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| no partners | | Time to get back into action.
I was pleased at the end of the drive to park by the ranch road with no sign of a formal TH. It has been a few years for me in this canyon complex, one of my favorites. No kiosk, no sign in, no permit papers, no sign of a used parking area. Pack on, down the broad benched wash, small spring fed stream in a muddy slippery trench that provides plenty of slip and slide and good old sticky boot mud. The sandstone starts to rise, it canyons up, and the stream goes underground then disappears. No matter, plenty of water awaits. Stone sentinel with petroglyphs and pot shards comes up, I see a new panel I missed before.
Now into the main event, water is running here, can be dry but springs arise shortly downstream, almost always water there. The canyon is huge and broad, with towering buff colored sandstone, which can glow gold in the right light. The mix of oak, cottonwood and pine. I love the pine trees growing out of the golden sandstone crags. Used to see ATV usage here, as part of the Grand Staircase Escalante National monument that is banned. I see a fair amount of horse traffic this trip. Either ranchers or day trippers or both.
Some fun quicksand here. You can stand on a bank and bounce a little and watch the whole thing ripple. It's all fun and games till you exceed the surface tension. I have a destination and camp where another side canyon comes in. This is a wonderful place. Vivid red sandstone arises in a band to clash with the white/buff sandstone at this junction. This area is the inspiration for my user name of redroxx. There is a petro panel up this side canyon I want to find. A good cold windy night, then the morning I walk up the sidecanyon and start checking the big walls on the benches. I don't find my goal but a stunning small pictograph panel, with some greens used that seems to be a favorite in this general area. A sidecanyon south of here has a documented series panel with the reds and greens used.
Downcanyon I go to another destination. I get tired of the canyon and take a hidden cow trail out to the benches above and wander around. Nice to get some overviews. I return, walk, find a campspot. As I like to do once set up I explore. I find a nice slot, tight, water lower I don't want to get into but I am able to get up and around to drop back in. It's tight, great for friction climbing, stemming, but I am wimpy without my knee pads. I get a little ways, tearing a hole in my hiking zip offs, oh well, I have acceptable underwear on.
Dinner in camp, then up a dividing ridgeline to look down on the slot and see where it goes. Big country beyond in the twilight.
Next morning I pack up but leave it taking water in a daypack. Back up and route find. Steep sandstone provides good traction. I make my way over, toward big cliffs and bowls. The slot peters out up here but looks oh so sweet in some spots from above. My one boot is falling apart and I run out of gas in a glorious section with the pines growing right out of the sandstone. A big blank wall beckons, if the old ones recordings are anywhere it should be there, in a rough area of no trail and no reason for ranchers to have cows.
It will keep it's secrets. I go back, and start the hike out. I see no one, and don't plan to. At the Toyota I dump the sand out of my shoes and enjoy the contents of the cooler. Time to drive, even that is not a chore as part of it very scenic. Always I am glad to be able to do what I can do, and savor the places still not overrun with people. Perhaps I will return, it has been a 10 year or so gap for this one and I saw things I did not remember, and probed deeper. And it was GOOD! |
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