Trekking to 50

Where's the patina of those Utah days when I need it?

2009-05-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, I guess now that I am 50, and back from Utah, and back at work, I have to admit something to everyone.

It's more fun having time off, doing what I so love to do, in the red rock of Utah, than it is to pull the 9 to 5 gig at Santa Clara.

Really. I know you are struggling to believe me, but I actually do prefer the solace, heat, cold, beauty and quiet to trying to herd highly educated cats down a particular road.

Which is, I guess, a way of saying I am back into my work life with both feet.

I wonder why my daypack is in the back of the Forester, pretty much begging to be filled up...

El Guapo Comes to Utah!

2009-03-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Thank you for tuning in again. Today I turn to the leg of the trip for which John joined me.

El Guapo

Following my search for Neon Canyon I set off southeast toward Las Vegas. On the way out of Escalante I stopped at an the art studio/workshop of two local artists. Brigette and David Delthony moved to Escalante in 1996 from Germany and New York. Since that time they have worked as artists in Escalante full time. Brigette concentrates on ceramics art that harkens to the primitive Anasazi and Fremont Indian ceramics. David makes elaborate furniture art. Their work can be viewed at http://www.sculpturedfurnitureartandceramics.com/. We chatted for a good bit of time while I admired their work. The conversation set all those wheels of mine a'turning again about moving somewhere like Escalante. Maybe, one day...

So I zipped down through Zion and St. George to pick up I15. Then it was a straight shot to Vegas. John and met up around 5:15 and started back toward Zion. We arrived at our motel in Springdale around 8:30 and settled in.

We were up before first light. If you look at John's blog you will see the lovely moon that greeted us as we started off into Zion.

The Virgin River

Wandering Through Zion at Dawn

Near the Court of the Patriachs

Cowboys Moving Horses to Their Riding Corral

Big Bro and Little Bro Near Checkerboard Mesa

Mary Jo, I Made Sure John Read the Sign and Didn't Fall

Zion was lovely. Empty, a bit cold, but really inviting. As John and I headed up toward the Narrows things turned considerably colder, though, so we returned to the car and headed east.

When we exited the park we decided to head southeast along Highway 89 through Kanab to Johnson Canyon. Along the Johnson Canyon Road we happened upon the remains of a set from Gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke Set

Johnson Canyon Road turned to dirt after 20 miles. We followed the dirt through canyons and past ranches to the trailhead of Lick Wash, a lovely set of narrows Susan, Jack, Sophie and I explored a few years ago. (I had been exploring Lick Wash, solo, when I got my car stuck in Willis Creek.) We started down the wash only a few hundred yards before it started to muddy up. A few more yards revealed snow and ice. We continued on for about a mile before the conditions started to turn a bit too dicey. We backed out and returned to the car.

Lick Wash

Ansel Adams at Work in Lick Wash

Lick Wash

We made our way back to 89 and decided to backtrack to Kanab for lunch. From there we decided to head north and east again so we could visit Bryce Canyon.

In the Land of the Hoodoos

On a Clear Day You Can See to New Mexico (Really)

Bryce was lovely, if a bit overwhelming. We wrapped up Bryce around 5 PM and then made a fateful decision. Instead of going back around through Kanab again to Page, Arizona, we decided to take the more direct "shortcut" down the Cottonwood Canyon Road. This dirt road cuts through the center of Escalante Grand Staircase following a geologic formation called the Cockscomb and the Paria River.

Cottonwood Canyon Road

Courtesy Some Guy on Google Image

On the map it looked like the road would take about 45 minutes and shave at least an hour off the trip to Page:

We Drove from Cannonville South all the Way to Hwy 89

Courtesy Somebody Else on Google Image

In reality it took us over two hours to complete the Cottonwood Road. As we finally reached Highway 89 (which I wasn't even sure was the highway, but it was paved, so I was driving it!) it was dark. Mercifully my GPS pointed us to the highway and reassured us we were on the right path.

We Drove Cottonwood and Lived to Tell About It

Much relieved to be on pavement again, we drove directly to Page. We checked in at Lulu's Sleep Eezee Motel (John loved Lulu), ordered a pizza, and drank a good bit of bourbon. It had been a fun if tiring (and, at times, harrowing) day with by oldest brother.

It is amazing how early John can wake up in the morning. We were up and showered by 5:30. Off for some breakfast and such in Page, then off to Antelope Canyon. Antelope is located on the Navaho Reservation. The canyon has two main sections. Upper Antelope Canyon is above ground and walk through it on a nice, level sand bottom. The Navaho or other tour guides need to take you to Upper Antelope. It was beautiful but crowded, like Disneyland. We used Antelope as a bit of a shakeout project for our camera gear. We learned a lot, especially about how sand can get everywhere.

Our tour guide dropped us off at Lower Antelope Canyon (where we had parked the car) so we could continue our explorations. Unlike its above-ground partner, Lower Antelope is underground (you enter literally through a crack in the earth) and descend fixed ladders to new and amazing sandstone creations.

Lower Antelope comes with its own admission fee (of course) and the most amazing guided tour you can imagine. Our ticket taker (who was asleep behind the counter when we arrived) hooked us up with Jason, our tour guide. As we walked down a sand path lined with rocks Jason told us this was the ninth tour he had given today. During the high season he would give the tour 40 times in a day. We also found out Jason's mom owned the rights to these tours.

That minute and a half exchange was all we had time for before we reached the crack in the ground. Jason pointed to the crack and told us that's where we entered. He then turned around and walked back to the shade. Tour over. It was hilarious!

John and I wanted to be left alone to shoot photos, and that is what we got. We spend an hour and a half in Lower Antelope shooting and shooting. Together we shot almost 500 photos of the sandstone. Below is just a minor sampling of my shots; I will leave John to post some of his spectacular shots on his blog.

