Day Day Twelve - Apr 19, 2025
Monticello, Utah
Daily Didactic
Waking up in Fort Abajo was lovely, but probably earlier than any of us wanted. Now squarely an hour and fifteen minutes from the Elephant Hill trailhead, we had a drive to today’s chosen challenge. Up to bat was the Chesler Park/Joint Loop trail. It is a unique trail in the Needles in that, instead of climbing up and over a majestic saddle, takes hikers meandering through needles before snaking through a large fissure in the rocks. It is spectacular. It is also more of a challenge than Brian remembered. Most things are. It’s a personality flaw he’s only sort of apologetic for.
We arrived shortly after 10:00am and began our loop. Six hours and twenty two glorious minutes later, we returned to the car. Exhausted and accomplished, we retraced the road to Monticello, secured a last minute timed entry for Arches tomorrow, got some take out pizza, wings and pad Thai, chatted it up, and turned in early.
Today's Photos
