Today we’re in the middle of a cool, rainy spell in the Escalante Canyons, and the clouds are hanging low over the Boulder Mountains and the Grand Staircase cliffs.  This is welcome, because we’ve had such a dry year here.  But importantly for next Saturday’s races, it bodes well for the storm front to have passed, leaving in its wake a freshened landscape and even purer air than usual, if that’s possible.

I just checked the 10-day forecast for Escalante, and while this rain is likely to continue for another day or two, by next weekend we’re promised sunny skies with some high clouds.  And temperatures will rise a bit, to highs in the high 50s/low 60s F — it will be cool at the half marathon and especially marathon start lines, though (low 30s for the marathon), so don’t forget some warm outerwear.  We’ll have clothing bags in your race packets for anything you want to send ahead to the finish line, and we’ll have extra clothing bags at the first few aid stations of each race to take care of any clothing or items you want to shed after you get moving.

Should be absolutely beautiful here next weekend!