We wrapped up our explorations of Antelope and then headed back to Page. In our search for a motel and a liquor store we came upon this bit of local color:

Courtesy JCL,DDS

Oh, we also visited a Wal-Mart to buy compressed sir to clean the camera gear. Now my trip was complete. I could go home.

We checked into our motel, the (Lesser) Quality Inn, cleaned our gear, exchanged photos and then went off to eat sushi, John's treat. It was great!

Thank you again for your incredible generosity, John (airplane ticket, a couple of meals, a couple of gas fill-ups, a cable release for my camera, sushi, beer--you were way too generous!).

We went back to the motel and caught this view out on our balcony:

Page Sunset

After breakfast the next morning we set off back to Vegas. A crazy rain storm/dust storm greeted us as we neared the city. I dropped off John at the most crowded airport on earth and decided to continue toward home. My goal was to sleep in my bed Sunday night.

Unfortunately, that dust storm just got worse. CHP stopped cars outside of Primm, Nevada because the visibility was so poor. This meant that we were sitting still as our cars were pummeled during the sand storm. I have already put in the insurance claim for a new windshield. Around 6 PM, with wind gusts up to 80 MPH, I limped into Barstow and found a motel room. Wal-Mart and Barstow. My trip was now REALLY complete.

I escaped from Barstow around 5 AM and made it home without incident. I arrived in time to surprise the kids at school. It was glorious.

More later about my reentry.

Getting caught up: Canyonlands, Zebra, and Eqypt

2009-03-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for no recent posts. I will try to get caught up over the next few days.

After my two days in the Arches campground and the day of wandering Moab exploring Susan's past, I headed to the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands. It was quite stunning, if largely inaccessible.

The Island in the Sky district illustrates the absolute grandeur of Canyonlands. Up high at 6000 + feet, you look down from this chilly, alpine zone about 2000 feet to the broad desert zone. The canyons descend several hundred more feet to the verdant environs of the Colorado and Green Rivers. These two rivers actually slice Canyonlands into its three districts (Island in the Sky, Needles and the Maze), and each contains the zones I described above.

The Desert and River Zones, as Viewed from the Alpine Zone

The Green River Digging Canyons

Yes, It Was Precarious!

After an overall look-see, I decided to descend the Shafer Road in Canyonlands to get back to Moab. Two rangers at the visitors' center told me my Forester could handle the road, even when it became the Potash Road outside the park. (It seems the Subaru Forester is the unofficial car of US Park Service--three rangers at the visitors' center drive them.)

See that thin brown line in the valley? That's Shafer Road. It was breathtaking, and more than a bit scary.

I noticed that my car hanging out in the scenic pullouts looked like a Subie ad.

The Potash Salt Beds

As Shafer Road nears the border of Canyonlands it turned really rough. Once outside the park (and now called Potash Road) it gets really rough. The car handled it fine, though. Potash Road runs alongside salt ponds that have been producing salt for 50+ years. They are very close to the Colorado, which I found surprising. I would have thought the salt would leach into the river water.

Roadside Distractions

Potash Road winds back to Moab along the Colorado. As I drove this short length of road I saw petroglyphs and road climbers right beside the road. Now I know I do some crazy stuff, but those guys picking their way up the sheer side of redrock make me look mild.

Newspaper Rock

I spent another night in Moab (at the Apache Lodge "where John Wayne stayed"). The next morning (March 17) I headed south out of Moab to the Needles district of Canyonlands. Boring! Not much special in my view of this district. En route, though I came upon Newspaper Rock, this wild collection of native American petroglyphs. Very fun. I also saw cowboys wrangling cows in the shadow of 500 foot redrock buttes. Very cool.

The Colorado River near Hite

I continued to head south and west after leaving Canyonlands. I wound through Blanding and then cut past Butler Wash (interesting Anasazi ruins), and Natural Bridges National Monument (been there, and its great, but I didn't stop this time) and over the Colorado River at the Hite marina. Eventually I found my way back to Hanksville. As it had been a week before, it was deserted, and still a pit. Refueled, I headed into the Maze district of Canyonlands (actually the Great Gallery extended area of Canyonlands). My goal here was to camp at the Great Gallery trailhead and then hike down the next morning to view the Great Gallery (an exceptional collection of Anasazi petroglyphs and pictographs). As I turned onto the dirt road I noticed the winds were really picking up. Dust was blowing everywhere. Then a huge water truck came onto the road from some little spur road and let me eat its dust for over six miles.

Pictographs near Goblin State Park

Goblin Pictographs. Yes, Those are Bullet Holes

I decided this didn't feel very vacationy so I turned around and headed back to Highway 24. I headed north about a mile and then turned east toward Goblin State Park. I located some pictographs I had driven by a week earlier, unaware of their location. Thanks again to Old Man Travels for his help locating these.

Why Would You Live Here?

As the sun started to descend in the sky I headed south back through Hanksville towards Capitol Reef. Between Hanksville and Capitol Reef I experienced again the ash-colored severity of this most-inhospitable landscape. I zipped around Capitol Reef and then settled into the Sandstone Motel in Torrey again. This was the best bargain motel of my entire trip. Clean, comfortable rooms during both of my nights here, $45 price tag (off season) and gracious, hospitable owners.

Descending Halfway Hollow to the Zebra and Tunnel Slots

The next day I drove from Torrey to Escalante along Highway 12. In 30 miles I encountered ranchlands, forests, the snow-covered Boulder Mountain, an Anasazi site, a geocache and the extraordinary redrock between Boulder and Escalante. Amazingly beautiful and diverse.

I drove down the Hole in the Rock Road for about eight miles to descend Halfway Hollow to the Zebra and Tunnel slot canyons. GPS and map in hand, I followed a cut trail (which was completely unnecessary since you could just follow the wash--weird) about 3.5 miles to a big, sandy wash.

