In the Spring of 1997, Jeff Martin
hiked from Page, AZ to Moab, UT through the land of rock....the
sandstone canyon country on the SE side of the Colorado River
drainage. In this country, maze-like canyons surround lofty
plateaus most often ringed by impressive cliffs. Much of the
challenge of this hike lay in finding a workable non-technical route
through such country which did not stray too far from water sources.
This, in addition to the more standard challenges of a long distance
and largely solo through hike (Jeff was joined for a week by his
friend Judy Buckingham). In his presentation, Jeff will discuss the
planning of the trip, the selection of the route and the planting of
food caches. He will (naturally) also show slides and tell the tale
of the trip itself.
"Arch in Aztec Creek"
Although it was more "roadrunner" than
"coyote", Jeff did experience a few "coyote" moments on the trip,
including: disappearing into quicksand, falling off a cliff, turning
into a sand dune and sleeping with a rattlesnake. (note: some of
the above may have been *slightly* exaggerated) Finally, Jeff will
discuss the possibilities for a return trip from Moab to Page on the
NW side of the drainage.
"Aztec Creek"
Jeff Martin contracted Canyon Fever in
May 1979 at Horn Creek in the Grand Canyon and consequently, now has
over 50 Grand Canyon backpacking trips under his belt. Although the
Grand Canyon remains an old friend, most of Jeff’s backpacking
these days is in the sandstone canyon country of SE Utah and NW
Arizona. Although Jeff may seem to be a hardcore backpacker, in
reality Jeff’s hiking core tends toward the soft side – like nougat
in a candy bar or the filling in a Lindor truffle. A perfect day
in the canyon for Jeff is more along the lines of lounging by a
canyon stream on a slab of sandstone in the sun than struggling over
the next pass at sunset.
"The Land of Rock"
Back to "Monthly Program History"
