Following a morning greeting (and feeding) to my new friend in back of our hotel, we were off for an easy hike in Grand Wash at Capitol Reef National Park.  The gorge cuts through Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 100-mile-long fold in the Earth’s surface.  This uplift contains numerous eroded basins or pockets that hold rainwater and snowmelt.

Early pioneers provided the park’s namesake — “capitol” for the white domes of Navajo Sandstone that resemble the capitol dome in Washington, D.C., and “reef” for the rocky cliffs that are a barrier to travel, like an ocean reef.

We hiked through the Grand Wash Narrows portion, where we were surrounded by massive rock formations.  The only way to grasp the size was to give it some sense of scale.  Thanks, Bruce!

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

Since Bruce and I were the fastest walkers in the group, we were able to get far ahead, which, because of time constraints, was to our advantage.  We really wanted to see the Narrows portion of the basin, and some of our group didn’t make it that far before having to turn back.  Most of the time, we were by ourselves, taking in the beauty of the colors and textures all around us. It was such a peaceful and beautiful walk.

We also visited Petroglyph Panel to view ancient rock art attributed to the Fremont Culture, which existed in this area of Utah from approximately 300-1300 C.E. (Common Era).

Fortunately, the blue skies stayed with us until we were on the bus heading back.  Our good weather luck was with us once again!

Coming up next: Delightful Dead Horse Point State Park & Colorful Canyonlands National Park