October 26
40mi/64km
+1900ft/580m
It was another damp and dewy morning this morning, but the sunrise was lovely and the sun was warm. We crossed into Utah almost immediately, as we were camped quite close to the border. Our clocks moved forward an hour, and that was about the only way we even realized.
We climbed over the Mormon Range before starting the descent toward St. George. The scenery was beautiful all day, with awesome rocks and cliffs, and washes filled with Cottonwood Trees. We’re starting to see even more familiar plants: Desert Willow, hackberry, cholla, sotol, and more.
We arrived in town and picked up our replacement sleeping pad that Exped sent us to replace ours (some of the baffles are breaking). The new one is almost identical but rated a little bit warmer, and has a bit more volume, so it will probably be a little more comfortable as well.
Then we had chores to do. Groceries and laundry, as always, and some route planning for our next leg. Crossing the Navajo Nation and Northern Arizona requires permits and a little extra planning. We booked a couple nights in hotels and arranged for 3 different permits. We’ve got a couple more days to Fredonia and we will join the Western Wildlands bikepacking route through most of Arizona. It feels weird to be getting close to home!
