Day 5 - Capitol Reef

It felt great to get sleep in a real bed last night! I needed the energy for the 5 hours of hiking I managed to get in today. Capitol Reef was gorgeous, but I learned today how poorly marked some trails can be. I encountered another fear of heights situation today, but it also happened to be on a "strenuous" trail... quite the combo: steep climbs with narrow passages overlooking deep drops. Clearly, I didn't finish that trail. The views I got were amazing, regardless. The altitude was also a challenge... climbing at 6000 feet is rough on the lungs.

This is the face of fear...right before I turned around on this trail.

Hiding from other hikers, of course.

The next trails were easier, but not as well marked... which led me 45 minutes down the wrong trail before I realized I'd basically climbed a mountain when expecting to be hiking in a canyon. Again, great views, but not exactly what I was after.

Don't forget to stretch... even if you're on the wrong trail.

I could have spent all day playing around in here, once I found it!

I turned around and got my canyon hike in, and I still had enough time to hike out to the natural bridge... another poorly marked trail which led me to shout (and echo under the rock bridge), "where is the f**king trail?" I found it... a stack of rocks, as usual, was marking the trail. The only problem is that literally everything around me at this point was a stack of rocks. Minor setback, but I got back to my car before sunset began and the temperatures started dropping. 

And... another good, way too high view!

Made it just in time to hike out to the natural bridge and back before it got too cold.

Speaking of sunset, my half hour drive through the middle of nothing (I cannot describe Utah in any other way... beautiful nothing) involved a gorgeous sunset over the mountains of rock and nothingness. 

Seriously... crazy terrain out here.

And what trip is complete without staying at a roadside motel in a town that consists of the motel, a steakhouse, a gas station, and a campground... I figured I'd either get a good story out of this or end up in the middle of a horror movie. It's bedtime and I'm not freaked out yet, so I'm going to go with the good story route. I walked back to my motel from dinner across the street to the sounds of live music being played in the shack on the motel property... walking under the stars in a small Western town to the tune of "House of the Rising Sun" wasn't on my bucket list, but it should have been.