Joanne and I took a trip with a friend of ours to southeast Utah for some hiking and sightseeing. This was Joanne’s third trip to Utah, and my second. It was the earliest we had traveled to the high desert, hoping to beat the heat. We beat it into submission, and suffered, we were told, some of the coldest and wettest weather that area had experienced in some time. In Utah, the temperatures were in the high ‘teens and low 20’s on many nights, and didn’t get above 60. Not terrible by any means, but not what we were expecting or prepared for! At 9000 ft. through the Grand Staircase Escalante N.P. (driving) we encountered about 5-6 inches of snow, making driving somewhat treacherous for a time. We also had our first experience with raining mud. Let me explain. A huge dust storm kicked up over the entire region (we were in Arches NP at the time), followed by rain and sleet. As the sleet fell, particles of sand and dirt apparently attached themselves, and covered our clothes and packs with mud. Cars were a mess.
OK, so much for the weather. Some of the trip we were in hiking/camping mode, and sometimes in “tourist” mode. To avoid undue length I will not describe every hike and visit, but only the highlights.
Our first hike was in Red Rocks, near Sedona AZ, on the way up to Utah. A beautiful area, “marred” by a huge burn area caused by lightning. This was a chance for us to get gradually accustomed to the altitude. It was sunny that day, and Joanne wanted to take it easy, so we went as far as Sterling Pass. It reminded us of one of the reasons we came – to see some of nature’s fantastic carvings, monuments, and wildflowers up close and personal. But this was only a taste of what was to come.
If you haven’t been to Taliesin West in Scottsdale AZ, this is worth a visit. More than just a museum, this National Historic Landmark is a repository of Wright’s drawings, documents and artwork, as well as the home of the professionally accredited Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.
http://www.franklloydwright.org/Home.html
We spent several nights camping in Dead Horse State Park, not because the camping was so great (it wasn’t), but it was somewhat convenient to both the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and a chance to go into the town of Moab. We were told that the view of the Colorado River and Canyonlands from Dead Horse Point was a “must see” so we went to see it (see Joanne’s photo). It did not disappoint. The view is nothing short of stunning, and comes close to rivaling the Grand Canyon from the rim.
http://www.utah.com/stateparks/dead_horse.htm
The highlight of our visit to the “Island in the Sky” section of Canyonlands was the Syncline Loop. For a definition of a syncline, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncline. This 8-mile loop hike involved a 1300 ft. descent into the canyon (very steep!) a hike through an old wash, a large rugged section of huge steep boulders to negotiate, at times with some exposure, and a final long but more gradual walk out. Once at the canyon bottom, the hike was more of a route than a hiking path, but well marked by cairns. There were many wildflowers to see, and some interesting bluish rocks. We actually found an “oasis” of running water by some trees, making for a perfect lunch stop before the long but gradual walk out. Joanne didn’t take many pictures on this hike, so I found this short series of photos on the web:
http://rockymountainscenery.com/canyonlands/syncline/index.html
A good description of the hike and the area, with aerial view, is found here:
http://besthike.com/northamerica/usasouthwest/syncline.html
We also hiked both Aztec Mesa “bumps”. Short, but quite steep in places, and slippery (they don’t call it slickrock for nothing), with some brief moments of exposure, but it was worth it to see the ruins, which were places mostly used for grain storage.
Some info here:
http://www.utahtrails.com/AztecButte.html
Joanne will post a few more pictures of this.
Although we had our heart set on visiting Horseshoe Canyon (a more remote part of the park), we were informed by a ranger that the 30+ mile dirt access road was currently impassable due to wet conditions. It contains some of the best examples of Puebloan art (pictographs) in North America. The hike itself, I’m told, is easy (3.5 mi. r.t.). We’ll see it next time. Here is some information:
http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm
and a video:
http://www.videospider.tv/Videos/Detail/3308858423.aspx
We also were told we had “zero” chance of getting to hike to The Wave
We did a number of hikes in The Arches National Park. Most have names describing some aspect of the structure: Windows, Double Arch, Delicate Arch, Tower Arch, Fiery Furnace, etc. One of the short ones took us by a number of alcoves and arches, including the fallen Wall Arch, which made national news in August 08 when it met the eventual fate of all arches and collapsed. An only slightly longer Primitive Trail, marked by cairns, included a couple of sections that had been (we learned afterwards) rerouted due to the fallen Wall Arch. I didn’t quite understand the relationship. Regardless, there were a couple of challenging slickrock moments, as it was covered with desert sand, making it ultra-slippery, and one of those “can’t go forward, can’t go back” moments for me. Finally, we hiked Delicate Arch, probably the one most people see and associate with the park. It is an easy hike up a grippy slickrock route, but made more challenging that day due to extremely powerful, knock-you-down winds on top, requiring care walking along the narrow ledges. It was amazing to see the number of people on top – not unlike a hike to Mt. Marcy. I was even more amazed to see a couple of kids leaning into the wind in the middle of one of the arches near the precipice. What were they thinking? I think I know the answer: they weren’t. We told the several families with very small children about the winds on top. Two of these parents were carrying small babies, but our warning apparently meant nothing to them.
The Fiery Furnace, also in The Arches, is accessible only with a permit or a guided tour. We opted for the latter and weren’t disappointed. The guide knew the biology and geology of the area intimately and was quite passionate about its preservation. It is a hike through a maze of canyon passages, with very fragile trees and cryobiotic soil. Cryobiotic soil contains bacteria, lichen, algae, and fungi which protect plants and trees. A misplaced footstep can destroy 250 years of nature’s work. Thus the ranger’s caution and the reason for the restrictions on hiking there. It was here we experienced the “raining mud”.
For more information:
http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/arches/fiery_furnace_hike.htm
During the second week we made our way south to warmer climates and into Navajo land.
Canyon de Chelly is an amazing place, perhaps the most fulfilling one for me, as it is not only an ancient monument but a living one as well. The only hike we were allowed to do on our own was to White House ruins, a canyon walk (c. 600 feet drop, I believe). At the bottom (and throughout the canyon) are plots of farmland where some traditional Navajo (Dine) still spend a part of their lives. A sign cautions visitors not to photograph that area or any of the people on it. Pictures are allowed from higher up, and at the White House ruins. The ruins (any ruins) will always give one pause to think about who lived there, why, and of the lives they must have led. A feeling that one is entering a sacred place is pervasive throughout the canyon. The entire area is on the reservation, with homes dotting the rim of the canyon in places. We were fortunate also to be able to visit Ledges Ruins in the canyon the next day. For this we had to take a ranger guided hike (no charge), offered by the Park Service because of "National Parks Week" (or something like that). The walk had some steep sections of slickrock, but wasn't too bad. The guide was one of the best I've had. He was Navajo, born and bred, and had lived there all his life. It was the only thing he knew. Far from merely reciting a bunch of facts and figures for tourists, he spoke of the canyon's history from his own standpoint and that of his relatives and ancestors. Once on the bottom, to get to the ruins we had to take our boots off and wade through several sections of the stream in very cold water. There were not only ruins but petroglyphs and pictographs at the site. The only thing marring the visit for me was encountering several tour "vans" taking tourists to the site the easy way, destroying some of the peace and magical atmosphere. Some information on the area from the Park Service:
http://www.wnpa.org/freepubs/CACH/LongWalk.pdf
For those who might be interested in an “administrative history” of Canyon De Chelly, here is a lengthy PDF document:
http://www.nps.gov/cach/historyculture/upload/CACH_adhi.pdf
Dick
