Surrounded by the Amasa Back, Hurrah Pass, Anticline, and Dead Horse Point and with the Colorado River running alongside, you’ve discovered Base Camp. A one of a kind wilderness lodge.
Rich Curtin's books came in last week and my body needed a hiking break. Since lots of wash had built up and the main house needed cleaning we headed over there and got laundry going at the main house and the large garage then sat out on the porch looking at the pond and got started on the second book.
Maybe two years or so ago I was over at the main house talking to guests and they said for the last few days they had really enjoyed watching the two ducks hang out together in the pond. Then a big hawk came down, clutched one of them out of the water and took off with it while the other one dived under water. When it came up it's companion was gone.
Later that day I was at Base Camp and a disc golfer came in and said there was a dead half eaten duck on the tee to hole #2. I went out and it was the one that use to hang out at the pond so we buried it in the critter verse critter graveyard.
While I set out front reading Jax could hear the lone duck but never saw it. When he'd go down there to look it would coast into the hail bent reeds and disappear or dive under water eating the little catfish that got sucked up into the pond when I pump from the river. In four hours he never saw it.
When laundry was done we hiked back to the lodge passing through Hull's Place and I tried to line up the two disco of sorts balls that Hull left hanging from the trees 15 or 20 years ago to make an eclipse but never got them line up right. Nice relaxing day.
Monday we headed over toward Last Hurrah but took the creek bed away from the river going east just before the Last Hurrah gate.
Coming at it from this direction the landscape looked a lot different than it does in most places out here.
The last few days Jax thinks something is following us. He smells something and he's always looked back from which we came even if the wind is blowing in a different direction from which he should be able to pick up scents. Occasionally we take a break in a high shade spot so we can look back and see if something is tracking us but neither of us has seen anything so far.
Eventually we worked our way around so we were looking up at Thousand Eyes and then found the road in reverse that we were looking for on the hike up to Hurrah and took that back to the Hurrah Pass road and back to the lodge.
Temps had gone from 56 on Saturday to 40 on Sunday. I was just closing the front door to go hiking when four Jeeps pulled up. One of the Jeep rental companies came by to see if we could work together on anything so we spend the next hour or so touring the property and we'll see what happens. Maybe.
The wind had come up and it felt colder than 40 but once the Jeep company had departed Jax and I headed out. It was too late to get a good three or four hour hike in so we just wandered. If Jax would smell something in the distance we'd head that way.
We stopped by to visit the remains of the 1100 or so pound cow that broke it's legs out here a year or two ago and after the cowboys finally shot it, while dead, it moved from one side of the road to the other. I believe somebody posted a picture of it being beamed up into a space ship and that explanation is as good an any I can think of. The critters have done their work. Not much left now.
Looking down into the property we saw a truck with a decent size trailer on the back heading up Hurrah. Then the wind really started ripping. I couldn't take a picture of Jax that both of his ears weren't flying in the air so we headed back to the lodge.
As Jax and I headed down the driveway to go hiking Saturday my plan was to hit a hidden trail that goes off to the left from the road going up Hurrah before it gets to the drop offs and stuff. Nobody knows that trail is there but then a few years ago the cowboys graded it. They found an old map or something saying there was water down there so they dozed it to make access easier for the cows. I'd never seen water there and no water ever showed up. I put rocks across the entrance a few years ago because I noticed it was getting a little bit of traffic from off roaders. It worked. As we were hiking along the road and I missed the turn off. I really didn't want to do the Hurrah Pass hike. My legs are so sore but I was well by the turn off before I realized I missed it and Jax likes the Hurrah hike so we kept going.
As we rested at the top, if you call having to glove fight Jax resting, a couple showed up and got out of their vehicle to look at the view. Nice couple from Fruita. We talked awhile and then it was time for Jax and I to head back.
On the way down we found an area off to the side of the road where somebody had been making rock cairns, lots of them. I don't get it.
Still some ice in the corners where the sun won't hit for another month or so. Pushed the cowboy gate back some. Was a little tight for some vehicles getting through there.
Just before dark Jax and I went over to Last Hurrah to fill up one of the holding tanks that got used up some when the movie people were here. I got the pump going and then stuck laundry in the big garage commercial washer and came back periodically to check on things. About midnight I figured the tank was probably full so headed over there to get my extension cords and last load of wash. If I leave the extension cords out all night something chews on them and I have to Gorilla tape them. I saw Jax sniffing one of the trash cans they had used with more than a passing interest. I figured I might as well open the lid to see what trash it was that Jax was so interested in. I pulled the lid off and there was a ringtail eating some leftover steak. No way he's been in there since Monday. Somehow he got the lid open and then when he got in it closed on him. The steak wasn't that much eaten for him to be there that long. Even though I had a headlamp on which really lit him up he ate for another five seconds or so before he realized I was there and then jumped out with Jax right behind him. Jax never catches anything, but he's a deterrent for squirrels trying to get in guests cars. I took the steak out and left it in a high place that Jax couldn't get it and the ringtail could.
One hike I hadn't done in quite a few months and to include since Jax got back was Land of the Skinny People so we headed out for there today with temps in the mid 50s. Mid 50's and Jax is already looking for shade. In the second picture there's a stone statue of Kobae laying on top of the balanced rock.
About half way thru Skinny People there's a nice elevated balanced rock with a great 360 view so we took a break there. I laid down on my back on the warm rock with the sun hitting me from above, pulled my hat over my face to get some sleep but my hiking buddy didn't think that was in the cards. Jax laid on my stomach, knocked my hat off, and started licking my face. He wouldn't quit so no sleep came.
Looking down at what we had just come through, the 2nd half we still need to finish, and coming out of Skinny People into the area of Thousand Eyes.
Looking up at Hurrah Pass which has a small vehicle and at least three people standing looking at the view.
I'm so sore. I came up with an exercise regimen for each evening when Jax wasn't here and I'm trying to continue it and add in the hiking but I'm feeling every step. Even getting up from our resting spot on the balanced rock in Skinny People I almost fell over twice. Jax seems to be enjoying it because he's certainly rubbing it in. He gets way in front of me, finds the highest spot he can, and then looks down at me with scorn or pity, not sure, maybe both.
There's one spot where we have to drop down from a ridge and it's the only way to get down. It's about a fifteen foot drop. I have to sit down, slide down it slowly, then get one foot on a little bump sticking out, hold onto the ledge and then swing around and land in a little opening for my feet that you can't see from the video and in my current condition it was painful today. Here's how Jax does it. He yawns, he's so bored, looks casually around, and then
