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Thursday May 22, 2003: Canyonland Nat.Park - the Needles (UT)
WARNING : this text has been translated automatically from french
Alarm clock with 6h30 (surely noise around), shower (hum, that awakes!), one prepares and small déj' with the motel, one can even fill the tank with ice floes, cool. Fabien telephone next Motel (towards Moab) and I finish the bags, and loads the car. Fabien joined me, for the moment one has only one night with Moab (instead of 3), but it is already that.
The full one (7,5 gal, 14,36 $), with 7h50 one takes the road. It is already very hot. In Monticello, one makes races for peak-screws, without forgetting the sun lotions.
While rolling in direction of Canyonland - the Needles, one stops in front of ancestral petroglyphs, murals (Newspaper Rock).
Arrived at Big Spring Overlook Canyon, the excursion with 11h is begun, one cannot which direction take, our plan is coarse and does not indicate the reliefs to us. One locates stone heaps which seem to show the way. One did not think such a broken course (descent in small canyons, climbing of large blocks of rocks...).
One takes our time, one puts in scene our progression at the caméscope.
The distance starts to seem to us long, one crosses finally a group of people of which one requires the remaining course: still 1h30! It longer than is envisaged, it will be necessary to ration the 12 liters of water which one transports (1 gallon, 2 thermos flaskes of ice and water, 1,5 liter of water and 1,5 liter of lemon-yellow Coke) because it makes very hot. Fortunately that Carole found ice floes this morning to refresh each mouthful and to save the invaluable fluid.
Heat, tiredness, silence... total plenitude. We benefit from our stops to contemplate the extraordinary beauty of this chaotic landscape, amalgamates rock blocks.
To the crossing of a way for 4x4 one finally manages to recognize our position on the plan, it is reassuring! One leaves the stone crash and the canyons to cross a grassy meadow (that made very Indian and cow servant boys) the following which one guesses the ultimate passage towards "Overlook Confluence".
One peak-screws in the shade under a rock and one sets out again with 15h20. The sun drops, it is less hard.
Towards 17h30, one crosses a couple of walker with bags of bed: they certainly will spend the night to beautiful star in these marvellous places.
The car with 18h is found. One east was caught full the sight, Canyonland it is very impressive.
18h20 one takes again the road for Moab where one arrives towards 20h. After some return tickets on the principal road, one finds finally "Lazy Lizard Hôtel". The indications of Routard are complicated, without speaking about the night which does not facilitate the things. I find the owner who assure me that it does not have a room for the 2 following nights. It is "Memorial Day" and the rooms will be difficult to find this W.E. One finds finally 1 night with 89$, it is expensive compared with Lazy Lizard to 26$, but one will remain in Moab at least.
One makes the races for this evening, tomorrow morning and peak-screws it midday.
22h15: Fabien cooks a mega super steak... hum... to tend! (of American matches for gas gave us).
Meanwhile leads jumped, it does not have there more light in the room.
After a shower, towards 23h30 one falls asleep. One is in Lazy Lizard, it is Routard!
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