Dinosaur Track Trail, June 16, 2021

Besides the pure, aesthetic joy that comes with looking at any dinosaur, I’ve always been caught and held by the fact that the world was dominated by these animals for almost 200 million years. This was a time when the planet was at its best (biased as I am that the best planet is one that sustains life), a time that would have likely gone uninterrupted if it wasn’t for the repeated process that Earth, and most things really, takes in wiping the slate clean every so often. 

There are plenty of other facts that have kept me interested in dinosaurs for as long as I can remember. It’s a fascinating field to follow, and resources like ScienceDaily.com and Palaeocast make it easy and fun to stay updated on all kinds of discoveries being made around the world. 

So when I cruised into Utah after Camp Chaski in Flagstaff and saw there was a public trail leading to dinosaur tracks I could literally walk in, well, I had to be there. 

This was also the same day I saw Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon. I was definitely exhausted after that adventure, but seeing dinosaur tracks in the wild might be a great way to get me to do anything, no matter how tired I am. 

I ended up with catching two of the most beautiful hikes of my life in one day.  

The way up, finding the tracks, and walking and feeling the texture of them in the rock with my hands rought to mind how millions of years have passed between when this life made his or her mark here, but we’re standing on the same planet, both of us born here, having to eat and drink water, feel the need for self-preservation, and fatigue, fear, and satisfaction. It’s anyone’s guess if dinosaurs got to feel joy, but it’s a fun thing to think about, and I like to hope so, as violent and short as their lives seem to have been, in a world that was theirs for longer than any other family of land-going animals.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to the get to the top of this trail. Some minor scrambling was needed at times but I felt energized and compelled to push myself to see everything I could before the day ended. 

The natural beauty of Utah kept winning by the hour on this day. It’s a habit the state has every time I get to visit, and I can’t get back fast enough to see more.