloom!

Gazing back at the middle La Sals.

The northern mountains as seen from atop Boren Mesa.

Haystack Mountain and Oowah Lake.

Mellenthin also visible from Oowah.

Our lunch view.

Haystack as we're road-walking away from Oowah.

The middle La Sals. Oowah is tucked in somewhere down below.

Sassy challenging another bull.

Warner Lake with reflections of Haystack and Mellenthin.

On the way to Hazard County trailhead.

Moab rim in distance.

Castle Valley.

From atop Bald Mesa we settled down for the night and watched the sunset. We had thought about possibly scrambling down into a canyon and hiking out to town, but it was still a long way to go with such limited food supply. Based on how I was feeling in the morning, we would decide what to do next.