Sit Down Bench
It had been a long day when we found ourselves at the eastern end of Sit Down Bench. We looked around, and judging by the terrain it would be a relatively flat and easy trail. Though we found a few bumps in the road it ended up being an easy one.
You could see where the trail would go long before you got there. It hugged the mountain to the north and steered clear of the water to the south. Every time we saw we were close to canyons or water we'd try to catch a glimpse, but it was all just a little too far away.
Though we were making good time, we had to suddenly slow down for narrow cuts across the trail where erosion had taken its toll. It wasn't tough for us, but a passenger car might have some issues if they didn't find a lucky way through it.
When we got to the trailhead for Alstrom Point we had a brief vote. No one voted to go see it. A round trip of 20 miles was just too much, and the sun was on its way down. Sadly, it was the only trail we had planned to do that we didn't get to. We'll have to catch it the next time.
We got to Smoky Mountain Road just north of The Moon, so we headed south and out. We went back to the gas station and gassed up, but the convenience store was closed. There were no restaurants, so we got ready for the drive back to Escalante and ate what we had with us.
After stopping at the restrooms at the Big Water Visitor Center we headed over to Cottonwood Canyon Road 400. That was the fastest way back to town, in the end. It was dark for most of our trip north, but we'd seen the trail before.
We left Escalante at 8:30 in the morning and got back a little before midnight. It was a long day and a great day, and we'd do it again. Thanks, Escalante!
