Our off-trail excursion took us to the place where we had our rock climbing accident. It was definitely scary, but often facing fears brings strength. That was the case today, despite lots of loose rocks and debris, tricky underfooting, and limited handholds.

But we agreed that we no longer need to go up to the mesa top via this route. And as always, the vastness of the landscape was deeply inspiring with ancient trees, lichens, shrubs, cacti, and amazing vistas.