Moab Nov 26 - Snow and Chicken Corners
We awoke to several inches of fresh wet snow in Moab this morning. The drizzle from yesterday afternoon turned to blowing snow as the evening progressed. Apparently the snow continued while we slept, and left a pretty solid blanket in the area.
We waited a few hours for the snow to melt a bit before deciding on a trail. Around 10:30, we determined to try some easy or moderate trail, backing away from our planned Dome Plateau. We suspect Dome Plateau would have been manageable today, but with the late start, long drive to the trail head, and long mileage on the trail itself, we were concerned about completing the trail before sunset. Instead, we decided to run Hurrah Pass to Chicken Corners.
The drive up Kane Creek Rd towards Hurrah Pass was generally just wet and muddy, with a few patches of snow in the north and western faces as we passed through the canyon.
As we proceeded up to Hurrah Pass, we were surprised to see several vehicles coming down towards us, as well as a large propane hauler parked partway up. We stopped briefly at the pass, but it was particularly cold today, so we did not linger.
The drive from the top of the pass to Chicken Corners was notable only for the large quantity of mud I was able to transfer from the ground to the Jeep. My daughter challenged me to splash as many puddles as possible, so I obliged. We stopped at the far end of Chicken Corners for the obligatory photos and short hike before turning back towards Moab.
The return trip was also largely uneventful, save for a brief encounter with some folks who had more ambition than sense attempting to climb Hurrah Pass in some new Hyundai SUV that did not have 4WD. They had helpfully parked their Hyundai and Jeep (older Compass or Patriot?) blocking the entire trail at the base of a small rock obstacle. We were delayed for a while as the Benny Hill theme played in my head and the tourists struggled to turn around and clear the trail. After leaving them behind, we quickly made our way back to town and ended our shortened final trail day in Moab.
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