A friend's recommendation led me to hike the Lower Calf Creek Falls today. Located off Highway 12 east of Escalante, Utah, the Calf Creek Recreation Area contains a campground, year-round flowing Calf Creek, and hiking trails. I was present much of the 3 mile (one-way) hike into the falls and found myself smiling or whistling much of the day. This easy, relatively flat hike is like a walk on the beach in that in follows the stream and the substrate is largely sand. I don't know what it was but I felt no need to hike quickly; maybe it was the sand which forces one to slow down. I took over 100 photos; the rock formations and setting are so beautiful! Met some nice "kids" at the falls; they are attending the University of Utah and just taking a break after finals and before graduation.
Another idle thought occurred to me during my hike - it is amazing that the violent geologic forces which cause these rock formations can result in such beauty; however, as I hiked and thought of the ancient peoples who used to inhabit this area, it made me wonder whether beauty such as this is universal or in the eyes of the beholder. It was a beautiful today - temp was in the 60s, sunny, calm; but under different weather conditions, I imagine this environment could be harsh, especially in pre-Gortex times:)
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