What taught me 911 miles through Utah on the eight Wonders path

Utah has really hit me

Utah has really hit me. The constant high increases in the city, only to immediately climb the further descents, have left me exhausted physically and mentally. I had to get away from blogs during the last month because it was all I could do just to keep my head in the game and be motivated to continue.

But, unfortunately, we arrive at the border of Utah and Idaho!

It is curious how to cross an invisible and invisible state line can give new life to a walk, especially after 911 miles of route research and stressful refueling planning. That said, Utah has also offered some of the most beautiful landscapes I have traveled for. Here is a small summary of our final miles in the state of Beehive along the Wonder Wonder path.

The cities of the Wasatch Front

Our route through the Wasatch front mainly followed the crest of the range, running in parallel east of the interstate 15. The views of the valley were impressive. In some places, the mountains fell to more than 5,000 feet under us, which made it feel as if we were flying over the busy Metroplex. It was a marked contrast: on the one hand, wild flowers, the thick green grass and the song of the birds filled the air; On the other hand, the hum of traffic and endless activity of daily life.

The first big city we arrived was Provo, home from Brigham Young University. Getting to provide was a bit surprising for the system: it was the largest city in which we had entered in a long time, and felt as if the buildings could crush me before the noise of traffic did. We quickly got into our hotel to do our hiker tasks and regroup for the next section. We explore a small area on foot, but we do not venture much beyond a mile in any direction. There were many extracurricular ones that we could have done, but honestly, they spent us. The food time and the inactivity time won.

Then Salt Lake City came, and to be honest, I barely remember him. By then, constant logistics and resupply stress had reached me. My head turned every day. Lambchop and I rely on each other, just trying to overcome the verification list of the things that had to be done. We ended up taking an extra day there, half because we needed to plan the next section, and half because neither had to return to us to go up again.

The last two large stops in Utah, Ogden and Logan, were a breath of fresh air. Something about this end of the Wasatch Valley attracted us both. The atmosphere was more relaxed, and instead of the usual tension I feel in the biggest cities, I felt strangely at home. The universities in both cities gave them a slightly more progressive feeling, which helped me to reassure me. The historic center of Logan joined the charm and, honestly, I could have stayed there much longer than the two days we allow ourselves to absorb everything.

Wild flowers were in full flowering during most Utah

The end of Utah

Leaving Logan, we went from the Wasatch range to the Bear River mountain range to the north. From there, we had two options: push more than 120 miles at the next stop at once, or divide it into two shorter stretches. We wisely chose the last one.

Our last stop at Utah was Garden City, perched on the edge of Lake Bear on the east side of the Bear River mountain range. The Emerald Blue Waters of the Lake extend to Horcajadas on the border of Utah-Idaho and extend almost 20 miles to the north to south. It should have been a peaceful place to finish our time in the state, but instead, it was chaos.

While we descended the last hill and went to the main road along the lake, the roar of a huge crowd hit us in the face. We had completely forgotten that it was the weekend of July 4. Garden City hadn’t. Each centimeter of sidewalk was full of families. Each food and restaurant position had lines around the block. The exhausted children shouted while their parents waited with milkshakes, hamburgers or beers.

I was convinced that we would not find a place to stay, but as usual, Lambchop took out a rabbit out of the hat. We landed a small place in a hidden KOA camp near the overflow parking lot. We fell asleep with live music sounds and fireworks booming in the distance.

Finally it seems, we wake up renewed. Lambchop worked a little more magic and found a trip to the path where we had left, and so, we were moving again.

While we walked north, we could feel that Utah faded behind us and Idaho focusing. Only two hours after leaving the madness of Garden City, a new feeling of us: pride. We had officially walked by Utah. In the fashion signal that marks the status line, Lambchop and I danced, take some photos and sit down for a well -gained snack before going to Idaho.

From now on for the CDT

Utah did not let me pass easily. Demanded all my attention: my strength, patience and resistance. There were moments that wanted to quit smoking, moments that I questioned why I was even doing this. But standing on the Idaho border, with Utah miles behind me and the new ones that developed ahead, I realized that it was part of the point. The difficulties, beauty, exhaustion and little victories, all are intertwined. Upon Idaho, I don’t feel defeated anymore. I feel tempered. Utah may have hit me, but it also made me someone strong enough to continue walking.

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