Doesn't 14 days of adventuring in Utah's canyon country country sound like fun? What if you could squeeze all that outdoor adventure into just 5 days? That's pretty much what we're going to be doing when the Adventure Family Race Team heads to Utah in October. We'll be mountain biking, trekking, paddling, rappeling and/or traversing ropes, and navigating to find checkpoints as we complete a 250 to 300 mile course, in under 110 hours.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
As "Infoman", it's my job to scope out and post info about the area. This will be critical since three of us have ever been to Utah before. Here's what I have so far. The links will take you to other websites with daydream-worthy pictures. :)
Moab area average weather and current conditions.
Red Cliffs Lodge
This is where we'll start and finish the race. The lodge is nestled on the banks of the Colorado River, about 14 miles north of Moab, under the beautiful red cliffs of the Professor and Castle valleys. We'll also come back to this point for some of the transitions or checkpoints. This is also where we'll have to rouse our support crew from their poolside naps to help feed us!
Paddling:
About the only significant water for paddling in the Moab area is the Colorado River. And it looks as if we'll get anything from Class I to III rapids to deal with. We'll most likely be on sections D4 and D5 of the middle section of the Colorado River. This link has some nice photos of the area.
Trekking:
The course director has promised to take us up to 11,000' in elevation (we start on the Colorado River at just over 4,000') in the Manti La Sal Mountains. Here's a view of them from Arches National Park, looking over the Colorado River valley:
Link to image (from http://users.frii.com/uliasz/wayfarer/moab2003.htm)
"Along the eastern Utah border near Moab, the La Sal Mountains rise 12,721 feet above sea level. Expect a variety of weather conditions over the year, varying widely with elevation. You can calculate roughly -5 degrees F for each 1000 feet of elevation gain. This translates to a potential temperature decrease of over 40 degrees from the Moab valley floor to the summits of the La Sal Mountains." http://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/manti.html
Mtn biking:
Pictures from a friend's recent biking trip to Moab.
Ropes:
Scenes from the 250' rappel in AXS's spring AR in Moab. The Gemini Bridges double arch is visible in the background of the first image.
Home