Day 8: Capitol Reef
Solo overnight backpack in Lower Spring Canyon — total solitude, total darkness, and filtered water from a standing pool.
After seeing more of Bryce Canyon the previous day than I had planned, I decided to move on and use my extra day to see Capitol Reef. With only one night to spend there my backpacking options were limited — I ended up going into Lower Spring Canyon and hiking about 7 miles in. Capitol Reef was very different from Bryce — much larger, fewer features, and by far fewer people. I didn’t see a single other person my entire time in Spring Canyon, and this was a Friday night. I wasn’t able to find the eponymous spring, so I had to filter water from one of the standing pools in the canyon. The solitude, silence, and darkness I found here were incredible.
