Holy #$!@!~ I am pathetic

[il Padrino Ute]

I'm with you, brother. I hate, hate, hate hiking. HATE it. I'm a triple-palmed Eagle Scout and I hate it. What the hell is the point of walking somewhere if you're just going to get there and say, "Well, that was neat. Let's go back down now." Makes no sense to this brain. Hate it.

That's why you carry a tent and other camping supplies. Stick around for a few days.

[kccougar]

I love hiking. While it is nice to pick a hike with a definite destination, I like the changing scenery as you walk along.

[Pheidippides]

That's sad, Tim.

You remind me of the guy that went to the Grand Canyon and said, "Big deal. It's just a bunch of sandstone."

And can we please separate scouting from hiking/backpacking? The vast majority of outdoor enthusiasts probably never experienced scouting.

Scouting, even the brand I experienced (which was certainly not full-fledged uniforms and troops), is not close to the backpacking I do now. My gear is much better, I choose my own pace, and I go for the solitude. It's my way of meditating, the soft, noiseless beat of my own feet counting down the minutes until I reach my cathedral of silence.

[Tim]

That's sad, Tim.

You remind me of the guy that went to the Grand Canyon and said, "Big deal. It's just a bunch of sandstone."

Now that's not fair. I love nature's beauty. I just don't like walking for hours to see it.

Although there is a famous anecdote in my family about a vacation we took to Zion National Park when I was 9 or 10, and I pitched a fit and didn't want to be on the trip. When we were in Zion, I stayed in the mini-van practically the whole time and even once said, "What's the big deal about a bunch of stupid rocks?!"

Truly, though, like I said, I do love nature's beauty. I just don't like walking to see it. Horseback? Sweet. Four-wheeler? Awesome. Vehicle? Yes. Walking? No.

[TripletDaddy]

For me, hiking and backpacking is annoying because I don't want to carry crap around on my back. I don't care about the quality of gear and I don't care about being alone with my thoughts. None of that is terribly important to me. And if I did want to be alone, I am not sure I would drive several hours and then walk several hours more to do it.

I remember when we went to Havasupai one time in college. We drive all the way to the rim of the canyon, we walk down the path to the floor, we walk for who knows how long and we get to a fall. We jump in and the water is freezing and mostly unenjoyable, at least for me.

A year ago, we took our kids and went with my brother, his wife, and their boys up to Yosemite. We drove in, we camped, we had a blast. We saw Half Dome. We saw animals. We had a small campfire. When we were done, we drove home. But I never had to walk a few miles anywhere. We simply drove where we needed to go. Much more to my liking.

Another thing, and I know this is not going to be very popular with Utah enthusiasts, but I find desert stuff to be fugly. I much more enjoy ocean or heavily wooded areas. I enjoyed mountain biking in Moab, but apart from the Arch formations, most of it appears very barren and plain to me, so I get no charge out of hanging out there for days at a time.

There has been mention of Goblin Valley here. We went there a couple of times in college. At night we went out and saw all the shadows of the bumps or whatever they were. I distinctly remember thinking, "now what? All the way down here for this?"

I much rather go water skiing at Lake Powell than drive down to Powell and walk around for hours on end.

Anyway, again, just my own preference. whatever gets your juices flowing is fine by me and none of my biz.

[Tim]

For me, hiking and backpacking is annoying because I don't want to carry crap around on my back. I don't care about the quality of gear and I don't care about being alone with my thoughts. None of that is terribly important to me. And if I did want to be alone, I am not sure I would drive several hours and then walk several hours more to do it.

I remember when we went to Havasupai one time in college. We drive all the way to the rim of the canyon, we walk down the path to the floor, we walk for who knows how long and we get to a fall. We jump in and the water is freezing and mostly unenjoyable, at least for me.

A year ago, we took our kids and went with my brother, his wife, and their boys up to Yosemite. We drove in, we camped, we had a blast. We saw Half Dome. We saw animals. We had a small campfire. When we were done, we drove home. But I never had to walk a few miles anywhere. We simply drove where we needed to go. Much more to my liking.

Another thing, and I know this is not going to be very popular with Utah enthusiasts, but I find desert stuff to be fugly. I much more enjoy ocean or heavily wooded areas. I enjoyed mountain biking in Moab, but apart from the Arch formations, most of it appears very barren and plain to me, so I get no charge out of hanging out there for days at a time.

There has been mention of Goblin Valley here. We went there a couple of times in college. At night we went out and saw all the shadows of the bumps or whatever they were. I distinctly remember thinking, "now what? All the way down here for this?"

I much rather go water skiing at Lake Powell than drive down to Powell and walk around for hours on end.

Anyway, again, just my own preference. whatever gets your juices flowing is fine by me and none of my biz.

Dude, seriously, this is EXACTLY how I feel.

[UteStar]

For me, hiking and backpacking is annoying because I don't want to carry crap around on my back. I don't care about the quality of gear and I don't care about being alone with my thoughts.

fwiw, I think a lot of us would enjoy it if you were alone with your thoughts. Don't take that away from us.

[TripletDaddy]

Dude, seriously, this is EXACTLY how I feel.