Zebra Slot

After a bit of hunting I found Zebra slot. Very, very pretty, and manageable (for its first 100 feet or so). I couldn't figure a way up an upclimb, though, so I turned back and hunted down Tunnel slot. It was short and filled with water, so not really worth the effort.

Scott Warner, DVM and Mike Schwebag, New Hiking Buddies

After the hot hike out to my car I headed to Escalante for a pint of Wasatch Brewery's Polygamy Porter at Escalante Outfitters. While there I met a veterinarian from Las Vegas, Scott Warner, who was trying to get his head around the whole stunning red canyons-no signs-crazy roads-must have topographic map world of Escalante. We talked about hiking Coyote Gulch together the next day, but I ultimately cried off (I don't think I could have managed 20 miles as a day hike). We exchanged phone numbers and he went off to his motel. I camped at Escalante Outfitters.

The next morning (Susan's birthday), I rose early. I ordered Susan some flowers for her birthday, and then a text greeted me on my phone. Scott wanted to do Egypt 3, a major open desert hike to Neon Canyon. I looked at it, figured we could handle it (I would have attempted it alone), so off we went. 26.5 miles down Hole in the Rock I turned off onto the 10 mile Egypt spur road. It was like being back on the Potash Road near Moab. A hard drive in, I do admit. As we neared the trailhead two cars past us going the other direction. The driver of the second car stopped us. His friends and he had been backpacking in Egypt for the past four days. Sometime during those four days someone broke into their cars and stole a bunch of stuff.

On this creepy note we arrived at the trailhead. As I tried to figure out if it was worth it to do this hike, another car arrived. In it was a solo hiker from Luxembourg named Mike Schwebag. We all decided to go together for a quick trip to Neon. We were thinking we were off on a half-day hike.

Down the Navaho Sandstone Toward the Escalante River

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

Down a 900 Foot Sandstone Slope

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

En Route to the Escalante

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

So off we went, down a 900 foot face of a Navaho sandstone mountain to a sandy desert. After going across the desert largely by line-of-sight (cairns were really difficult to find) we reached the Escalante River.

Hunting for Neon Canyon in the Tamarisk and Beaver Dams

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

Hiking boots off, river shoes on, we crossed the COLD Escalante and found...dense, difficult tamarisk and beaver dams. We worked through this mess for over an hour trying to locate the entrance to Neon Canyon. Eventually we found our way back to where we crossed the Escalante. We concluded that we would have to hike in the river about a half a mile to reach the entrance. Given the water temperature, that didn't appeal. I had had enough and decided to go back. Scott initially appeared inclined to continue looking but since I had the GPS, waypoints and a map he chose to return with me. Our European partner decided to continue to look, even though he would be traveling alone with only a guidebook's description of the trail and a difficult-to-follow "route." Although I thought his choice foolish it was Mike's choice to make. We asked Mike to contact us when he made it back. Scott and I headed for the trailhead.

The route back was generally easier to find than on the descent. As we neared the base of the Navaho sandstone mountain we needed to climb we encountered a professional guide and a couple of his customers heading toward the Escalante. All was well at the trailhead, he shared.He also shared that misbehavior like the car break-ins occurred only rarely. We asked him to keep an eye out for Mike and point him in the right direction. The guide shook his head at Mike's decision, especially without a real map or GPS. So did we. This landscape is so unforgiving. Underestimating it can cost you dearly.

After the Bataan death march up the mountain we reached the car. All was good, but Scott was completely psyched out by his Escalante experience. Escalante had another victim, it would seem. We carefully made our way back down the Egypt road to the Hole in the Rock Road. Compared to the Egypt spur the Hole in the Rock Road was like being on the interstate. We cruised back to Escalante Outfitters without incident.

Scott bolted to his motel to see if he could get out of staying another night in Escalante. He was discouraged and wanted out, bad. He headed straight back to Sin City. I grabbed a shower, had a drink and made some dinner. Around 8 PM I went to Mike's motel and inquired if he had returned. Nope. It was dark.

I returned at 9. Was he back? Nope. It was really dark.

There really wasn't anything else I could do. Escalante is not like a national park where you can rustle up a ranger and start a search. And if they did start a search they would have waited until daybreak, anyway.

The morning of the 19th brought good news. Mike had made it back sometime after 8. I had missed his return, and then he was eating dinner during my second visit. When I checked in the morning he had already departed for Antelope Canyon. At least he made it back in one piece.

Oh, and he reached Neon Canyon!

The Cathedral in Neon Canyon (Mike Reached It, But Scott and I Didn't)

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

He also encountered this:

A Little Surprise for the Late-Returning European Hiker

Photo Courtesy Mike Schwebag

Next post: John arrives!

Canyons! Moab! and more!

2009-03-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Price, Utah - Prehistoric History Museum

Sorry to have been out of touch the last few days. I have had some grand adventures. Mercifully, no close calls!

I last left off...having seen The Watchmen! It was an interesting film, at times quite faithful to the brilliant graphic novel. It feels a bit flabby in the middle (kind of like Night Owl - Watchmen reference), and it focuses at great length on romance and a happy ending. But I think the presentation of Rorchach and Doctor Manhattan was pretty spot on. Jackie Earle Haley is scary good.

But now on to... dinosaurs! I spent a little time in Price's dinosaur museum. It is pretty good for a small university museum.

Price, Utah

The Wedge - San Rafael Swell

I left Price, this strangely laid out (and just kinda strange) little city, and headed south into the San Rafael Swell again. In an earlier post I dismissed the Swell as interesting but not exciting. I take it all back now. I drove about 30 miles on a well-packed dirt road to get to a place called the Wedge. It provides a vista over the San Rafael River valley and Utah's Little Grand Canyon. It was gorgeous. And best of all, for over two hours I had the Wedge all to myself. Not a single soul disturbed my gentle stroll along the rim of this most beautiful overlook.

