...desert flowers for me

While in Moab, I hiked the Portal Overlook Trail. The trailhead is about 4 miles up Potash Road. The overlook was beautiful, but I was mostly noticing the flowers. With all the rain we've had this year, the desert flowers are not being bashful.

Claret Cup Cactus

Globemallow  

Blanketflower

Fishhook Cactus

Penstemon

Buttercups

Sweetpea

Portal Overlook with La Sal Mountains in the background

Moab

I believe those are the names of the flowers and cacti--correct me if I'm wrong. I like hiking alone sometimes. It feels adventurous. But I will admit, this time I was a little uneasy. You see, my imagination runs wild when I'm alone. Before my hike, while walking down main street in Moab, Dave and I came across this wanted sign for Lance Leeroy Arellano--the man who shot Ranger Brody Young in November. 

The shooting occurred on Potash Road near the Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead just down the road from the Portal Trail where I was hiking. If you can read the wanted add, it gives clues for finding him. Even for $30,000, I didn't want to come upon him dead or alive; especially alone. 

As I hiked I imagined a starving disheveled man jumping out from behind a rock with a gun and ordering me to give him all of my food and water and threatening to shoot me if I didn't take an oath I wouldn't tell anyone about the encounter. Then I thought about my ethics class last semester and what would I do? Would I promise not to tell and then run to the Sheriff? Would I keep my oath, not tell anyone, and let a dangerous man go free? Or would I tell him I couldn't promise any such thing and risk being shot?

As I reached the overlook it is very exposed. There is even a sign on the trail that says something like "Three bicyclists have died here, get off your bike and walk." There were fake flowers surrounding the sign as a grave marker. The sign made me sad and I could see how a bicyclists could easily fall off the trail to their death--just looking down made me dizzy. Then I thought about Lance Leeroy. I imagined him steeling my food and water and then pushing me off the cliff. I know, very morbid. 

I was glad to get back down to the trailhead and call Dave to pick me up. I like hiking alone, but I definitely need to get this imagination of mine under control before I can really enjoy it. And, oh yeah, at the trailhead it advises everyone: Don't Hike Alone. Which is good advice for many reasons--in addition to stumbling onto an armed wanted man.