Backpacking Capitol Reef Country is as good as wilderness camping gets. Unmatched solitude. Otherworldly colors. Jaw dropping vistas, and challenging, off-trail routes through a world made of stone, sand, and blue sky. Spring Break outing to Utah for a week of backpacking through the sandstone spine of Capitol Reef National Park with Redrock Adventure Guide and WSUV.
First camp spot at Lake Walcott. Temperatures dropped to 17 degrees. Everyone woke up with frost on their sleeping bags and started asking theirselves "what did I get myself into". Eager to get warm and back on the road the group packed up quickly the next morning and headed out..
After experiencing cold temperatures the first night at Lake Walcott we decided to go to REI to quickly pick up more gear to stay warm.
When we arrived at the visitors center our guide showed us a quick visual of the area were we were going to be traveling. It didn't look reasonable seeing the terrain the guide mapped out for us from a distant. The group was really excited though and was ready for some backpacking.
The next morning we headed out for 5 days in the back country of Utah. This was the last chance to drop anything off to lighten our backpack load. (I quickly started to panic knowing my pack was too heavy).
When we got to camp our first task was to refill everyones water - And to use it for cooking dinner. I was very impressed with the new water filter the school purchased. Very portable and easy to use.
Our group was very excited to find sand next to the water hole. We figured it would give us some cushion but didn't realize how windy it was about to get later that night. During the day we hung-out on the rocks to the right. We talked and played out on the slick rock like couches.
Ice made it impossible to cross on the other side of a water pocket. We were prepared for the worst but our guide decided to track back out of the canyon towards the top to loop around. This would put us a day ahead. We decided to day hike without our backpacks and see what we would have missed.
Inside Capitol Reef
Throughout this trip I've learned to grow as a person. I use to be very outgoing and have somehow stopped doing the things that I enjoyed the most over the years. I started coming to these trips unsure of what to expect and have since gained a new outlook on life. Plus I got to meet some pretty cool people along the way. Go VanCougs!