Welcome to the Desert

Harris Wash is by far the best backpacking I've ever done. We got there after a three day rain which made the trip so much more enjoyable. The vegetation was as green as could be and the contrast with the desert was absolutely beautiful. From all the water there was a lot of quicksand too. Most of the time you'd just be walking and the ground would wobble beneath you so if you ran fast enough you could get away from it but a couple times we'd be on solid ground and take a step into mud like stepping off a cliff and splash into it and not be able to get out without help. Amazing stuff.
When we got to the Escalante River we decided to hole up and made a base camp between a cliff wall some trees in the sand. We had the wash and the river and all kinds of hiking and caves to hang out in. It was so relaxing just to be there and do whatever; day hikes, rapelling, rock climbing, napping, reading, man it was great, not another soul to be seen or heard. There was a lot to be discovered there: petroglyphs and grinding stones, lots of hiking and climbing. Justin caught a baby rattle snake and kept it in his t-shirt. But that's Justin.
Because of all the rain before we got there, there were pools of water beside the cliff walls we played in; diving and jumping with a tennis ball against the cliffside, rough-housing, just being boys. It was mating season for the toads, so all along the way the wash were hundreds of toads anxious to jump on anything that moved. We were amused by throwing stones into the shallow water and watching toads jump on them. Talk about horney toads. Cool spiders and moths. Saw some Great Horned Owls perched in a tree one morning. I woke up with spider webs from my hair to the rocks one morning, the spider must have gone back and forth all night making his web. J.D. was amused by it until it was his backpack the spiders liked, bright red.
PS - Thanks for the underpants shot, Brent.

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Desert

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