That's Me at the Wedge

The Wedge

A Rincon

I learned a little geology at the Wedge, too. This structure, called a rincon, is a freestanding land mass that results from water changing its flow direction. In Dry Fork Gulch, as I hunted for Spooky canyon, I wandered around a rincon, not a mesa.

Dagwood Sandwich

Petroglyphs in Buckhorn Wash

I left the Wedge and made my way through Buckhorn Wash. About four miles north of the San Rafael River campground I happened upon these Anasazi petroglyphs.

More Glyphs

After the glyphs, I continued to wander south through Buckhorn Wash toward I 70. Then I blew a tire! A rock punctured the sidewall of one of my tires (with 6000 miles on it). And just like that, my plans changed. I put on the spare and then eased my way to I 70 (stupid donut spares). At I 70 I regained cell service and consulted with my Subaru mechanic back home. He told me I had to find another Yokahama tire to replace the blown one. It seems that mixing and matching with Subaru's all-wheel drive systems screws them up. I called tire places in Moab, but none had the tire. And now it was after 5, so I couldn't check with the closest Subaru dealer--2 1/2 hours away in Grand Junction, Colorado. On a hunch I limped to Grand Junction and found a motel room.

Now I am sure Grand Junction has some fine hotels. But I sure couldn't find them. Instead, I found things like:

The Columbine Motel, Grand Junction, CO

I didn't stay here (once I saw and smelled the room), but my alternative, the Mesa Inn, was only a bit better. At least it was quiet.

After struggling for hours the next morning to find a replacement tire, I ended up replacing all four tires with new Goodyears. It was actually fairly cost effective and best of all got me out of Grand Junction. Yeeech!

The Moab KOA that the Czarks used to own in the early '70s

I made it from Grand Junction to Moab. My first stop was the KOA campground south of town that Susan's family used to own in the 1970s. I took zillions of photos of the campground to share with Susan and her family.

The KOA office

See that window above the Moab KOA sign? That was a one bedroom apartment where Susan's entire family had to live when they arrived in Moab. Mr. Czark added a loft space where a couple of Susan's sibs slept, but it was very tight quarters. The current owner uses it as a store room.

Delicate Arch Seen Through Frame Arch at Dawn

I camped in Arches National Park the next two nights. My first day I was up before dawn to hike the 3+ miles to Delicate Arch. Three other people were there,and they left about 20 minutes after I arrived. I had the arch to myself for at least 90 minutes.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch (Light Refraction)

Another Arch Shot

And Another

Moab Ready for the Tourists

After returning from the hike and getting cleaned up, I spent most of the rest of that day in Moab itself.

Kinetic Sculptures

I found some lovely kinetic sculptures that were way out of my price range, and some beautiful art work that was way out of my price range.... It seems Moab may be targeting more than backpackers and mountain bikers these days.

Grand County Red Devils Yearbook 1973: that is Susan Czark

I then spent much of the afternoon on a quest for information about Susan's family. I went to her old high school (which is now the town's middle school). I also visited the new high school where the librarian unearthed a bunch of yearbooks for me.

Landscape Arch

After another night of camping at Arches I packed up and hit the trail. I did a 7+ mile hike into Devil's Garden at Arches.

Double O Arch

Private Arch

The Devil's Garden

I crashed last night at the Apache Motel ("Where John Wayne stayed") and then made out for Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district. After a backcountry drive went a lot longer than I expected, I am now back for another night at the Apache.

Tomorrow: The Needles district of Canyonlands, and maybe beyond.

Where Can a Guy See The Watchmen in This State?

2009-03-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

The Forester Covered in Snow - Torrey

My night in Torrey was really relaxing. As much fun as all the hiking and camping has been I just needed a shower and some down time. So I just hung in my motel room for the night. Around 10 I remembered something I needed in the car and this is what I found. I hadn't been aware it was snowing at all. I just thought it was cold and windy.

Capital Reef with a Dusting of Snow

This morning the area was covered with about four inches of powdery snow. After breakfast I took off east through Capital Reef again. It looked very different this morning!

Mmmm, Powdered Sugar!

Luna Mesa

The snow eased up as I headed east toward Hanksville. The terrain between Capitol Reef and Hanksville is some of the strangest and least appealing I have ever seen. The red rock gives way to strangely finned mountains that are the color of fireplace ashes. It is singularly uninviting. Which leads me to the question: Who would live out here? Answer: Initially, polygamists. Today: next to nobody. As one guidebook pointed out, Hanksville is remote, even by Utah standards. I gassed up my car there at a station that had no attendant. I didn't see a single person in the town the ten minutes I was there. It was like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Goblin Valley State Park

From Hanksville I began traveling north up the eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell, an enormous geological disruption that occupies a huge part of central Utah. I ventured into Goblin Valley State Park to make lunch and check out the goblins.

Completing a Geocache in the Goblin Valley

I also bagged an easy geocache in the midst of the goblins, just for grins. It was hidden such that you had to through almost the entire valley of the goblins.

I left Goblin and then drove west into the southern edge of the San Rafael Swell. The area is filled with hiking, but it is pretty devoid of anything but rocks. As I described about Capitol Reef, it was interesting but not outstanding. I drove about 30 miles of dirt roads in the Swell just to get the feel of it. When the roads started getting dicey (usually soft sand becoming the road surface) I beat a retreat. This area feels even more remote than Escalante. Its remoteness served Butch Cassidy and other outlaws well during the 1800s.

