Sep 21: Halls Creek, Baker Stephens, Cell Reception

Day started off great. We were pleasantly surprised to find fairly decent water in Halls Creek, and it just kept getting better. Also we started finding solid use trail with multiple sets of footprints, so we used that to cut off several bends  in the wash. We got to the Halls Creek slot twists, and weren't up for swimming, so we took the very well marked way around them. We cut over at the end, and I dropped my pack and went in reverse up canyon to see what we skipped. It was incredible. High walls like yesterday, but with water. Only 3 inches deep mostly but there was an unavoidable pool that I briefly tested to at least waist deep. 

We continued on, occasionally losing the track, but mostly following a set of fresh Brooks running shoe tracks, "Brooksy." We finished Halls Creek, took lunch, chugged water, stocked up, and started up the slickrock Baker route. The rocks were broiling, and it felt like we were in an oven. Gaining a couple thousand feet didn't help either.

The views did get pretty nice though, we could see a couple arms of Lake Powell and all the Great Gulch that we'd descended. We took a break near the top and remembered that we were supposed to have cell reception here. I turned on my phone and got the message "Fuck. Fuck Fuck Fuck." with no explanation from a friend. Based on the sender, I knew it was the news, which I have been happily avoiding. I called Amy. "Did something really bad happen?"

"Yes."

"0 to 10, with 10 being Trump is automatically re-elected, what is it?"

"It's not about them."

"Oh shit, is RBG dead?"

"Yes."

Just then I heard a yell, and in my mind it sounded weird like someone needed help. Turns out it was Brooksy, the only other backpacker we've seen outside tourist trails in Canyonlands, who wanted to say hello and just had awful timing. We chatted for a few minutes. It turns out the Halls Creek swim was chin deep on him and he was nearly six feet tall. After separating, I returned to the news. Obviously we would have found out tomorrow when we got to town, but the next few miles were a weird stupor.

We had some convoluted contouring to do before we descended into Exit Canyon, climbed out again, and then contoured and descended into Stephens Canyon. The canyon is gorgeous, and was lit very well, with a cloud perfectly placed near a giant tower. (We get an hour in the morning and one in evening for photos, the rest is entirely too washed out and/or hazy.)

We should reach Hole in the Rock Road tomorrow, and Nano's mountain mentor is going to pick us up. We could use showers.

Rest in Power, my wonderful, if in the end, strategically foolhardy queen.

"When there are nine." --RBG

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