Hiking On A Lost Trail

We were lost. It was not a terribly long trail, but we were definitely lost. The dirt trail we were walking on would sometimes disappear, then reappear somewhere else. Scratching our heads, we were thinking who made this trail and why is it not the way it appears on a map?

This ominous trail is called the Billings Gap Overlook Hike. It offers many opportunities of viewing the canyon below, with hoodoos sprouting anywhere. What is a hoodoo? A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. They are normally found in dry, desert areas. They are incredible to look at as you may not see them on an everyday basis.

This trail is an “off the beaten path” trail, as it takes you off paved trails and onto something different. These are not well thought-out planned trails, but trails that you might have to find on your own, as you seek adventures in these places.

This particular trail took us away from the paved world, and onto dirt, with bushes, bunnies and stunning views of the land. It is also called the badlands (not of South Dakota), as it is a land of desolation, but of wonder to the eye of the beholder.

For most of the trail, you will be close to the edge with plenty of views. But do not let those views take your mind away from the trail. You might be walking on a solid dirt trail, when all of a sudden it disappears and all you see are bushes everywhere. Then all of a sudden the trail shows up again as you are seeking where it went in the first place.

It was a warm day as I was enjoying my last bit of summer vacation, since I work in a school, and yes, I enjoy summer breaks! Sometimes we got frustrated on the trail when it would disappear, and sometimes we felt challenged to find a new trail, or just any trail to walk on. There are no trees around, so no worries of trying to find the trailhead as we have a pretty good sense of direction.

But it did give me a chance to take photos of the scenic area, with the dramatic clouds as a backdrop. Sometimes when we are on a journey, we want to see the path ahead of us, clear and open for us to proceed forward without any hesitation or problems. Well, sometimes life does not work that way. Like us getting lost and could not find the trail we were walking on, but little trails here and there. It made it an interesting day, just like our journeys can be interesting when we have to take a detour.

And we did make it to the trailhead. Yeah! Thinking back, I really enjoyed being in this area as it afforded me plenty of photos and some good thinking skills as we hiked the Billings-Gap Overlook trail. If you happen to be near the Petrified Forest in Arizona, you will find many trails, like this one but with consistent trails, and amazing scenery!

Share with us a trail you got lost on, but instead of feeling frustrated, you were thankful!