Green River's One Bit of Spice (okay, two, the Bar was Cool, too)

Back onto the main road, I headed north and jumped on I70 east. In about 20 miles I came to the town of Green River, built, you will be surprised to learn, on the Green River. It's a shabby little town, but it did have a cool motel sign...

Ray's Tavern, Green River, UT

...and an interesting bar. The tables were made out of tree trunks.

I have now headed north to Price, a bigger town that serves as my launching pad for some dinosaur explorations tomorrow. This evening, it served as my opportunity to see The Watchmen.

I will offer a review of the film and the Price Utah theatre experience in my next posts!

Night all!

A great day! A freezing night!

2009-03-09T17:16:00.001-07:00

Dry Fork Trailhead to Spooky and Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyons, 3/8/09

I spent Saturday night at the Circle D Motel in Escalante. The room was clean and comfortable, as was the room I stayed in three nights previously. Ken, the owner, and Robert, the man behind the desk, were both cordial and helpful.

On Sunday, Sophie and Jack's 11th birthday, I decided to return to a couple of slot canyons I had attempted last July. Weather kept me out of Spooky and Peek-a-Boo slots then, but not this time. I left Escalante around 8:30. It was a brisk 36 degrees.

I drove 26 1/2 miles down the Hole in the Rock Road. The road was in great condition, much improved from my July journey. I turned off at the Dry Fork marker. A couple of miles later, I was parked at the trailhead. No one else was there. I readied my gear, hydrated like crazy, signed in at the register. Off I went down the cairn-marked trail. Following a roughly horseshoe-shaped path I descended to the bottom of Dry Fork. At 10 o'clock on a clock face, the entrance to the Dry Fork Narrows. At 1 o'clock (I had been told), the entrance to Peek-a-Boo. At 2 o'clock and out of sight, Spooky. Let the adventure begin!

Entrance to Dry Fork Narrows

When I attempted these slots in July I got to the entrance of the Dry Fork Narrows and had to turn around as a thunderstorm roared in. On that visit, the entrance to Dry Fork was filled with at least four feet of water.

This time the slot was bone dry. Indeed, the only real obstacle I encountered for the first half mile was the occasional cow patty. (Cows in a slot canyon?)

Dry Fork Narrows

This set of narrows, over a mile long, doesn't even make most of the guide books. But I found it really pretty and intriguing, certainly less claustrophobic than some of the other slots I have visited (not to mention Spooky, below).

Dry Fork Narrows

I went about a mile down the Dry Fork Narrows and then retraced my footsteps back to its entrance. I like slot canyons with no branches--you can't get lost.

Entrance to Spooky

I initially missed the entrance of Peek-a-Boo but thanks to my GPS and map I realized it pretty quickly. Still, finding the entrance, and getting into Peek-a-Boo was more difficult than I expected (more below).

Using a topographic map and a GPS proved invaluable as I strolled down Dry Fork. My DeLorme GPS was my geek toy for this trip and it has proved really handy so far. I love how I can integrate waypoints, actual topographic maps and Google Earth-style aerials right into the unit. The aerials were not as helpful as I thought but having the topos in the unit really helped me.

Initially I followed the wash too far, and ended up on the other side of a small rincon. Why, in such a well-travelled area, I would choose to ignore the tracks of boot prints eludes me. I realized what I did quickly, though, and was able to track around the rincon to the entrance of Spooky. Again, having both the topo in hand and the topo on my GPS worked really well in getting oriented.

Getting Skinny Fast!

Spooky starts fairly wide, maybe four feet, but quickly narrows. Less than 100 feet in I had to take off my day pack and start walking sideways through the slot.

Even Skinnier than it Looks!

There were many, many points in Spooky where my back and chest were rubbing against the walls of the slot at the same time. This photo is the best I could do. All my shots of me in the super narrow sections are blurry because the exposure times were so long.

Beautiful Contours Everywhere

The slot is a dreamland of sculpted sandstone. But carrying those trekking poles and my pack made for very awkward traveling, though.

Wonderful Light Play

Reaching Spooky around 10:30 or 11 allowed me to benefit from more overhead light entering the slot. It made for some lovely results.

Light Change From Now...

...To a Minute Later

Oh Yeah, Up-Climbs

Entering Spooky from the direction I did meant that I had to do more up-climbing. Most were just a couple of feet but still took some maneuvering.

It Kept Going On and On

I guess there are people who are skinnier, less claustrophobic, or crazier than I am (please remember that when you read my posts). After squeezing through about half a mile of slots I had had enough. I have read that the passable slots continue on for at least another half mile.

As I exited Spooky I met up with eleven students, faculty and fellows from Virginia Commonwealth University. Nice folks, we may see each other in Goblin State Park in a few days. I left Spooky to them.

Peek-a-Boo Entrance

As I made my way back toward the Dry Fork junction I put it all together (topo, guidebooks, GPS) and found the entrance to Peek-a-Boo. Nothing I read led me to expect a stack of rocks piled up to raise people up high enough to a series a helpful footholds. Guidebook author Steve Allen laments the addition of these footholds in his book, Canyoneering 3, but I can't imagine how one would manage this entrance (certainly not alone) without them.

Attempting this entrance solo (i.e., without spotters to grab a hand or give a leg up) proved my undoing. I was able to make it to the landing above the rock pile but could not find a way beyond that. I didn't feel too badly, though. A member of the VCU group (a Romanian named Adrian who found Spooky too narrow for his build) made it over the second rise but could go no further. He backed down as well.

I left Adrian to his shade while I scrambled to the top of the Peek-a-Boo slot. I made it the top, saw two spots where I could drop it safely, but realized I had had enough.

Pretty handsome for Six Hours of Solo Hiking and Hand-Holding my Camera!

I navigated back to the trail, then the trailhead. No scary events being trapped, no broken bones, no wet feet. It was a great day of exploring Escalante's canyons!

