Roving Talks
2021 Christa Sadler: Phipps Arch Exploration
NOTE: Limited to 10 participants. To RSVP, please sign up here. Carpool out to Escalante River Trailhead from GSEP Office.
Phipps Arch is a massive sandstone arch that sits high above Phipps Wash, a tributary to the Escalante River—an area rich in natural and human history: geology, biology, archeology, and even some pioneer history. We’ll wander along the river and up Phipps Wash to the climb that takes us up to and even under the arch. Along the way we’ll see what we find, discuss the extraordinary things this area has to show us—the riparian oasis of the Escalante River; ancient dune fields that were home to dinosaurs millions of years ago; landforms strange enough to be from another planet; ancient peoples and the lives they lived on this land. This is a great hike—one that requires a little effort but yields many wonderful and scenic rewards.
HIKE DETAILS: 6.5 miles round trip, roughly 300-foot elevation change, one way. Participants will need to cross the Escalante River several times. The walk is easy and relatively level until the last few hundred yards. At that point the trail ascends, and to get all the way to the arch, hikers must climb through a 10-to-12-foot cliff band. We will provide support and help, but it requires a few climbing moves, an adventurous spirit, and that you not be unusually afraid of heights.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Walking sticks if you like them
- Good shoes – low hikers with good soles, not big leather hiking boots. NO TEFLON-SOLED TENNIES – shoes with good soles that can also get wet.
- At least 3 liters of water
- A decent daypack
- Lunch and snacks
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
- Bring a camera, and small binoculars if you have them.
As a teacher, naturalist, author, and guide, Christa Sadler has called the Colorado Plateau home for more than three decades. She holds a Master’s degree in earth sciences and paleontology from Northern Arizona University, and a bachelor’s degree in physical anthropology from the University of California Berkeley. Christa has been boating, hiking, teaching, and writing in the landscapes of southern Utah since 1988 and has published numerous books and articles about the region. Her publications include: There’s This River: Grand Canyon Boatman Stories; Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Late Triassic in the American Southwest; Life in Stone: Fossils of the Colorado Plateau; Where Dinosaurs Roamed: Lost Worlds of Utah’s Grand Staircase and The Colorado. There is nothing in the world she loves as much as exploring this environment, alone or with others who enjoy learning and being in these lands.
Christa Sadler: Hoodoo Voodoo: An Exploration of Escalante’s Very Own Hoodoos (and everything around them!)
NOTE: Limited to 12 particpants. To RSVP, please sign up here. Carpool out to parking area from GSEP Office.
BLM-Bob Wick
Hoodoos are some of the oddest and most whimsical landforms that occur in the desert Southwest. Escalante has their very own hoodoos that are easy to access and fun to explore. We’ll park along the road and walk in along the rim of Head of the Rocks to the Hoodoos. Along the way, we’ll have a chance to see extraordinary views and talk about the formation of the rocks, the landforms and landscapes, and the unique ecosystem we are traveling through. There’s also some really interesting history and pre-history and, once we reach the hoodoos, no lack of geological voodoo to talk about! This is an easy hike of less than three miles round-trip, over sandy, but relatively flat terrain.
HIKE DETAILS: Park just off HWY 12. Easy walking is over relatively flat, sometimes sandy ground.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Walking sticks if you like them
- Good shoes – low hikers with good soles, not big leather hiking boots.
- 2 liters of water
- A decent daypack
- Lunch and snacks
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
- Bring a camera, and small binoculars if you have them.
As a teacher, naturalist, author, and guide, Christa Sadler has called the Colorado Plateau home for more than three decades. She holds a Master’s degree in earth sciences and paleontology from Northern Arizona University, and a bachelor’s degree in physical anthropology from the University of California Berkeley. Christa has been boating, hiking, teaching, and writing in the landscapes of southern Utah since 1988 and has published numerous books and articles about the region. Her publications include: There’s This River: Grand Canyon Boatman Stories; Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The Late Triassic in the American Southwest; Life in Stone: Fossils of the Colorado Plateau; Where Dinosaurs Roamed: Lost Worlds of Utah’s Grand Staircase and The Colorado. There is nothing in the world she loves as much as exploring this environment, alone or with others who enjoy learning and being in these lands.
