A brutal desert trek led a travel blogger to one of Utah’s most stunning canyons
Kobi Feld, the Israeli travel blogger known online as “Coco Trip,” spent two weeks hiking rugged routes across Arizona, Utah and Colorado, and says the trip pushed him to the edge physically and mentally. In his conversation with ynet, he described extreme heat, cactus injuries, and long ascents and descents with no shade, but also said the journey helped him reassess himself. “I used to run wild without thinking,” he said, adding that after injuries he suffered in the war, “today I know I have to stop and take breaks, otherwise it won’t end well.”
One of the hardest parts was the descent to the turquoise pools in Little Colorado Canyon in Arizona, inside the Hopi reservation. The route, known as Hopi Salt, is an old trail used by the Hopi to carry salt from the canyon to the plateau above. Although the permit costs $25, Feld said the five-kilometer descent is highly technical, with no real trail, only cairns, dry falls and boulders. He slipped, twisted his ankle and fell into a cactus, leaving his hand full of spines. After three hours down in temperatures that reached more than 50 degrees Celsius, he collapsed at the water’s edge and had to rest before he could even enjoy the view.
After swimming, taking photos and resting briefly, he and a friend had to climb all the way back up the same route. Feld called the canyon “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” and said the price was too high to repeat. He then moved on to Zion National Park in Utah for The Subway, the famous Left Fork Subway canyon route, named for its rounded rock walls that resemble a subway tunnel. Because there were not enough people for the shuttle, they paid as if they were three hikers and drove about 40 minutes to the trailhead.
The hike started with an hour to an hour and a half in dry desert before the water appeared. Feld had brought wetsuits from Israel, and later said wearing them had been the right choice. He also carried a 30-meter rope from Israel and used it to rappel down waterfalls into blue pools. His friend slipped once after struggling with the technique, but was not seriously hurt. The full 16-kilometer route took them five hours, including a six-kilometer exit climb, and Feld said The Subway was the one place from the trip he would return to. He also noted the area’s remoteness, lack of cell service and self-managed anchors and ropes, maintained by volunteer climbers rather than the park service.
