Twig Adventures

Tag: HDT

HayDay 1: Arches April Fools

Hayduke Trail

Saturday, April 1st, 2023, 0630-1800Arches National Park: Devils Garden to S1 mm 11.7 BLM land.17 miles, elevation 4,300′ After all the planning, running around, and fretting, it was finally time to start hiking this trail, er, I mean route! It wasn’t too cold overnight and I slept really well…with earplugs to drown out the highway noise. We were up and moving before it was barely light. We walked 2 miles on a bike path to get to the park entrance. A nice lady picked us up just beforehand but her timed entry permit wasn’t until 9 am. Just our luck, the timed entry requirement had just gone into effect this day…go figure. The ranger asked her to turn around and wait[…]

Read more

HayDay 0: Ramblings

Hayduke Trail

This is a long post, to reflect on my preparations and travels prior to the hike. It encompasses several weeks, just to give an idea of how much pre-planning this hike involved. I spent some of the time visiting family and friends in Colorado, which was a good way to acclimate to the at altitude. I had planned to head to Utah sooner, checking out some day hikes as I placed food and water caches with Tom. But it was so bloody cold and snowy that I extended my stay in sunny (and kind of warm) CO. I spent the extra days at my friend Jolly Rancher’s home near Westcliffe \ Rosita. I met him on the Colorado Trail in[…]

Read more

2023: Introducing the Hayduke T̶r̶a̶i̶l̶ Route

Hayduke Trail

See here for my gear list. The Hayduke Route was the mother-of-all hikes in terms of planning and resources. I’d actually been planning it since 2020, but it was a no-go that year, for obvious reasons (COVID). Then for one reason or another, I put it off for another 2 seasons. This was a good thing, because it gave me time to sharpen my desert route-finding and survival skills. During my CDT, AZT, GET, and MRT hikes, I covered vast expanses of Arizona and New Mexico. Though I had yet to take one step in Utah, I finally felt ready for this hike So what is the Hayduke Route? The name “Hayduke” pays homage to the main character in The Monkey[…]

Read more