Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
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The Wave Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona |
October 14, 2014
David, Gary and I have spent the night at the second Best Western Motel we
encountered on the main street. Our facility would be more appropriately
named the Second-Best Western due to obvious flaws. The bathroom
has a nice window; but it faces into the main room, meaning that turning
on the light in there floods the sleeping area in the middle of the night.
It's the stupidest design ever, and each room cost nearly two hundred dollars!
Accommodations next door would have set us back a hundred bucks more, however.
On the way out of town, we grab a couple of photographs at an overlook,
then continue west on US-89 toward our next exciting venue.
Navajo Power Plant
Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell
Only ten online permits are available each day for visiting The Wave, which is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness section of the national monument. It took me three tries (spanning three years) finally to get myself a reservation in 2011. Despite there being several hundred applicants, Gary won the lottery for the three of us on his first try. Very lucky.
Wire Pass Trailhead
Ten minutes into the walk, Gary realizes that he has not packed his sandwich;
and that's bad. I don't know which he would miss more —
his camera or his lunch!
Gary reappears after retrieving his midday snack
There is great scenery in every direction out here, so it isn't long before the tripods are released from their confines.
Breaking out the big cameras
West Clark Bench looks particularly interesting
As usual, BLM had sent Gary a nice map replete with photographs, waypoints, and helpful hints; but Gary forgot it. On my first visit here I also forgot to pack that stuff, but this time I don't need it.
In order to avoid unnecessary ups and downs, we must veer to the
right of Twin Buttes
Yep. This is the way
That hoodoo is about to lose its hat
Gary dubs this "Turd Valley"
The landmark dark cleft appears in the distant cliff; that's our destination
Here we meet a young couple from Poland who quit their jobs and sold
everything they own to take a year-long vacation, and more power to
them! It seems that they and their four-year-old daughter have
just completed a four-day traverse of the Grand Canyon. When the
amazing little girl is asked to pose for a photograph, she chooses to hide
behind a bush instead.
So far, she is camera-shy
Great photo opportunities abound; I need only to point and shoot:
As Gary and I cross the state line into Arizona and view the entrance to The Wave on the far hillside, David is well ahead of us; and this time it's going to cost him. While he follows all the footprints up the slope of deep, enervating sand, Gary and I clamber up the slickrock as much as possible, saving some energy. I learned this lesson the hard way on my prior visit.
Someone has named this orange preview of coming attractions as Neon Buttes
Today the entrance to The Wave features a little rain pool.
This is exciting
Once we are inside, a couple of Japanese dudes happily snap some group shots of the three of us. This one almost gets a smile out of Gary:
This is why I go hiking ⇔
The Polish family has followed us into the bowl. This time, the little one is willing to pose:
Domi, Ania, and Piotr
The textures in the rock are quite well-defined by shadows right now. The effect is much better than when I was here previously, possibly because of the time of year.
This photo would be better than the one on my living room wall,
if it wasn't inhabited
The others are ready for more exploration. I lead them out the little side canyon that is the only other way into the Wave area from below.
⇔
Gary searches for a shady lunch spot
David would like to eat as well
We manage to find a rock outcropping that provides enough shade to enable us to cower from the sun while munching gorp, grapes, and sandwiches.
The incredible patterns look almost fragile in places
Continuing southward, we reach an area known informally as the Second Wave. My prior photos here weren't so great; today they are much better.
Walking and balancing along the little ridges is challenging, and fun
Up above
Aha! Here is the formation I have been waiting to share:
Hamburger Rock looks good enough to eat
Gary sees that I get my chance:
"Pass the mayo."
Top Rock Arch
We're heading back toward The Wave now. The appearance of more pools
of water causes my guys to increase the pace, like cattle approaching a watering
hole. I stop dead in my tracks, however; for I am torn. Less than a
quarter-mile above me is Melody Arch, which has been on my bucket list
for some time; and the shortest way there is to scramble directly from here up
the slabs for 275 vertical feet.
That route looks feasible, and I have read about others having done it. I also know that there is an easier, less exposed way to return down the other side of the mountain. One drawback is that David and Gary would have no interest in joining me, meaning that they would have to wait around for at least an extra hour.
Eventually, I shrug my shoulders and head down toward the others who are busily
photographing reflections in pools, seemingly oblivious of my ten-minute
absence. They immediately recognize that I am out of sorts, however; so I am
compelled to explain. Naturally, I am encouraged to go and do my thing.
David offers that he would be perfectly happy spending another hour here.
Pools galore
Nice, but doubtless the other guys got better shots here
Okay. I might well not get another chance, so I'll go for it. After arranging to meet back by the big orange rock, I head back up to what looks like a good starting point, and start climbing and traversing.
