165) The One Week Mark

It has now been one week of being back in Korea. Things have not gone to plan, but this is to be expected in Korea. To avoid boring you with the details the basics of the story are these-
I got in last Monday, and was supposed to be able to move into the apartment on Tuesday. Tuesday rolls around and then by Wednesday I figure out there was no apartment. On Thursday I learn they already found one. On Saturday I find out they found one the size of a large box. Saturday is also the day I refused to move into that apartment. Sunday found me searching for a new apartment, and finding a great one, but not being able to sign it that day because the owner was weary of me and the company paying. Monday, the one week mark, brought my first day of work. It also brought the signing of the great apartment. And if things go as planned (…) Wednesday will be the day I move into the apartment. Hopefully some pictures will be posted soon.

164) Back to Korea

On Monday night I will be back in Korea. I am excited to be heading back for many reasons, but at the same time I would rather be starting a new adventure as apposed to heading back to some place familiar. My goal was to have my student loans paid off by the time I am finished in Korea, and with one more year that should be accomplished. So I expect this will be my last year in Korea.

163) Last Days in Utah

I am home now, but this is a re-cap of the last days in Utah. While we were staying at our friend Ryan’s house we made some plans for a day hike in the area. We ended up going to Uinta NF. It was about 15 minutes away from Ryan’s house.




It was a really big change in scenery from the deserts we spent the last couple days in. About half the trail was a closed road that was now in use for snow mobiles (annoying), and the other half was a regular hiking trail under 3-5 feet of snow. The second half of the trail was obviously much nicer and quieter.




We wanted to summit one of the near by peaks, but found it just wasn’t going to happen. For one the sun was heading below a peak, and two it became increasingly difficult to tread through the snow. Our feet started plunging down until our leg could go no further, making progress slow and difficult.




So we headed back down content to leap, bound and run down the steep and deeply snow covered side of the mountain, laughing, screaming and falling. One of my favorite things about being on a snowing mountain is trying to run and jump back down- it is a feeling unlike anything else.

162) Upper Antelope Canyon

“Slot canyons are narrow, deep, often overhanging, some of which measure less than a yard across at the top but drop a hundred feet or more from the rim to the natural floor. They are cut and scoured by water and wind; the striations of the sandstone becoming almost incandescent.”





“Seen from the surface, a slot appears as a slash, a dark and rock-solid grin. From within things are different. You do not find darkness, but a palette of colors, transmitted by light filtering down from above, bouncing wall to wall. Below the rim, the light creates a warm glow. Farther down the walls it becomes red, then purple, and finally a deep gray.”




“Waves, curls, arches and whorls - the sort of features only wind and water could conceive, all fashioned from stone, yet as fluid as the forces that shape them. It's a dream world where lines bend, upside is down, and inside is out.”




“Slots are rare: the conditions for their development exacting. These intricate little canyons begin as hairline cracks in the sandstone, cracks found by flowing water and enlarged sand grain by sand grain.”




“Where there is the slightest irregularity, the water has greater force on one side of the crack than on the other and a widening occurs. This allows the water to swirl; gradually a round hollow appears, softer material is washed away and patina is formed.”




“A slot is a series of the convoluted hollows, connected by narrow passages of varying width and length. In deeper slots, these hollows stacked on hollows climb to a height of many stories and are difficult to penetrate.”




*All quoted text in this entry is from http://www.dowell.com/dondowell/acanyon/slotc.htm

161) Out of the Deserts

Saturday Gabe and I ended up in the slots I was hoping for. We went to Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Indian Reservation. It is an extremely popular slot canyon, easily the most photographed and recognizable slot in the world. Even at this time of year it was busy and crowded inside, I cannot imagine what it must be like at peak season. (I will post the pictures of Antelope Canyon in a special post when I get home).



We spent the majority of the day at the slots, and then got dinner in town and ate with a couple we met in one of the slots. They are from Arizona and gave us some advice on places to go. It was a nice dinner with great company. That evening we were blessed with one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen. At its peak, the whole sky was colored from horizon to horizon with pinks, purples, oranges, peaches, yellows, blues and everything in between.




That night we made our way down to Zion NP and camped in one of the most crowded campgrounds I have been in. Again, I cannot imagine what this area must be like in peak season. So we got up early and headed for a point called Angels Landing. This is a popular and famous hike within Zion, and considered one of the most spectacular trails in the National Park system. It can be a hazardous hike, especially during storms, high winds and icey conditions. To be honest, it was one of the scariest hikes I have done.




I think this hike would be a little scary on a day with perfect conditions due to 1500 foot drop off’s and a very narrow trail. What made it really sketchy for Gabe and I was the high winds and ice. Most of the trail was covered with ice and held the penalty of a drop off the cliff if you slipped on that ice. The winds and extreme cold they brought made every thing that much worse. The only nice things were we got to see the view from the top, and we saw a paragrin falcon float by us.




Later that day we went on another short hike within the park, and then headed to the north section of the park, were we tried to make new plans for the evening. We wanted to spend the night somewhere between Zion and Salt Lake City, but the weather was getting worse as the day wore on, and the forecast called for a 16 degree night.




We decided to just head to our friend Ryan’s house. We all met and became friends on the climbing wall at college. So that evening after a beautiful sunset we got to Ryan’s house in between Provo and Salt Lake City.



Today we hope to get a hike in, and get organized before I fly out tomorrow.

160) Into the Deserts

On Monday I took the Amtrak out to meet Gabe in Iowa. We left for Denver on Tuesday morning, passing scores of cars and semis that had slipped off the road from the previous nights snow storm.







We arrived in Denver late on Tuesday evening, staying at one of Gabes friends house. After a late start we headed out to Moab that afternoon. By the time we got in the Moab area it was already well past sunset, so we decided to camp at a sight we had passed along the way, just outside of Moab. Lying beside the Colorado River and in between some barley visible cliffs we fell asleep gazing at the beautiful star light sky. With no shelter and no clouds in the sky it was a cold and dew/frost filled night.







Wednesday morning we woke up with wet sleeping bags and then headed out. After getting organized and getting some last minute essentials we stopped in at a bouldering area, very near our nights camp. Gabe climbed and I shot. After that we headed further south towards Canyonlands N.P. but didn’t end up getting to Canyonlands. Instead we found ourselves on some BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) that was home to some stunning views and plenty of cattle and even a few prang horn antelope. We did some exploring around there and spent another beautiful night under the stars. This night was a little different in the fact that it was dead silent here. We saw two other vehicles the entire time we were on these BLM roads.







We woke up early and got some sunrise shots not far from our campsite, and then headed out. We headed further south to Arizona. Along the way we drove through the beautiful Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley. I was really hoping to be able to get in some slot canyons today, but by the time we had gotten down to Arizona it was already getting to be mid-afternoon and too late to get everything figured out.







So tonight we decided to stay in a hotel and get a shower and re-charge batteries for our gear and get some internet access. I am hoping to get into some slot canyons tomorrow and spend a good amount of time taking pictures.







So far we have been blessed with beautiful weather- perfectly sunny days probably in the 60’s and cold clear nights just below freezing.