I’ve hiked here several times before in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument but Bill and I were looking for a short walk on the way to Page for lunch so it was a return to the rock Toadstools.
We follow the wash and rock to avoid the living cryptobiotic soil made up of lichen, fungi and mosses that takes years to build and only one step to kill.
Easy to see how flowing water breaks down the walls of the wash revealing various layers of color in the sandy soil.
The entire trail is only 1.6 miles round trip with 100 feet gain in elevation and soon we see the first toadstool.
A toadstool is a spire-like feature with a boulder perched atop a pedestal rock, like a mushroom. It forms when softer rock erodes away leaving a column sheltered from wind and water.
We headed for the shade under a toadstool cap and sat talking while enjoying the view.
Including upwards.
There are toadstools all around in various sizes.
And a huge spillway created an alcove behind us.
With grumbling stomachs we headed back down the trail.
Sasha led the way.
The trail to the toadstools is an easy 2 miles round trip in a wash and past the deposited layers of sandstone, limestone and shale.
The toadstools kind of sneak up on you.
They are majestic.
And come in all sizes.
Of course you can’t eat these toadstools unless you’re a rock giant with very strong teeth.
A storm was heading my way so I rather booked it out of there and continued my journey to