[at-l] Utah Thanksgiving photos posted

[pmags@yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

--- Pat Villeneuve <patv@ukans.edu> wrote:
> I laughed at your
> comment about sand as condiment. It really does get
> everywhere.

Ain't that the truth! I dried out my tent in my
laundry room, and amidst the Tide and Bounce sheets,
it now looks a bit like  the Sahara desert! 

(BTW..mashed potatoes with a liberal sprinkling of red
sand is a mighty tasty treat. Good thing, red sand is
mandatory with every meal. :O )


> sleeping bag... ;-> (Another guy with the group had
> a mantra: I am one with the sand, I am one with the
> sand...)
>

Yep. Makes for some 'fun' hiking on the soft sand,
too.  

Having said that, I think the "Hayduke Trail", an
unofficial route through Utah and Arizona that winds
itself through  approx. 725 miles of canyon country is
something that is now on my life "TO DO" list. (At the
rate it is growing, I am going to have to find a way
to take at least 3 mos off every year without having
to worry about finding a job when I come back! :D)  
On those four days, I fell in love with canyon
country. It is stark and beautiful, and unlike hiking
anywhere else I have been.   I think 3 mos or so
exploring a route that goes through Arches, Escalante,
Canyonlands, etc. would be wonderful. That part of the
country is still WILDERNESS, or at least as close as
you can get in the lower 48.

For more info on the Hayduke Trail go to:
http://www.backpacker.com/destinations/article/0,3772,2051,00.html

Mags

**BTW, as a side note. The Hayduke Trail is named
after the protagonist in the Edward Abbey novel _The
Monkeywrench Gang_.  An un-offical route, rather than
an officially sanctioned government trail, somehow
seems more fitting to honor the memory of Ed Abbey.






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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

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