Desert Connections

By: Jacob Glass

By KAVU

July 5^th, 2022

Shoulder season is often bemoaned by those living in the Rocky Mountain West. Winter’s frozen wonderland is making its way out, but the splendors of Spring have not come into their own just yet. The unholy trinity of gusty winds, frequent rain, and abundant mud postpone our long anticipated return to the Great Outdoors.... even as the days get longer.

As much as I also enjoy the "Decently Great Indoors", I decided to head south in search of where spring had already sprung!

En route to sunnier climes, I made a pit stop in Salt Lake City to catch up with my dear friends the Amonson family! I have known fellow KAVUer Neil for about 5 years now, and it's always a treat to get to hang out with this great human being! I arrived just as he was about to take his son, Walter, and two wolf-like pooches, Heidi and Bertu, for a walk on the trails near his home. I stepped out of the car, booted up, and joined this lovable crew for a quick jaunt.

Maureen, the incomparable Amonson matriarch, got home later that afternoon. As is tradition whenever I’m in town, we feasted, drank wine, and watched a B-list murder thriller that was a little too intense for my delicate constitution! It doesn’t really matter what you are doing with beloved friends, as long as you are doing it together :)

I continued my journey two days later, but not before an absolutely stellar good time with Neil and Walter. Check it out here!

I made it to my destination: Hurricane, Utah! This town near the border with Arizona is a known vacation hub allowing access to the gems of the desert.

Zion National Park is nearby, dinosaur fossils hide in the ochre scenery, and there is no shortage of trails to explore. My mountain bike would serve as my carbon steed to explore the area.

Unfortunately, both of my adventure buddies that were to join me had to cancel last minute due to a positive Covid case and a sudden schedule conflict. Well… this just created an opportunity to make new friends!

Within a few minutes of pulling into the first trailhead, a passerby noted my Montana license plates and struck up a conversation. Tyler drove down from Bozeman and was camping on the mesa for another day. We made plans to ride the next morning together!

We returned to the Gooseberry trailhead and started pedaling early to avoid the midday heat. We rolled our wheels to the South Rim Trail, and then decided to tackle "Secret Trail". Though this route is readily described on Trailforks, finding it was not so obvious.

We took a wrong turn, which serendipitously bumped us into another rider looking for the trail. Nicole... representing California... joined the fun train, and the three of us managed to locate the elusive "Secret Trail" which was a veritable hoot! We sped through the junipers reveling in the slick rock rollercoaster while marveling at the surreal vistas.

Back at the parking lot, the requisite high fives were exchanged! Tyler had to bounce to get to a 21 day raft trip through the Grand Canyon, but Nicole kindly invited me to join her friends for a few days of riding together. The three of them had some serious bike skills, so it was an utter blast trying to keep up as we wound around the otherworldly Guacamole Mesa and found downhill thrills on Zen Trail in St. George.

Next, I got word that some friends from back home were also seeking salvation in the desert. I met up with Emma and Aaron, two of Zootown’s finest, at the trailhead for Wire Mesa. We know each other from the paragliding community, but had not biked together before. We hit the dirt and caught up as we found some of the best views of the trip so far.

Sharing that ride with them was a highlight, but I had no idea just how special it was about to get. It turns out that two of the friends they were camping with were about to get married, and I got a last minute invitation to the wedding ! We pedaled from the trail right to the makeshift pews of camp chairs and watched the happy couple declare their vows as the sunset. It was a beautiful celebration and I feel very lucky to have been able to witness it. They cooked up some grub and lit a fire. We hung out long into the night under the starlit sky.

The 15th cherry on top happened on my last day.

I rode solo at Gooseberry Mesa that morning. As I was driving away, I spotted a familiar vehicle. Longtime friends, Joe and Caitlin had come to the desert from Jackson, Wyoming for the same reason that the rest of us had. The chance encounter was a true delight!

We gabbed for an hour until our stomachs got the best of us as the internal lunch bells rang loudly. But why stop the good times?!?! The three of us got lunch to-go and whiled away the afternoon at Quail Creek State Park. Seeing these two left me with the biggest permagrin!

Moral of the story: there are some really special humans out there in the world! Be courageous and say hello. You never know what fun might come from it! And... it's always a KAVU day somewhere!!