section hike the Hayduke Trail, Utah

Backpacker magazine recommends a 55mi stretch of the infamous 800+mi Hayduke Trail in the American S.W.

The otherworldly terrain in southern Utah’s labyrinthine canyon country–slots, hoodoos, mesas, bizarre sandstone formations–is as confusing as it is captivating. Get off-track or miss one of the infrequent water sources, and you have real problems. This 55-mile, roughly eight-day stretch of the Hayduke Trail serves up both extremes. You’ll travel mostly off-trail, with steep, loose scrambles, deep sand slogs, and a paucity of distinctive terrain features. Long stretches are waterless–including the first 25 miles. In return, you get bragging rights for a spectacularly remote and rarely traveled journey.

Tech assist Use ExpertGPS (expertgps.com) to plot routes using topo and aerial photographs, then send data to your GPS. Plan best-case routes and alternates, since the complex terrain may present obstacles you can’t identify on screen. Example: See backpacker.com/hayduke for our custom file with multiple off-trail routes.

Start in Canyonlands’s Needles District, where multicolored sandstone towers stand like 200-foot candles above the desert. You’ll pass under Seldom Seen Bridge and trek by the cliff dwellings and rock art of Fable Valley. Mark water caches (drop one pretrip to avoid carrying three days’ supply at the start) and critical water sources (at miles 24.7, 34.1, and 42).

Tip: Waypoint your vehicle at trip’s end as well. …

read more – Backpacker

I’m currently reading The Monkey Wrench Gang (P.S.), the book that inspired this adventure.

I’m no Brian Frankle. This 55mi section for wimps sounds plenty tough enough for me.

(via The Adventure Blog)