Tag: desert

2020-11-21 San Rafael Swell

Post author By Pete
Post date 2020-12-05

November 20-21, 2020

Just before Thanksgiving we took a little trip to the Swell to get out of the house and experience some nature. We did some climbing but more exploring in this area that we’ve come to love given its beauty and proximity to Salt Lake. Just recently a lot of signs have been put up by the local land manager. This helped us be aware of something just off the road we never knew before, a dinosaur track! We’ve driven by it dozens of times and didn’t realize that just 20 yards from the road is a nice big track in the rock. Very cool to see out in nature right where a some big dinosaur walked many millions of years ago.

The desert is such a place of texture constrasts. The weather can vary from dry and hot to dry and cold or wet. This patch of ground is a reminder that at times there is a lot of water in the desert.

A great section of wall near the campground at the Swinging Bridge. I helped a Matt put up a route near the base of the large hanging buttress.

Carly checking out a preserved dinosaur track. Super cool to see this out in nature rather than a museum.

Tags desert

Climbing

2020-10-16 thru 18 Indian Creek

Post author By Pete
Post date 2020-10-22

October 16 thru 18, 2020

A long overdue trip to Indian Creek happened last weekend. We spent 3 days and of course got worked. Always a humbling experience out there. I was disappointed by the new influx of the moto crowd. They were riding well into the evening which kind of takes away some of the amazingness of the place at night.

Tags desert, rock climbing

Climbing Nature & Hiking

2020-05 Memorial Day Weekend at Notch Peak

Post author By Pete
Post date 2020-05-26

May 23 thru 25, 2020

We ventured out for the holiday weekend. Opting to stay relatively close, we went to the west desert of Utah again. Fortunately, a front was planned to pass through Utah on Friday afternoon and evening and make temperatures very pleasant in the desert for this time of year. Leaving Friday afternoon after packing up the van we got passed Nephi and started to hit some gusty winds and foreboding looking clouds. The clouds turned out to be a dust storm and not much rain. Driving wasn’t too bad though it was a bit dark and the cross gusts kept me alert at the wheel.

Tags desert

Climbing

2019-04-19 and 20 Ibex Climbing

Post author By Pete
Post date 2019-04-24

April 19-20, 2019

Carly and I took off Friday morning for a long weekend to explore a new area for us, the West Desert of Utah. The area is huge and doesn’t have many people in it. The area is part of the Basin and Range topology that spans both sides of the border with Nevada. This area is characterized by mountain ranges, usually north-south running, and flat desert areas in between. The topography is such that their are rarely any outlets to the rivers and stream drainages. The water that falls in the mountains as rain or snow will only travel to the basins only to dry up. This is easy to understand when you see the landscape adjacent to the Ibex climbing area. It is a large dry lake bed that does at times hold a water, but most of the time is a hard smooth and flat surface.

Tags desert

Climbing

2019-04-06 thru 07 St. George Climbing

Post author By Pete
Post date 2019-04-24

April 6-7, 2019

Another fine weekend in St. George with friends. For not rock climbing outside since Thanksgiving (with the same crew coincidentally) I actually felt pretty good. Unfortunately Sunday we didn’t get too much climbing in due to an obligation back in SLC.

Tags desert