The Hayduke Trail
Figure it Out on the Hayduke Trail by Alex Maier
Alex Maier's Figure it Out on the Hayduke Trail is a film about one of America's most challenging long-distance hikes. To call the Hayduke a trail is a bit misleading it is a route that exists on maps and only occasionally on the ground. The 800-mile-long route begins in Arches National Park in Utah and winds its way through the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau in Utah and Arizona. It snakes down south to enter and exit the Grand Canyon three times before winding back north to terminate in Zion National Park. Most of the time there is no trail to follow and navigating through the canyons can be extremely difficult and dangerous. A hiker is left to figure out what to do almost every day. Water is scarce in the desert, sun exposure is extreme and civilization is very far away at times.
Out there one is completely submersed in untouched wilderness. Along the way, Alex discovered valuable life lessons that can only be learned by going deep into the wilderness alone. The movie uses the hike as a metaphor for life itself.
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Figure it Out is both a 90-minute film and a 10-part series of episodes
The 90-minute feature film is available on these platforms
The 10-part Series is available on these platforms
This book is based on my 2018 thru-hike of the Hayduke Trail, but it goes much deeper than that. The hike is a metaphor for life and it inspires lessons and perspectives that we can incorporate into “regular life” to put us on a path of growth.
The Hayduke Trail is an 800-mile hiking route across the Colorado Plateau. It starts in Arches National Park in Utah, winds its way through remote canyon country, dips into Arizona to go through the Grand Canyon, and ends in Zion National Park. There is no trail most of the time and the terrain is harsh and unforgiving. It’s considered by many accomplished hikers to be the hardest long-distance hike in the country.
