Spring Break 2016: Desert Stuff

Spring Break 2016

We wanted to packraft - but the Dirty Devil flow kept dropping. The word is that anything less than 150 cfs lends to boat dragging.

So @ 10 PM on a Thursday night we called an audible and decided to hike a little known trail from Burr Point down to the Dirty Devil river to explore some side canyons. Dani (above) @ Burr Point overlooking the river. 

45 MPGs. Enough said.

We stopped in Hanksville to pick up some topo maps - and traced the route that we remembered from the WWW. Our memories were poor - because we spent the day wandering around the slick rock playground trying to find a way down to the river. 

So we set up a camp w/ a good view.

and tried to stake out our new "no poles required" tent in one inch of sand.

Somehow the wind always blows when you camp in the desert - but we made it through the night for an incredible sunrise and blizzard.

Snow dumped for about 30 minutes and then the sun came back out.

Me (below) above the great alcove. Very close to the trail in the x-y plane, but very far in the z.

The real trail traverses under the large cliff band. Now we know the exit track for our future river trip.

After getting shut down by the Burr Point trail - we took off down the BLM roads to explore a potential side canyon of the Dirty Devil called "Beaver Wash".

"Beaver Wash" was a complete bust - it was the poopiest parcel of earth that exists do to extensive cattle ranching. It also is completely full of tumbleweeds because it was a very dry wash. We decided that even if we hiked far enough to find water that we probably didn't want to drink it.

So we bailed up into the desert country to make a beeline back to the car. On our way back we found this dead cow carcass, which symbolizes our time in "Beaver Wash".

At this point we had no plans at all - but the afternoon was still young. We started driving and decided to hang a left to head towards our favorite National Park, Capitol Reef.

10 miles down the Notom Rd - we found "Sheets Gulch" and decided to give it a shot.

We love "Sheets Gulch" and Capitol Reef!

Dani teaches middle school science and loves igneous intrusions into sedimentary rock.

We loved this rock formation too - but how this happens is not covered in the 7th grade curriculum.

Sheets started as a dry stream bed in open desert. After 5-6 miles you're enclosed in soaring Navajo sandstone.

Sometimes things don't go according to plan and it's better that way.

White Rim

Hello Friends and Family - we just finished our much anticipated bike trip on the White Rim trail last weekend. Check out the video link below that Tyler made!

The White Rim Road is a 71.2-mile-long unpaved four-wheel drive road that traverses the top of the White Rim Sandstone formation below the Island in the Sky mesa of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah in the United States

We started @ Schafer Crossing and rode clockwise with 7 people/bikes and 1 bottomed out support vehicle carrying all of our camping gear and water.

Everyone had a blast - especially Dani!

The general consensus was that this needs to be a trip every spring.

Katie

Team (-) Dani overlooking the Colorado River.

We camped 2 nights @ Gooseberry and Potato Bottom. After the first day of riding we were all wiped out after not spending much of the winter on bikes. Three days of riding total with two major climbs (40 mi, 40 mi, and 15 mi)

Tyler

Brian

Above is the reason that it's called the White Rim trail.

Tyler & Nick after the Murphy Hogsback climb.

The entire team on the last day.

Lone Peak & Wolverine Cirque - Scarpa F1 Mods

The last two week's of ski endeavors from the group. Family/Friends- please skip the first handful of pictures they are all related to technical boot modifications.

(Brian - Add awesome Ski Pic here)

The hard boot transition is not 1-year in - and there is really no reason to go back.

Here is a brief overview of every modification made to the Scarpa F1 to facilitate the splitboard.

Above - Sticky Tongue Pad on the inside of the tongue - this helps keep pressure on the top of my forefoot and lock my heel down. There always seemed to be a gap/lack of pressure in this location with only 2 buckles.

Above - the power strap has two layers of flexible/stretch strap. My desire to have a progressive forward flex led me to cut one of the layers off. The power strap now allows more flex and softer flex when make toe side turns.

Above - note the two guides/grommets for the wire on the sides of the boot. These are mounted upside down allowing more slack in the wire when the boot is locked into ski mode. Unlike the TLT 5/6 mods - the progressive forward flex comes from tongue flex allowed by the shell flexing open.

Above - perhaps the most aggressive modification - about 1/3 of the thickness on both the lateral and medial side of the shell has been removed with an orbital sander and 40 grit sand paper. It's hard to see in the pic - but the ribs are sanded down - and a good bit of the smooth material is also gone. The best way to do this is to remove the grommet and the power strap and then sand away at the region pictured above the hinge until you think the shell flex will meet your needs. This was a gamble - but it really works. I've even had some luck pressing and buttering with the added lateral flex.

Brian on the Lone Peak ridge - we hiked up from Alpine requiring a Saturday alpine start due to the sunshine and warm temps.

Descending with Box Elder in the backdrop - this run maybe called "Highway or Stairway to Heaven" - its a cool u-shaped valley that shows its glacial origins well.

But on the ridge a quick cloud bank blew through and kept the snow firm - requiring us to camp out behind this rock for a bit to wait it out.