Beginning in Arches National Park - Hayduke Trail Thru Hike 1

Starting the hardest thru hike in the United States! The Hayduke Trail runs more than 800 miles from Arches National Park all the way to Zion National Park. Involving water carries upwards of 40 miles in length, temperatures as high as 115* and as low as 20*, difficult rock climbing and scrambling to get in and out of canyons, a lot of route finding through a maze of rock and trailless features... all while being in some of the most remote areas in the country!

We started out thru hike April 12th and I couldn't be more excited!

vvv Hayduke Trail Gear List vvv
Shorts - http://tinyurl.com/ykdx7fwe
Hat - http://tinyurl.com/5bwua2cy
Shirt - https://amzn.to/4a9cRaU
Shoes - https://amzn.to/3wvKKnm
Watch - https://amzn.to/3mz7ePp

Backpack - http://tinyurl.com/ykhnu4fh
Pack Liner - http://tinyurl.com/2p8uvn7w
Quilt - https://tinyurl.com/yc2h5d54
Shelter - https://tinyurl.com/mv9f66r2
Foam Pad - http://tinyurl.com/3wn5zuh2
Ground Sheet - http://tinyurl.com/3yxhhbbn
Stakes - https://amzn.to/3TXTMTF

Rain Jacket - http://tinyurl.com/bdadk452
Fleece - http://tinyurl.com/4hxdpden
Beanie - http://tinyurl.com/3ynkyca3
Wind Pants - https://tinyurl.com/mtdxxztb
Socks - https://amzn.to/3DDlk73
Sunglasses - https://tinyurl.com/mrx785s6

Water Bladder - https://amzn.to/3V5zskj (Carrying 6L)
Water Filter - https://amzn.to/3UQXI9t
Spoon - https://amzn.to/3cA3mVG

Flashlight - http://tinyurl.com/5n6jkrmd
Battery - Ravpower PD Pioneer 20,000mah 60w
Charger - Ravpower PD Pioneer 30w 2-port
Camera - https://amzn.to/3wjb6sG
Lens - https://amzn.to/3IRQV8q
Microphone - https://amzn.to/4cBW6GY
Camera Clip - https://amzn.to/4cvIgpT
Watch Charger - https://amzn.to/3PJ5zm3

Bidet - https://tinyurl.com/5hav84xd
Toothbrush - https://amzn.to/3tkN4GY
Knife - https://amzn.to/3r3psb7
Trowel - https://amzn.to/3u6VIMr
Blister Tape - https://amzn.to/3qZ55f9
Chaffe Cream - https://amzn.to/3bNorNu
Wallet - http://tinyurl.com/3bbsup83

This trail connects six national parks across southern Utah and northern Arizona... Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion. It's incredible to get to experience them in this way, and to see all those places in between! Many will go to these parks as a very quick road trip, to see Utah's big 5 National Parks, but we will be living out here for nearly two months while navigating from one to the other.

The Hayduke Trail is much more difficult than thru hikes like the Pacific Crest Trail. There is no organization behind it, there are no official maps, there is no official trail or route. It really is just finding your way through a very unforgiving landscape. Not to mention, by comparison only 20 or 30 people do this hike per year while the PCT has about 8,000 who will attempt it. No one knows what you're doing out here besides a small handful of locals, but these are the things that make this hike special.

I think the Hayduke Trail compliments something like the the Arizona Trail well. Again, this is much more difficult, but they are similar in length, they are not far from one another (even crossing near the Grand Canyon!), and they both go through similar environments. I think the AZT has a ton of diversity in plants and animals along the way, due to the mountain ranges it passes through, and the constant changing of elevation. While the Hayduke is more about the geology, the rocks, the canyons... things the Arizona Trail doesn't really have a ton of. Both trails go together very well, and are extremely different despite what most might think!

This is in the end a hike you really have to want, a hike you really have to plan for and be experienced enough to do. There are a lot of ways someone could get in a lot of trouble out there given the difficulty and remoteness of the trail. It's a trail and thru hike that I have been dreaming about now for many years, and so far it has lived up to my every expectation. It has gone above and beyond those expectations.

This first section takes us from the Devils Garden Trail in Arches National Park all the way to Moab Utah. Past Landscape arch, one of the biggest natural rock arches in the world, and down into courthouse wash. We follow that canyon all the way through the park and after 30 miles we are walking right through Moab.

Hiking Essentials Shirt! http://jupiterhikes.com/product/hikin...

THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:
http://www.jupiterhikes.com/gear/

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