After exiting Dry Fork I returned to Highway 12 and headed east to a lovely campground called Calf Creek State Park. The campground is the trailhead for a six mile hike to the base of a 126 foot waterfall. Susan, Jack, Sophie and I hiked to it on one of our recent visits. As I arrived I came upon a hapless couple with three dogs in one of those rental RVs. They had left the RV lights on while they hiked to the waterfall and needed a jump. So I was a good Samaritan. I pitched my tent next to them. After running the RV's motor for an hour they turned off the engine...and started up the generator! As I prepared my dinner I asked when they would turn off the generator. Oh, we don't, the guy replied. We don't want to be cold at night. So I finished my dinner, tore down my tent, and moved to the other end of the campground.

The experience made me realize how clueless people are about basic campground etiquette. If they had been at an RV park their action would have been fine, even expected. But not in the middle of primitive campground where they are surrounded by tents. I was going to mention it to them but they wouldn't have been able to hear me over the generator and the Black Sabbath music another group pumped out until almost 11. Sigh.

On the Burr Trail: The View from Where I Parked for the Geocache

A Geocache Site on Top of a Big Hill! Quite the View!

After a frigid night at Calf Creek (it was 21 degrees when I got up this morning, and I was cold most of the night), I struck my tent site and escaped onto the road again. I had breakfast in Boulder, a nice little ranching town about 20 miles from Calf Creek. I then headed east down the Burr Trail. This is a fabulous, gorgeous drive through Long Canyon. While en route I stopped and found a geocache way up on a hill (I took the photo above from the top of the hill I climbed to find the cache).

Capitol Reef as Seen from the End of the Burr Trail

I then continued down the Burr Trail into the southwestern edge of Capitol Reef National Park. I decided to drive the Notom-Bullfrog Road all the way north through Capitol Reef to highway 24. This is a 48-mile dirt road. It runs the eastern spine of the Waterpocket Fold. That is the "reef" in Capitol Reef. The Henry Mountains are off to the east.

Susan told me once that her family visited Capitol Reef on one of its cross-country adventures. Her impression at the time: not very dramatic. I agree. The park was interesting but not breathtaking. The scenic drive that runs from the visitors center south into the park is more impressive, but I guess one needs to be into their geology to fall in love with this park (sez the red rock madman!). Notom Road was manageable, even while the winds blew dust everywhere.

I wandered through Capitol Reef, then headed west to Torrey. I am safely at the Sandstone Inn tonight. 2001: A Space Odyssey is on the tube. I have showered and chatted with the family. It is warm inside. The low tonight is going to be around 19 degrees, with a wind chill much lower than that. A pretty well spent $45 if you ask me!

BTW: This evening, the Salt Lake City newscast reports that police have happened upon a burned-up car whose occupant they can't recognize. It isn't this writer.

On that happy note, good night!

Happy Birthday Jack and Sophie!

2009-03-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Sophie and Jack,

I was in the canyons yesterday on your birthday, out of cell service and internet connections. I am glad we were able to talk while you opened Mom's and my gifts before you left for the party, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I was wishing you a

Happy Birthday # 11 !!!

I love you!!

Dad

Almost in over my head

2009-03-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Red Canyon outside Bryce Canyon

Kodachrome Basin State Park, low 29 degrees

Johnson Ranch, ready for my own Into the Wild experence

Averett Canyon wash, all slicked out

Averett Monument

Averett Canyon, the second dropoff

Second dropoff, again

Willis Creek ice

Willis Creek, before the thunder

More Willis Creek ice

Powell Point as seen off Highway 12

The last two and a half days have been eventful. This solo thing is pretty challenging. Carrying everything for backpacking on my back (as opposed to splitting it with a partner) is a big adjustment. I am working up to that task (hoping for a break in the weather, too) before I take that step. So for the past two days I did day hikes and then camped at Kodachrome Basin State Park.

This is the most beautiful, rugged landscape I have ever experienced. It is also completely unforgiving in virtually every way. That unforgiving nature gave me a very good scare my first day of hiking.

From Escalante I took off for a section of the Grand Staircase that is near Cannonville. This is the western edge of the Monument, only a few miles east of Bryce National Park, and as such it shares much of that bright red rock. My plan was to drive from Cannonville down the Skutumpah Road to Willis Creek, the place where I got my car stuck a few years ago. From that trailhead I would venture down the easy slot canyons of Willis Creek past Averett Canyon to Sheep Creek. From Sheep Creek I would head south to Bull Valley Gorge, then go up the Gorge back to the road. From there I planned to just hike to road for a half mile to my car.

A great plan, all mapped out and pretty manageable, if the weather cooperated. And, as with many Escalante adventures, weather and bad decisions can crush your plans.

I stopped at the Park Service and checked the road conditions for Skutumpah Road: okay to Willis Creek but impassable beyond due to snow melt and slick clay. So off I went. The road was in terrible condition, drivable but slick and torn up. As I approached Averett Canyon (about two miles before Willis Creek) I drove through the wash and then attempted to climb a steep hill. The Forester made it up about fifty feet and then starting sliding backwards in the clay muck. I stopped the car and got out to check the road. I took one step and found myself essentially surfing down the hill on the slick soil. So I returned to the car and eased the Subaru backward to the wash. I tried another angle, then a third, but had the same results.

So, what to do? I turned the car around and drove to the other side of the wash. I parked the car, consulted my maps again and made a change in route. I would now hike down Averett Canyon to Willis, to Sheep, etc. I loaded up and started down a wide, winding canyon. Ice, snow and snowmelt mixed with the red clay to make for some slick steps, but nothing unexpected. My feet stayed dry. My hiking poles kept me stable as I catwalked over obstacles. All was good. I stopped briefly at the gravesite and memorial for a soldier named Averett who was killed in an Indian battle here, then continued down canyon.

