Inhibitions left in the dust
April 2023
Ahh finally! We got to sleep in. Breakfast casserole means full bellies for a day of hiking and adventure. As we start the day in less layers, we head toward Kanab. Along the way we have put in for several stops and hikes before hitting our final destination of Kanab Tour Company.
1st Stop: Red Hollow Trail
Days later and I am still unsure where we were supposed to be going but I know we didn’t get there. Several meandering paths wandering off in the same general direction makes this hike much less desirable to a spoiled Tennessee girl used to clearly marked hiking trails. Deep sand along the path made me grateful for all the calf work I had recently done in the gym. And after wondering down the various paths, yelling Marco Pollo occasionally to verify general direction, we all met towards the base of a red mountain. Deciding this was destination enough we made our way back to the car to empty the sand from our shoes before moving on.
2nd Stop: Belly of the Dragon
Belly of the dragon is an easy to find hiking trail that cuts under the road and leads to a small waterfall. Deciding the waterfall was not enough we decided as a group to “mountain goat” our way up to the top. The views were spectacular and unbeknownst to us this was a great warm up for later in the day.
3rd Stop: The Sand Caves
Back on the road, slightly past the Moqui Museum we turned off for a short dessert hike to the Sand Caves. From the road you can see people walking up high on a shelf to get to the Sand Caves carved into the mountain side. This seemed easy enough but as we approached the start of our climb we realized how high up the caves actually were. Gauging the best approach and noting the people milling up top we decide to proceed.
Because of the steep incline, side stepping our way up was the best trick. The views from the cave openings were worth the cardio workout. Despite the highway below you feel alone in the world up there. Every woman in our group had a glow, a sense of peace that made this the hardest location to leave during our journey. Sketchy skills needed to make it down but with team work everyone safely arrived to the base of the mountain housing the caves to continue our full day of adventures.
4th Stop: Dino Track Trail
No trip is without regret so we were committed to completing everything on our completely booked itenerary. Map down loaded from all trails and we were off on the Dino Track Trail! Hiking up the mountain side….and hiking…and hiking. I should have read the reviews to understand we had to go UP a lot more before we started the “around” part of our hike.
Lucky for us and my sweat drenched skin a nice man yelled out to us that we went the wrong way and we needed to go back. He clearly had read the reviews. After back tracking we scrambled up through a crack in the rock (canyoneering skills coming in clutch right here). We landed on a plateau that then revealed we had a lot more mountain to climb. OWN’s fearless leader, Kate, took the lead to scale ahead to reach the peak and the coveted dino tracks! Coming down with steep inclines and loose gravel and sand had some of sliding instead of climbing down. Safely down at the base and we were off for our reward!
Big Al’s Dinner greated us like a mirage in the dessert.
Big Al’s diner greeted us like a mirage in the dessert. Lucky for us it was real and real good! Burgers, fries, milkshakes and banana splits replenished our tanks. We also found out that our 3rd and final attempt for the Angels Landing lottery was a success!
At this time we broke up into two groups. Two ladies went to explore the local sites. The rest of us made our way to Peek a Boo Canyon for our UTV tour with Kanab Tour Company.
After a quick safety brief we met our guide at the trail head. Helmets on and buckled in, we were off! We quickly arrived at the sand dunes thanks to some not-so light feet.
SEND IT. Inhibitions left in the dust and pedal to the metal. Laughter and squeals of delight rang out from our vehicle as we crested dunes and flew around corners. We stopped at the base of Peek a Boo Canyon and were met with the all the glory God has to offer. Beautiful waves of red twisted up ahead directing our eyes to the brilliant blue sky. Time was spent exploring and appreciating the world around us. Fellow travelers quickly became friends. Before we knew it we came to the end of our tour and it was time to ride again! This time zipping through scrub and desert landscape, creeks and narrow passage ways. Everyone stepped up and showed their true bad ace colors when they got behind the wheel. This part of our journey ended way sooner then we wanted and we parted company with new friends and new love of each other.
In the end after some hiccups, we were reunited at Houston’s Trails End restaurant were we ate until our bellies were full.
Excitement from the day made it hard to fall asleep but before long the cabin was silent as we dreamed our or final adventure.