The wind howled during the night. I doubt that the climbers in tents slept much. The wind was so powerful and relentless it kept us awake quite a bit too. Still, I was happy to be in the Cougar and not dealing more closely with the elements.
The wind was so bad that climbing was out of the question. Peggy went into Moab to get some work done and run some errands. Dave and Quinn decided to go hiking in the Needles area. I opted to stay in the trailer to read and relax.
While they were gone, it seemed I experienced a desert hurricane. It blasted so hard that three of our wheel chocks blew out from under the trailer. At one point, a free-range tent blew by. I went out to save this tent by throwing several large rocks into it. Later we met the owners when they came by looking for their lost home in the evening. They had been camped about 250 yards away.
While outside trying to secure the rogue tent, I noticed the companions in Peggy's campsite were losing everything to the winds. I gathered up pots, pans, plates, utensils, stoves, etc. that were scattered all around and tried to secure them. One tent in the group was flattened and wrecked. There was nothing I could do to save it.
When I finally got back in the camper, I was coated with red sand. My teeth were red even. Bleck. I had so much sand in my eyes I could see it when looking in the mirror. And my hair was a huge tangle filled with goat-heads and other desert vegetation. Nasty.
Meanwhile, Quinn and Dave enjoyed their hike in the Needles. According to the web, "[t]he Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area. The district’s extensive trail system provides many opportunities for long day hikes..." (see http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/needles.htm).
Some of their hike was in the blasting wind, but much of it seemed to be protected.
The hike ended up being longer than they anticipated though they had a great time and saw many beautiful sites.
One particular formation brought out a mischievous side in both Dave and Quinn. I especially love Quinn's boyish grin in the photo!
When they returned, we all had dinner again then called it a night. We hoped that the weather would be taking a turn for the better.
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