I came to a series of three dropoffs. I scouted the west edge of the canyon, then the east, looking for a path down to the canyon after the dropoffs that one of my guidebooks said was there. As I scouted the edge I came to the junction of Averett Canyon and Willis Creek, but I was 100 feet above the creek bed where I needed to be. To consider the situation I sat and had a wonderful lunch peering out over this beautiful vista. After lunch I worked my way back to the first of the three dropoffs, a ten foot climb down, which I navigated easily. In about 200 feet I came to the second dropoff. I peeked down into the dropoff, which was the beginning of the canyon narrowing to about a 20 foot width (with sheer, 100 foot walls). The opening at the dropoff was about seven feet wide and the dropoff appeared to be about 10-12 feet. I knew from my research that this was not advised. I decided to exit the canyon on the west edge to try to locate the footpath I had read about. As I turned to exit the canyon I knocked one of my trekking poles off my hip where it was resting as I took a drink of water. It tumbled into the opening and fell down the dropoff.

Oh boy. I peeked down inside the dropoff. There it was, waiting to be rescued. I decided to use my 40 foot rope to climb down to get it, the plan being to use the rope to walk back up to the top of the dropoff. From the top this seemed like a reasonable plan. Just in case, though, I lowered my pack and other trekking pole down ahead of me. I tied off the rope on a tree branch that crossed the opening. I then eased down the rope six, eight, ten feet when suddenly there was no more rock. The dropoff tucked in to create a blind fold! With nothing to rest my feet against I now found myself sliding down the rope to the bottom of the canyon. In sum I was only 15 feet down from where I tied off the rope, but I was at the bottom nonetheless. I had miscalculated.

I assessed the situation. To the left, about six feet up, a little alcove presented itself. If I could make that alcove I could then shimmy through a hole in the rocks and probably make my way out. I tried that but could find no purchase on the slickrock. So I tried next to the right where a gap between the canyon wall and the main chokestone might allow me to climb to the top of the chokestone and then work my way up the last seven feet. But the slickrock again lived up to its name.

So I decided to check downcanyon. If I could clear the third dropoff, I could continue the hike, then return to get my rope when I returned to my starting point. But the third dropoff was severe and not navigable without a rope. I was effectively trapped in this 100 foot length of slot canyon. Note: You don't want to be trapped in a slot canyon, ever.

I returned to my gear and figured that if I could get some height I might be able to make it up either the left or right sides. I found a two foot by two foot rock down near the third dropoff and rolled it (actually flopped it) about 70 feet to the base of the second dropoff. I perched the rock to the left, stood on it and tried to reach the alcove, but kept slipping back. I then moved the rock to the right. With the additional height I was able to to use the rope to pull my way to the top of the chokestone. I tried to figure a way up the last seven feet but the rock face was too slippery and vertical to get leverage. So I found myself pulling myself up as far as I could, then swung my right leg up and caught it on a ledge. I found that even though I looked like a turkey wishbone in that position I could actually relax and catch my breath. A few moments later I attempted to scale the last seven feet and found I could maneuver my way up with surprising ease. Classic mountain climbing move, I learned later.

I pulled up my pack and poles, untied my rope and stored it. I was pretty rattled by the experience. The leg of the hike that should have taken about an hour had eaten up three and half hours. The sky had started clouding up, too, with the forecast of snow seemingly coming early. I decided to cut my losses and make it out of the canyon.

I returned to my car I was a mess, wet, muddy, scratched up a bit. But mostly I was unnerved about my mistake.

I decided to stay the night in more forgiving environs, somewhere off the red slick track of a road. I made my way back toward Cannonville uneventfully. I decided to stay the night a Kodachrome Basin State Park. Susan, the kids and I have stayed here on southwest trips the last couple of summers. It's a nice park (best park showers I have ever encountered, bunny rabbits hopping around, and dozens of quail). I paid for my site and found I had the entire park to myself. I set up my tent, cooked dinner and called it a day. The forecasted snow did not materialize until later in the night.

I awoke yesterday morning to find a light dusting of snow everywhere. It was very pretty. I made breakfast, paid for another night at the campground and decided to attempt Willis Creek again.

On the way I took a detour down Sheep Creek Road. This road runs the west edge of Johnson ranch (Johnson was one of the early Mormon pioneers who helped colonize southern Utah. He established this ranch around 1860, right around the time John D. Lee established Lee's Ferry on the Colorado--but that's another story entirely!) I came upon a school bus on the Johnson property and decided that I could have my own Into the Wild experience! But my school bus would be 10 miles from civilization, 300 feet from a road, and on private property. Other than that, just the same.

Back to Skutumpah Road. I came to the Averett Canyon wash and decided to try to climb the hill again. The car made it up without a problem this time. The rest of the road to Willis Creek was a mess but passable. I parked at the trailhead. According to the register I was the only hiker here in the past six days. I was alone and it felt great--for some reason more manageable than the previous day. The weather forecast for snow in the evening bode well for making a go of the canyons.

Off I went down the trail. After about 1/3 mile the creek itself becomes the trail. At that point Willis slots up in pretty, narrow slots.

I worked my way down the slots, walking around, over and through the cold water and ice. I also encountered a couple of pools of the oozing, sinking mud that by summertime will probably behave like quicksand if it stays wet enough. As I entered the last set of slots before reaching the Averett Canyon junction I realized the entire creek bed was iced over. I was walking on a frozen surface with the creek still flowing underneath me. Halfway through the slot I heard a loud BOOM! and instinctively looked up, thinking something was falling on me. Nothing was falling, but the ice bed underneath me was cracking and resonating in the canyon. I cleared the slot and worked down the wide, flat creek bed toward Averett. Suddenly the flat surface turned slick and I found myself on my butt, covered in mud.

