Prepare yourself, Taking routes described in this book, you will experience some of the most remarkable off-trail hiking on the planet. South-central Utah offers a palette of color, rich in texture, a feast for the eye. Even my previous assignments which exposed me to such hikeable wonders as the Mojave and Chihuahua deserts, the high desert of the basin and range, and two park units in Alaska, had not fully prepared me for the extent of hiking opportunities here. So, arriving in 1999 as Capitol Reef National Park's new chief ranger, I, like you, set out to avail myself of some local knowledge to help me become acquainted with this place. Part of my formal orientation to the area was to accompany a former park ranger who, I was told, had an extraordinary knowledge of the Capitol Reef backcountry. That person was Fred Goodsell, retired from federal service but still active as a long-time park volunteer, assisting park staff with several important projects.
Your (and my) selection of a guide is an excellent one. For you are in possession of not only a guidebook, but of a very personal part of Fred Goodsell as well. Fred possesses an extraordinary and intimate knowledge of the local terrain, as well as its natural and cultural history. Soon after Capitol Reef became a national park, Fred became its first field ranger, a post he held from 1972 to 1975. During that time, he did what park rangers are supposed to do - range! And range is what he did as a daily part of his job, a task he did well and with zeal.
Fred has hiked every one of the routes described in this book, usually many times. Even in his supposed retirement, Fred continues to be the park's most prolific hiker. He cares passionately about wild places and for humanities right to have such places in perpetuity, A member of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Fred devotes time and other personal resources toward insuring this happens.
Be forewarned. Upon using this guidebook, you may learn something about the environment through which you pass. Fred often uses geologic features and specific plant species as navigational landmarks. Do not let this be intimidating. Fred is an excellent teacher (another profession he held) and by his guidance your assimilation of natural history necessary to negotiate these routes will be as if by osmosis.
The routes Fred describes are often portals to discovery. Fred is a most excellent hiking partner in part because he is an inquisitive kind of guy, How often I heard "What is over that ridge? Do you think that canyon is passable? I wonder if there is another route into this place?" He readily shares his enthusiasm for exploration in this guide. Upon reaching the end of the described route, take Fred up on his invitation to explore further. The end of Fred's route often leads to the beginning of discovery.
Jim Unruh|
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23June2017
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