Constance Lynn: If You Listen, They Will Teach You: Nature Awareness as an Opening into Deeper Connections with Self, Others, the Earth and All Beings
NOTE: Limited to 10 participants (minimum 5). To RSVP, please sign up here. Carpool out to Escalante River Trailhead from GSEP Office.
On this journey we will walk into the wild and drop into the language of Nature, opening our senses and directly experiencing what it is to be fully participatory with all of Life.
HIKE DETAILS:
Upstream along the Escalante River from the Escalante River (Bridge) Trailhead. We will be in desert/riparian terrain meandering slowly for a total of two miles, with many stops along the way. While Constance will make an effort to pause in the shade as needed, the group will be in full sun at times and have to cross the river.
WHAT TO BRING:
- A poncho or pillow to sit on that can slip into a daypack
- At least 2 liters of water
- A journal and pen
- Shoes with good soles that can also get wet – hiking sandals are ideal footwear for this walk.
- Snacks
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
- Wear layers
Constance Lynn has been devoted to holistic health for Self, individuals and Earth for over 30 years. In 1991 she worked on her first organic farm and discovered the gifts of eating from the land and connecting with plants as our relatives, as well as our allies in healing.
Constance began offering herbal remedies through Night Raven Wild and Organic Herbs in 2008. She hand collects medicinal plants from her garden, mountain and desert and then prepares salves, creams, tinctures and teas to offer the healing gifts of the plants to others.
Certified as a yoga teacher and therapeutic yoga practitioner for over 20 years, Constance inspires her students through interconnecting the ancient tradition of yoga with wild nature and soul. She also has extensive experience with organic/whole food nutrition influenced by an Ayurvedic perspective.
She loves Silence, Solitude and Wild Nature…..
Learn more on her website.
2021 Cindy Calbaum: Trees of the Escalante Mountains
NOTE: Limited to 10 particpants (4 minimum). To RSVP, please sign up here. Carpool from the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center parking area.
Cindy Calbaum will teach you how to identify the conifer species which are native to the Escalante Mountains and the basics of how to identify deciduous trees. After learning about tree identification, Cindy will lead a 1/2 mile hike from the Posey Lake Campground to the Posey Overlook 400 feet above the lake.
HIKE DETAILS: The first part of the trail is steep climbing 400 ft quickly and then levels off.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Good hiking shoes
- Water
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
- Walking sticks if you like them
Cindy has worked as a Forester and Recreation Specialist with the US Forest Service for over 30 years.
2021 Alan Titus: Time Traveling Through the Age of Dinosaurs
- sturdy hiking shoes
- lunch
- 2 liters of water
- sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
Dr. Titus fell in love with fossils and paleontology at the age of eight while roaming the hills of southern Nevada with his parents. He received his undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), his Master of Science degree from the University of Arkansas, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Washington State University. He became the first permanent Monument Paleontologist for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in May 2000, a position he held until he was promoted to District Paleontologist in 2019.
Sean Duffy: Appreciating Our Dark Skies
Join Ranger Sean to view features of our night sky with large telescopes.
A park ranger for more than 35 years, Sean has been studying cultural and natural history throughout the west and combines the two in his astronomy programs. Rumored to have a six sense about fossils, he manages to find fossils where ever he roams.
Carolyn Shelton: Observing Nature Through Simple Journaling – Words, Sketches, Painting
Bring something to write in or sketch or paint on, as well as the materials you need. It can be as simple as a pen or pencil and a few pieces of paper on a clipboard or an actual journal. Carolyn prefers to use watercolor pencils and brushes, as they are easy to use “in the field.” Your choice! Since we will be walking a short distance and then sitting on the ground, you might want a cushion.- sketchbook or something to write, sketch, or paint on
- pencil, pen, paints, or watercolor pencils and brushes
- cushion to sit on
- 2 liters of water
- sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
Carolyn is an ardent observer and lover of the outdoors – flora, fauna, geology, weather. Over the years, she has enjoyed sharing this love through nature journaling with other people, particularly those that don’t consider themselves physically able outdoor enthusiasts. The ability to observe one’s surroundings and the beauty and complexity of the natural world can bring us great joy, solace, and compassion. It can also help us understand better why it is so important to protect Mother Earth, and in particular Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.