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Day 4: Labyrinth Camp to the Visitor Center

Rain it did – off and on all night. We subsequently learned a lot about the thin soils of this geological landscape. At Labyrinth Camp the soil was deep enough to pound in tent stakes, but we found that large rocks had to be placed on the tent pegs to keep them from pulling out. With rocks in place we all were supposedly secure against the thunderstorm winds that descended and buffeted from all directions.

However, when the rains came during the night we found that the water easily descended through the 4-6 inches of soil and then ran downhill on the smooth slickrock that is under the thin soils. This lead to pools of mud in every low section. Put your tent on a flat spot and you are likely to find yourself in a mud pot if it rains!

The morning biking and driving of the sag wagons presented new challenges. The day began with 6 miles of track with lots of long muddy sections. Then there was a 1000 foot climb up switchbacks to the top of the cliffs and finally a 20 mile ride back to the start of our 100 mile adventure.