"He's really hurting in the hind end," Linda says as I stop by the barn to kiss her goodbye. Although she's talking about her horse Cazado, I can't help but comment, "I know how he feels." It was 44 degrees this morning when I woke up, and arthritis in my hips and knee is starting to complain about the cooler weather. "I'll be back around 4:00 pm," I say as I kiss her goodbye. The temperature is warming up, and I'm heading to Zion National Park again, so it should be a beautiful day down south.

The junction at UT-17 and UT-9 is busy, with most cars turning east toward the Park. The last time I attempted to enter the National Park, all I ended up doing was sitting and waiting. Today, I'll be heading toward the Kolob Terrace section of the Park and turning left just outside of Virgin.

Making the turn, I spot many trucks and trailers; I'm curious about why there are so many just off the main road when I spot the "Red Bull" logo on some of the lights. It must be getting close to the Red Bull Rampage [1], a yearly freeride event down some of southern Utah's most inhospitable terrains. As I get nearer the event's location, every nook and cranny is occupied with a tent or trailer. The event won't start for another week, but the crews are already preparing the routes and tracks.

I'm heading back to Wildcat Trailhead and am more excited about climbing Northgate Peaks East today than I was several weeks ago when I stopped at the Grapevine Trailhead. The air is brisk as I pull on my pack and glance at the time. Noon? I didn't look at the clock before leaving Cedar City this morning. The time isn't an issue; it is just a surprise. I head down the trail.

My muscles are usually cramped and sore, as it usually takes some time to warm them up. I stop and stretch a little as I say hi to a group of people making their way back toward the parking lot. A little further down the trail, it is becoming doubtful that I'll be able to hike clear to the trail's end, let alone climb the east peak. I wasn't joking as much as I thought this morning with Linda. Looking for a place to exit the trail, I hike across the meadow and into the trees heading toward Pocket Mesa.

The Park discourages people from leaving the trail; however, I passed the Zion Wilderness sign a long while ago, so I know I'm safe. The rules change in the wilderness and switch toward "leave no trace" as the guiding principle. Neither the Park nor I want thousands of people wandering around the backcountry; however, most won't bother to check which rules apply when they are inside park boundaries.

I immediately spot a small flock of turkeys among the trees; they are so used to human presence that I walk about ten feet from them and take a few pictures. Unfortunately, the stunning 4-point buck (mule deer) isn't so forgiving as the deer bounds away from me, stopping just inside the tree line to look back with the giant antler rack gleaming in the sunlight. It's deer hunting season almost everywhere outside of park boundaries, so I hope he circles back around and stay's put.

My uncle and aunt used to own a lot of property near the Kolob section, and during the fall, they would host a deer camp for hunters. My dad and I got invited to hunt with the group if we failed to fill out our permits the first weekend. I don't hunt anymore; however, my heart started racing at seeing such a beautiful animal. So now I only hunt with a camera, and the deer bounded away before I could even come to my senses to capture a picture.

Circling back to the trail, I hike back to the parking lot. I didn't go far; however, my little excursion took over an hour, it's still beautiful, and although most of the trees have changed colors and the peak viewing season is past, I decided to drive up and across the plateau connecting Kolob road with UT-14. The road is 24 miles of maintained gravel; however, I wouldn't use a car or other low-profile vehicle for this section of the road.

The trees have long since faded, and most of the leaves are gone; however, patches of vibrant color still exist at various points along the route, and I stop to take the time and admire the beauty of an apparent fall afternoon.

Written October 14, 2022

References:

[1] [Red Bull Rampage: event info and videos](https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/rampage)