In planning our trip to Utah this year, I originally thought about heading down Grand Gulch by entering at Collins Canyon and hiking down to Shaw Arch (repeating our 2006 trip), thus completing our tour of the Gulch: 2016 - Kane RS to Gov't Trail; 2017 – Gov't Trail to Collins Canyon; 2018 – Bullet Canyon, Grand Gulch, and out Sheiks Canyon. Since five of this year's group had been on the 2017 trip, it would be somewhat repetitive for them. Instead I decided that we would do the Fish-Owl Canyon Loop as I was the only one who had been on that trip and it was also one of the most scenic trips on Cedar Mesa.

I had done the loop twice before, in 2001 and 2007. Memory has a way of fading out bad parts and boosting the good ones. It wasn't too bad (my memory told me). But there is a difference between doing the hike at 58 (2001) or even 64 (2007) and attempting it at 76.

There were a lot of people cussing me out for taking them on such a hard trip, but we all made it out OK. Maybe as the months go by, those bad memories will fade and the good ones become more prominent!

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth