BLM Dispatch #35 - Whitney Pocket

The road to Whitney Pocket, the unofficial gateway to the Gold Butte National Monument, is paved all the way from Interstate 15.

There are potholes, gravel bars, and undulations that resemble the final scenes in One Battle After Another, but any vehicle could manage just fine.

We arrived at a circular gravel turnout at dark, a few hours past sunset. No one else around. Temperature: 41 degrees.

Reaching into my pack, I take out and then put on every single piece of clothing I brought. The bitter Michigan cold of my childhood and youth - a chill I once proudly believed made me a tough Michigander - has all but evaporated after twenty-two years living in annual warmth. 41 degrees feels like minus twenty…

—

Read more…