With a few more steps I reached the junction with Averett Canyon. I investigated the canyon up to the third dropoff. At least my decision to not attempt this dropoff without a rope was correct. I also hunted for that footpath Michael Kelsey had mentioned in his guidebook about Escalante hiking. I guess I found it...if I was a mountain goat I might have been able to navigate it. (I have read elsewhere that Kelsey tends to discount impediments in his hiking. Maybe he is just much more able than your writer.)

As I contemplated being a billy goat I heard a rumble of thunder. The sky was starting to cloud up. As always, Escalante weather lives up to its "unsettled" billing. I decided to make it back through the slots as quickly as I could even though exiting up Averett Canyon (without the goat trail) would be overall safer. I blasted back up Willis Creek, especially through the four sections of slots. I made it out safely having encountered no rain or snow. But my big loop remained for another day.

I spent the later afternoon gleaning information from the Escalante rangers about other hikes, then returned to camp for dinner and bed.

When I awoke it was 29 degrees. No new snow on the ground but flurries started as I emerged from the tent.

And then, just like that, the snow stopped, the sky cleared, and it got warm. Perfect running weather! I decided to take a a 5 mile run before leaving camp. I always find running at altitude (about 6000 feet) a struggle.No different this time, and I am in much better running shape. Halfway through the run the wind picked up. My last half mile was into a cold, cold head wind. How surprising! The weather was changing again!

So this afternoon finds me kicking back a bit. The folks at Escalante Outfitters, a great REI-meets cafe-meets-BevMo store, have let me buy a nice lunch and compose this entry. It's sunny and very cold.

I hear that the state high school basketball championship game is tonight in Richfield, about two hours away. I may go, what the hey.

Update: No hoops for me tonight. I found out too late. Tomorrow off to the the Hole in the Rock Road (either Spooky and Peek-a-Boo (26 miles down washboard) or Zebra and Tunnel (five miles down washboard). Cold and clear is the forecast.

Mostly more of just getting there today

2009-03-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing terribly eventful today. I escaped Las Vegas and headed through the Virgin River gorge to St. George, Utah. There I picked up some topographic maps for the Paria River area.

Next stop: Zion, which is beautiful. The skies are clear and blue. In the sun it was a comfortable 65 degrees. The Virgin River is running with some vigor, and is cold.

About the cold... as I left Zion I started to see a lot of snow. Zion had a few patches, but east and north of Zion toward Bryce there were white valleys everywhere. The accumulations are nominal, maybe six inches on the ground, but it doesn't seem to be melting away.

The snow all but disappeared by the time I got to Escalante, but the wind is blowing. This could be quite the adventure.

Tonight, after I grab some food, I plan to prepare my backpack and hit the trails tomorrow. I will either tackle some stretch of canyons off of Hole in the Rock or backtrack 30 miles to Cannonville and take on Willis Creek /Bull Valley Gorge. The road conditions reportedly are fine to Willis Creek but after that are impassable "due to snow melt and slippery soil." That is a warning I will heed, I assure you. A BLM official told me the Hole in the Rock Road is fine other than its normal washboard personality. "The road will knock out your fillings if you take it too fast." Amen to that. I lived that experience last July. I am convinced that the Hole in the Rock Road was the Civic wagon's ultimate undoing. It rattled apart that wonderful old car.

Where is Waldo (Steve)?

2009-03-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

Willis Creek, the Torrent that Gobbled the Civic in '07 (the bank was steeper then, really!)

Willis Creek Slots, July '08

I thought this might help you follow my meanderings a bit. I will be approaching the Escalante area from the south. Zion is to the left of the graphic I posted, and Bryce National Park is that light green area between Hatch and Tropic. The area I am heading initially (I think) is the northern part of the Paria River canyons, which is south of Cannonville. (The canyon picture above is one of the easily accessed slots I have hiked in this area. It is about 1/2 mile downstream from the roaring torrent pictured above.) I have been there many times, and have even gotten stuck there! (Indeed, the top picture shows the "river" [Willis Creek] in which I got my car stuck a few years ago. It was much bigger and more active when I got stuck. Really.)

I also plan to do part of the southern Paria River canyons (152 miles of slot canyons called Buckskin Gulch) with John when he arrives on the 19th. Susan, Jack, Sophie and I explored one chunk of this area a few years ago and it was pretty easily accessed and very, very beautiful.

The area I hope to explore in much greater detail is the area along that black road running south from Escalante. That road is called the Hole in the Rock Road. The Mormons used this path as their "shortcut" across the Colorado and San Juan Rivers to establish a settlement in Bluff. The canyon areas to the right of the road all lead down into the Glen Canyon area. That is where I plan to spend a good bit of time.

More to come. Bedtime has arrived.

And we're off!

2009-03-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Actually, I guess I am off.

Today, after much preparation, I have started my Utah adventure. It began with rain, lots of rain, that followed me down I-5 in California's central valley. Things let up by the time I reached Wasco. The skies were clear and blue but accompanied by very gusty winds.

I wound my way through Barstow and into Nevada. A Motel 6 off the Vegas strip is my first stop.

So, this is the plan: Tomorrow I will make my way around Zion or beyond. Escalante is something of my first "real" stop as I know I can get the topographic maps I will need for several hikes I have planned into the canyons of the Paria and Excalante Rivers.

A few people --BLM and Escalante rangers with whom I have spoken on the phone, a couple of folks at REI, and a gentlemen named Steve who uses the handle oldmantravels on his Flickr account--have been helpful pulling together ideas and modifications for this trip. Thank you to all.

Wish me luck. I will be very careful, I assure you. Susan, Jack and Sophie are too precious to me to do anything too crazy. (Thank you, you three, for the chance to do this adventure!)