States: Utah
Miles driven: 252
Miles hiked: 0
Slept: My tent in Moonflower Canyon, Moab.
10 words or less: Epic swarm of flies in the pit toilet. Pee’d outside.
Pit Toilet from Hell
In the morning I left for Moab. I took my time as it was a really nice drive there. I thank Nate for the great tips on which route to take. I stopped for a really crappy salmon wrap at a local pub and got a suggestion on where to camp from a really creepy guy that would not stop asking me questions as soon as I’d take a bite of food. I also got a suggestion on where to camp from a not as creepy guy. Later in the conversation he would keep bringing up the subject of lesbians and did I know there was a nude beach nearby? Oh yes, and he could show me where it was. When they both left I asked the female bartender for a suggestion on where to camp and took her advice to try Moonflower Canyon.
As was becoming my standard operating procedure, I got to camp 5 minutes before total darkness set in and scurried to set up my tent. Did you know that if you put your tent under a leafy tree on a windy night you’ll hear eerie scratching noises as the leaves slide down the sides of your tent all god damn night? Moonflower canyon was a narrow, red walled canyon with sprawling oaks, ancient petroglyphs, a soft sand floor and a pit toilet the stuff of horror movies. Seriously, I got up around 2am to pee. When I opened the door, the swarm of flies in the lantern light was…indescribable. A wall of flies came at me the likes you’ve never seen. I nearly pissed myself right there. I stifled my screams and ran. I’d have to make do with peeing behind a bush and kicking sand over it. With my skin crawling I shuffled back to my tent through the sand and vowed going forward I would drink less water before bedtime.
Nearing Moab, UT
Girl on a Ledge 