May 2022 – Sagebrush Trails

Hayduke 2022 Gear

First we build the tools, then they build us.
Marshall McLuhan

Some backpackers are gear-heads, talking endlessly to each other about the latest equipment developments. I am not one of those. I do not breathlessly scan the latest trends and developments. I totally missed the sun-hoodie fad, only noticing this trip when seeing twelve day-hikers in a row wear them going the other direction in Hurricane Canyon. Much of my gear remains the same as in 2012– even a few of the same original pieces. Other items, made out of Cuben fiber, now Dyneema, have been replaced with the same model after excessive fraying, and I did not hunt very hard for a similar item from another manufacturer. So I am no authority on gear. However, for anyone who might care, here is my brain-dump on equipment used during a quite challenging trip.

Most of you should skip this post unless you are rabid gear-o-philes. Go on, get out of here.

Hayduke Trail 2022

(PDF download of trip journal)

Zion?

HDT 2022 Day 39, May 9, Monday
Start near Zion boundary S14 mile 55.6
End East Mesa Trailhead
Miles walked: 19.2

Entering the national park boundary, the route follows a series of cross-country instructions for five miles, along ridges and washes.

The white/gray rock faces, with accents of pink, tend to be slanted 15-30 degrees from vertical, instead of completely vertical cliffs in other areas.