After three days and two nights backpacking Boulder Mountain, I made my way over to Capitol Reef National Park. Its the one National Park in Utah I had not been to. The funny thing is that I come to Torrey for Boulder Mountain all the time. Not quite sure why I have never been in here. Not that I frequent National Parks that often, but this was a special treat to cap off an incredible holiday weekend. I made the drive into the park, stopping at the Goosenecks. I then popped in the visitors center to get the scoop on where I could disperse camp. I made my way out to Cedar Mesa Campground, which my new Renegade handled like a champ, only to find it not having the view I was looking for. So I reversed course and started hunting the ATV trails for a good spot in the BLM side to set up shop. I found a good area and set up my tent. I had passed the Hickman Bridge trail on the way out to camp, so I figured I had some hours to kill before sunset, so why not go for a hike?
The trail was very easy to follow and had some aspects which reminded me of Escalante. Some sandy sections, but overall not a bad hike. The views were spectacular. The Hickman Bridge is huge, and very much like the arches in Arches National Park. I made the loop out of the arch and decided to head for the rim for some views. That paid off as the sun was setting and the colors got amazing! It was getting late and I had a hop to get back to camp before dark. I arrived right at sunset and pulled up my camp chair and had a cold one. Night came and since there was a fire restriction, I just pulled out the Luci's, and played with my camera with some Pink Floyd as the soundtrack. It was really warm, so never even put on socks, nor a jacket of any kind. Eventually I turned in for some really good sleep.
Dawn broke and I got up and made coffee. I decided to pack it up and head out for some photos and to see a couple of more things in the park before making the drive home. It was a great first experience visiting this place. The Jeep was so awesome off road! I had a great time and its been a bit since I have had a full adventure. Enjoy the pics, more adventures to come!
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