How do you know the seasons are changing?...The plates turn green.
Utah locals like to joke about the Coloradan influx, but spend a Thanksgiving down in Indian Creek and you’ll soon have migrant friends from all over the world. Slow down, open up, and tune in with the repetition of a desert trip.
Equal parts ambition and procrastination. The warm morning sun draws everyone out of their cars, tents and holes in the sand to pick a new direction for the day.
Despite frigid nights, sun, sandstone and some hard effort can warm the days to short sleeves. Dirt seems to be the natural sunscreen here. More and more build as the sun arcs through the sky.
Each day ends with a spectacular show of nature, the orange sandstone contrasting intensely with the dimming glue sky. A small climber sits back at the anchors, taking it all in.
Digging to the bottom of our packs for headlamps, we find the food and water that was forgotten all day—always beers too. Laughs build as the sun fades, and each climber descends to the sound of crumbling trails.
New friends are united by the vertical challenges and slow daily repetitions of this beautiful landscape. Brews pop, wood crackles, heat radiates and we all look forward to one more day—each and every night.