Gap-like

When we first moved to Iron County in 2008, there were several small washes between the Little Salt Lake and the Parowan Gap that we used to walk in, sometimes every day.  You could go out for an hour and walk to the top of the Red Hills and not see or hear anything.  Then, as the population of Iron County boomed and the motorized use spread, especially during the COVID induced outdoor recreation infestation, people started pushing the motors up the washes.  Motorized recreational vehicles have become so powerful that they can go just about anywhere, even up steep narrow washes that you wouldn't expect.  With the motors comes the trash.  If you have to carry it, you're not so trashy.  But, if the vehicle carries it, why not?  Beer cans, toilet paper, mustard squeezies, old TVs.  Finally, I quit.  The zone is banned and I won't go back.

The cross country motorized use in Carbon County is just as bad, or possibly worse.  But rough country can stop the motors if it is steep enough.  Yesterday, I was out by Pinnacle Peak and I parked the Chev to look at this little canyon.  Lower down there were a couple of hand-over-hand rock falls that were pretty steep and, about halfway up, was a 25 foot pour-over that was too sheer to climb, even on foot.  I found a cheater route up the side wall and made it to the top.  It was quiet in the late day sunshine, and not much more than 30 minutes from the truck:  A Gap-like out-n-back without the motors.  On the other hand, Carbon County is one big gas field.  At the top of the canyon was a well pad with a pump jack!