Colorado River: Road to Moab

October 26, 2015

Day 8

Packing up in the morning.

At 4 AM it was pouring yet again! My sleeping bag and all 3 layers of shirts were soaked. But I was so tired that I slept off and on all morning until Freebird cooked breakfast. That day we hiked up Cyclone Canyon to the Confluence Trail to Big Springs Trail.

Cyclone Canyon, with the Needles in the distance.

Big Springs Trail.

The Needles.

While on the last trail, all of a sudden we were meeting more people than we had seen in a day for the past week. This is a sure sign that a road is nearby. 

Hitching near Big Springs trailhead.

At the trailhead a Canadian elderly couple, Jim and Melody, picked us up and drove us to Needles Outpost, just outside of the park. We were hungry and lacking food, and this was the closest place to eat and the furthest that they could take us. Many had told us that this convenience store was expensive, but we decided to try it out.

Once we were there we discovered that, contrary to the stories told, much of the prices were fairly reasonable. It turns out that as of Labor Day, there were new owners, Marty and Debra, who changed the way the business was run. Besides selling gas, food, and other items, they are also a resupply location for Hayduke hikers. In the past the store wasn't very welcoming to these hikers and so they were advised to steer clear. Freebird told Marty and Debra he would put in a good word with Li Brannfors, one of the mapmakers for the Hayduke, for future hikers. The store owners were very amicable and chatting with us at the outside seating all afternoon.

Julie, aka "Globe Trotter" or "GT," stopped in to shower and pick up a package which hadn't arrived on time. Debra located the package for her and arranged to get it sent as soon as possible. GT was 2 days into the hike, going solo, and as far as we know, the first hiker for the fall. Spring is the more popular time to walk this route. We had never met before, but it turns out that GT was on the PCT the same year that we were (2014) and knows a lot of the same people. It was fun to reminisce about those times.

GT has also hiked the Lost Coast and the Israel National Trail. There were many other trails that she is interested in, and she got tips from Freebird about them. She had nearly resolved to explore the Needles while she was stranded that day, but she chose to stay and chat until the sun was about to set. She walked with us to the road where we were about to try to catch a ride. At 6, as the sun was going down, we started to hitch and GT went off to attend a ranger talk.

Glowing rocks as our hitch drives us out of the park.

Soon Amy and Justin of Carbondale, CO stopped for us. They were in the park much later today because they got "lost" and hiked 6 extra miles. Looking at our packs with the oars sticking out, they knew that we had a story and wanted to hear all about it. Justin was into Ray Jardine and hiking gear and so he enjoyed hearing of how Freebird keeps his pack so light. Amy is an ornithologist who passionately told us stories of her research and travels around the world.

Justin and Amy brought us right to Pete's door. He and Dinga greeted us outside, trying to give them pizza. They refused, so we gladly accepted! Kelly and Aaron, who were rooming with Pete since just before we had left for the river, were happy to see us back. They expressed the concern they felt for us when all the storms had been passing through. Dan came by later to visit. It was wonderful seeing the whole gang again! Since we were still hungry, Pete cooked hash browns and eggs for us, and then we took much-needed showers and went to bed.