Well Memorial Day came and went, and with it another great trip to Hole in the Rock.
We headed out Saturday morning from City Market. Leila and myself, Matt Brown and
his buddy Ray and hooked up with Corey & Heather and their friends, Rocky & Terri,
and Don & Laura.  The weather was perfect upon arrival at the trailhead. Hole In The
Rock has gotten a bit rougher since the last time we were here. A couple of washouts has
made the trail a bit more challenging.  Nonetheless, we trudged onward and reached camp
around 7:00, which is about halfway into the trail. Hole In The Rock is an in & out trail,
52 miles round trip. It's got about everything you could want on a trail. Slickrock, sand,
rocks, water crossings and more beautiful scenery than you can take in at one time.  There
were about four or five other groups on the trail this year. One group was from the Creeper
Jeepers out of Durango with some of their Pagosa chapter along.  Sunday we drove to the
end of the trail, overlooking Lake Powell and the "Hole in the Rock".  A bit of history on
the trail itself.  Back in the 1870's a group of Mormons were instructed by Brigham Young
to find a passage from Zion to Bluff Utah by way of Escalante. The journey was supposed
to take six weeks but due to the harsh terrain and winter coming on, the trip took six months.
There was even a couple of babies born on the trail. The actual Hole in the Rock is a narrow
passage the runs almost vertical down the cliff into what is now Lake Powell. At that time
of course it was the Colorado River. They fashioned harnesses and ropes to wagons and
livestock and lowered it all down, crossed the river and made their way on up the trail that
is now our 4WD road. The trail we're on follows the Mormon trail exactly in some places.
There is even remains of a wagon that couldn't bear the load, wasting away in the desert sun.
We got back to camp around 7:30 and sat around the fire discussing our days journey,
and how glad we were that we had our rigs and didn't have to travel in wagons over that
rough terrain.  Monday morning we made our way out to the pavement and said our
goodbyes to Rocky, Terri, Don & Laura. The rest of us headed for home, but wishing we
had just a few more days to spend out here in the desert.   Something about it just kinda
stays with you and keeps you looking forward to the next time.