I'm with you, hermano. We have to stick together on this site, because there are a lot of Southern Utah enthusiasts here that are probably ready to bash our skulls in with a red rock.

One year we went down to the Narrows and did that. I loved that experience quite a bit, so maybe there is hope for me. Even thought it involved hiking, it was very unique. We drove who knows where and were dropped off at the trailhead. We gradually descended into the narrows. We traipsed through water, we camped on these narrow ledges, we saw water levels rise and fall quickly, we floated for very small parts of it. It was a lot of fun. I think part of the appeal was that I was surrounded by amazing sheer rock formations as was unable to see the miles and miles of barren nothingness that surrounds the Narrows area. That was a great experience and I would happily do that again.

Interestinigly, although I detest walking around, I have visited and enjoyed Bryce, Zions, Capital Reef, Moab, etc. All those places are accessible by car. And the walk to the Arches isn't really that far, so I don't mind that.

[il Padrino Ute]

For me, hiking and backpacking is annoying because I don't want to carry crap around on my back. I don't care about the quality of gear and I don't care about being alone with my thoughts. None of that is terribly important to me. And if I did want to be alone, I am not sure I would drive several hours and then walk several hours more to do it.

I remember when we went to Havasupai one time in college. We drive all the way to the rim of the canyon, we walk down the path to the floor, we walk for who knows how long and we get to a fall. We jump in and the water is freezing and mostly unenjoyable, at least for me.

A year ago, we took our kids and went with my brother, his wife, and their boys up to Yosemite. We drove in, we camped, we had a blast. We saw Half Dome. We saw animals. We had a small campfire. When we were done, we drove home. But I never had to walk a few miles anywhere. We simply drove where we needed to go. Much more to my liking.

Another thing, and I know this is not going to be very popular with Utah enthusiasts, but I find desert stuff to be fugly. I much more enjoy ocean or heavily wooded areas. I enjoyed mountain biking in Moab, but apart from the Arch formations, most of it appears very barren and plain to me, so I get no charge out of hanging out there for days at a time.

There has been mention of Goblin Valley here. We went there a couple of times in college. At night we went out and saw all the shadows of the bumps or whatever they were. I distinctly remember thinking, "now what? All the way down here for this?"

I much rather go water skiing at Lake Powell than drive down to Powell and walk around for hours on end.

Anyway, again, just my own preference. whatever gets your juices flowing is fine by me and none of my biz.

So, you don't like this kind of view?



or this?



Gotta hike to see this stuff.

[TripletDaddy]

I figured it was a matter of time before people started busting out their pics to convince me. Why not do me a favor and pan over a mile or so and show me the arid nothingness that is obscured just out of view? No thanks.

That first view looks similar to the view you get while riding Slickrock in Moab. Fortunately, not hiking involved.

The bottom pic does zilch for me, truthfully. I would not drive to Southern Utah and then walk for an hour to see that.

Do you like these pics? Because this is what you see for the most part when you hike in Southern utah:





No thanks. I'll take the mountains over that anyday.

[Pheidippides]

I figured it was a matter of time before people started busting out their pics to convince me. Why not do me a favor and pan over a mile or so and show me the arid nothingness that is obscured just out of view? No thanks.

That first view looks similar to the view you get while riding Slickrock in Moab. Fortunately, not hiking involved.

The bottom pic does zilch for me, truthfully. I would not drive to Southern Utah and then walk for an hour to see that.

Do you like these pics? Because this is what you see for the most part when you hike in Southern utah:





No thanks. I'll take the mountains over that anyday.

Where the hell are you hiking in S. Utah? That's not what I see.

[kccougar]

Where the hell are you hiking in S. Utah? That's not what I see.

DDD must hike along the side of the Interstate.

[TripletDaddy]

DDD must hike along the side of the Interstate.

No, I was being facetious. EPU cherry picked a few really nice pics and inplies that this is what you see when you hike. Well, it IS what you see when you hike, but you also see a lot of nothingness along the way.

Unless you are saying that there is a magic place where I can go from Utah County down to Southern Utah and see nothing but amazing rock formations and rivers the entire way down. If so, then maybe I should give it another try.

Perhaps I can put up a base camp in the beautiful town of Moab. what a lovely view!

[Pheidippides]

Unless you are saying that there is a magic place where I can go from Utah County down to Southern Utah and see nothing but amazing rock formations and rivers the entire way down. If so, then maybe I should give it another try.

As far as driving? Cut back through Manti (or go through Scipio, then down to Route 12), then go down Route 12 all the way to 89. That route is exactly what you just described. Mountains, mountains, BAM, awesomeness!

Warning: driving Route 12 is not for pantywaists. I'm not kidding. Anybody who has driven the Hogback (sometimes erroneously called Hell's Backbone) knows what I mean. I freely admit I do not drive that section in the dark. Period.

I'd recommend Escalante or Boulder for a basecamp, but you don't like that whole hiking thing. More for me.

[il Padrino Ute]

Where the hell are you hiking in S. Utah? That's not what I see.

Agreed. He's hiking in the wrong places.