THE HAYDUKE TRAIL 2005

First conceived in 1998 by Joe Mitchell and Mike Coronella, The Hayduke Trail (HDT) is ~800 miles in length and stretches circuitously westward across the Colorado Plateau from Arches National Park to Zion National Park. During its wind westward the Hayduke Trail treks through Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, The Grand Staircase National Monument, Bryce Canyon NP, the Grand Canyon and a number of Wilderness Study Areas. The Hayduke’s traverse of this unique landscape truly showcases the diversity of the region in terms of geology, flora, fauna, and cultural history. Much of the route is cross-country walking, but it does link up existing trails and infrequent backcountry roads along it course.

According to Joe and Mike, the authors of the recently published The Hayduke Trail, the routes circuitous corridor is, “…not intended to be the most direct way through the region, nor is it always the easiest or even the most logical route…” After pouring over maps for the past few months, I can do nothing but agree! As such, the route has thus far repelled a successful thru-hike of its length, although the authors of the guidebook have traveled the trail in its entirety in lengthy sections. The authors recommend traveling the route westward and in the Springtime. It is my intention to hike the Hayduke Trail in the Fall and in an eastward direction…not an attempt to be a revolutionary, that’s just when I can afford to take the time off from life.

I hope to implement the typical thru-hiker strategy to this route…namely avoiding caching food and water, traveling as light (and safely) as possible, and simply (but probably quite painfully) humping my loads between re-supply stops. As expected, water is a major concern throughout the route. 30+ miles without water is common and I expect some stretches to be nearly 70 miles without a single drop of H20. As for the route, I have made a few minor adjustments to encourage easier re-supply --- a logical adjustment if hoping to avoid the additional logistics of backcountry rendezvous’ for re-supply.

Regardless of whether or not I end up hiking the entire route, I am looking forward to spending some time in this truly spectacular and unique place, and learning more about the Colorado Plateau. To learn more about the Hayduke Trail, please visit www.hayduketrail.org.

Hayduke Re-supply Points: reports will be filed from each point.
	Zion National Park, Utah
	Colorado City, Arizona
	North Rim Grand Canyon, Arizona #1
	North Rim Grand Canyon, Arizona #2
	Jacobs Lake, Arizona
	Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
	Escalante, Utah
	Hite, Utah (very large entry)
	Canyonlands National Park, Utah
	Moab, Utah
	Delicate Arch/End
	Concluding Thoughts