West Loop Roadtrip – Day 2

We headed out later this morning than yesterday, but we still got to see everything we wanted to see.

Today, we set out for Rainbow Point, another trail about 18 miles south of Sunset Point. During the previous night, about 6 inches of snow had fallen, meaning the area was full of the softest, most powdery snow I’ve ever laid in my hands. Just picking up and throwing this snow beautifully dissipated in a graceful brume.

Of course, this fresh coat of snow also covered most of Rainbow Point…going towards the viewpoint was no problem, coming back was. We decided to be trailblazers and try to figure our own way back. Since I was leading, this often resulted in me stepping through 1, 2, and even almost 4 feet of snow; it didn’t help that Elliot was borrowing my gloves.

Fortunately, we blazed back like the true pioneers we are. Elliot and I also discovered a most curious outpost. It was a small, locked shed with several small holes, which we peeked inside. There, a prosumer-grade DSLR Canon EOS 40D stared right back at us; its purpose, unknown.

After that, we decided we’ve had enough of snow for one day, and thus we ventured to less-elevated lands, the city of Escalante and Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. What’s a petrified tree you ask? Basically, it’s a tree that’s been fossilized, its wood having been replaced by minerals. Apparently, it’s also bad luck to take pieces of the trees from the park, as indicated by the numerous apology letters from would-be collectors.

We went on a short, but slightly strenuous 2-mile hike to see these petrified trees. We found a few small chunks

…only to be disappointed to find that most of the trees were moved into a grove 800 feet from the main office >_<
Oh well, at least I found a large tree and got to have some fun on it.

That’s all for today!