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| Fault Point - Glen Canyon NRA, UT | | -
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| | Fault Point - Glen Canyon NRA, UT | | | |
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Fault Point - Glen Canyon NRA, UT
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| Hiking | 11.30 Miles |
1,644 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.30 Miles | 5 Hrs 37 Mns | | 2.07 mph |
| 1,644 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | We set off on this hike with two goals... check out a possible ruin site and locate a rock cairn we saw from the road below on our trip to The Maze back in May.
** Spoiler alert **
We would find nothing but awesome views and fresh burro tracks. (more about that later)
The first objective was to find an ascent route from the canyon up to the Fault Point mesa. Fully prepared to hike a few miles up-canyon for an ascent, we were lucky enough to locate one within a 1/4 mile of our camp. The lower part didn't look bad but the upper part? well, it didn't look good at all but we figured nothing ventured, nothing gained.
It went ok, with just the last two steps being more like dragging myself over a few boulders with not much for handholds, but we made it up!
Now it was a matter of taking the shortest route to the east with an arc to the north to avoid a canyon halfway in between. As we encountered the canyon rim I realized I had left my hiking poles where we had stopped to take photos about a half-mile back.
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
Now IF we planned on returning the same way, I would have left them for later, but since we pretty much never take the same route even on out-and-back hikes, I went back to retrieve them while Tracey wandered along the rim. Yup, it was a half-mile each way, adding a mile to MY hike.
At the head of the canyon we were avoiding we came across some very fresh burro and dog tracks... at least fresher than the rain the day before we arrived. By the available evidence we determined a man was riding one burro while his supplies were on the other and his dog tagging along. Although we never saw human tracks, we doubted two burros would be wandering around with a dog. Plus over the next couple days we will have more evidence to back up our determination.
Ok, onward to the area I had vague information (from an old map) of a possible ruin site. While there were small caves and alcoves in the area, we saw nothing but rusty old tin cans, probably from cattle herders over the years.
Moving on... our search for the lone rock cairn was every bit as futile, so we simply wandered around on the mesa before heading back.
(When we drove the road below the next day we would not see the cairn so it must have been removed over the last 4 months.)
On the return leg we hoped to retrace the burro tracks and possibly meet up with them. Knowing they could not descend where we ascended, we prepared for a long wide arc to the north to reach easy access down to the canyon we started from.
Unfortunately, the burro tracks crossed a wide flat bare-rock area and even after splitting up and circling around we were unable to pick up their trail. Oh well, maybe we will happen across them as we find another way into the canyon.
(About 2 am the day after tomorrow we will hear a dog bark near our camp and we would find the burro & dog tracks passed us in the wash a few hundred yards away)
From there we continued north far enough to make sure when we circled back we would have an easy descent. And luckily enough, we hit it almost right on. Now it was just a matter of exploring along the canyon as we headed back to camp. |
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