Five minutes into the ascent
Already I am having some difficulty. The potential rigors of a
300-foot climb don't faze me, but my selection of routes isn't
working out. At one point, I have an option to scramble up about
five feet to a convenient handhold. Ordinarily, this would not
concern me either; but I have no assurance that the process would not
have to be repeated. I might reach a place from which there would
be no safe way either up or down, and that would be really stupid.
With a heavy heart, I do the prudent thing and turn back. There
might well be a reasonable way up this thing, but I will not find it today.
This promising ledge proves to be a dead-end
My guys are way down there now ⇔
Up-close and personal with The Cleft
From the area of the pools, it is an easy matter to descend directly into the top of The Wave bowl itself. The gradient might seem a bit daunting to some; but because of all the ridges and furrows in the rock, the footing is excellent.
Can you spot the lone hiker atop a rock near the upper
right-hand corner? ⇔
I stop to chat with a ranger attempting to account for all the
permit-holders. She says that she never has found a
comfortable route up to Melody Arch, even on the more friendly eastern
side of Top Rock; but I am confident that there is one.
Some parting shots
Exquisite
David has been hanging around the main area. Together we find Gary reclining under a tree by the big orange rock. Both are surprised that I reappeared so soon. Now the easiest way to negotiate the steep exit is to remain in the deep sand.
Stopping to smell the flowers — Lazy Susans in this case
White Castle and The Hooters
North Teepees and South Teepees
Near the state line, a seated man gets up and approaches us. It seems that he has misplaced his wife, who at some juncture "went back for more photographs". According to the Dutch gentleman who calls himself something like Kum (pronounced "koom"), such actions are not unusual; but he has not seen her for an hour and a half, and that is unusual.
Kum claims to have spoken briefly to the woman ranger; and that is very strange, because she had not acted like someone with the slightest concern for a missing person. It's my guess that Kum did not adequately convey to her the nature of his situation. People have died out here by becoming lost, injured, or dehydrated; and a responsible ranger surely would make such an issue her prime concern.
Kum overlooks the great expanse of desert
Gary, David and I are convinced that the missing woman, Helen, is not at The Wave. We were the only ones up behind it recently, and none of the remaining hikers fit the description. Gary suggests that it would be best for Kum to accompany us back to the trailhead, while we all keep our eyes open and call out to her along the way.
David and Gary gaze at the West Clark Bench
Kum clearly is distraught, because he begins to share feelings normally
reserved for closer acquaintances. More than once, while David calls
out Helen's name, Gary must encourage Kum to stay with us. I am rather
pissed off at him myself, because one of those feelings is anger toward his
wife. He has the only map, he has the only whistle, and he opted to
continue down the trail rather than wait for her. Kum is more or less
totally responsible for his predicament, yet he claims to be planning to be
angry with Helen when they next meet — at first.
His priorities suck.
Following the footprints back
At one point during the walk, Kum is convinced that we should turn left over a rock pass, and he starts heading that way; but both my intuition and my GPS say otherwise, so we continue straight ahead. Presently, a BLM trail marker indicates that nothing is amiss.
Familiar landmarks
Someone has left instructions
Near the end of the walk I reflect upon the fact that, had my climb been successful, everything would have changed after that. Kum might have waited around twice as long before coming with us, or perhaps we would not have met him at all. In any case, I am quite pleased with my guys for their concern and willingness to go out of their way to help someone in trouble.
It isn't far now
We cover the three miles back to the trailhead without missing a step; but Helen is not to be found there as had been hoped. There is nothing more that we can do here. Kum gets to wait for either his wife or the ranger to show up. I hope that he does not foolishly start back up the trail, for he could easily miss the ranger on her way back.
Assuring Kum that we will notify the authorities regardless, we head out
on an hour-long drive to Kanab and some cell-phone service.
It is after 5 p.m. now, so the BLM office is closed. We locate the
local police station, but it also is closed for the day. What?
How does that work?
As a last resort, Gary calls 911 and explains the situation. The dispatcher says that a deputy will be sent to the trailhead, which is great, except that it seemingly would make more sense to contact one of the BLM people, particularly the ranger. She even has a radio in her truck. Our job is finished, though; so we continue up the highway to our new digs at Mount Carmel Junction. What a day!
P.S. The next morning, Gary called the BLM office, where there was no report of a recent search operation; so we can only assume that Helen did materialize in some fashion, and that the matter was resolved.
Should we have encouraged Kum to stay with us? I myself wouldn't have wanted to leave the area, but I also would have made the situation clear to the ranger. Kum clearly was out of sorts and needed some sort of guidance.
§: My companions loved The Wave, so it's Mission Accomplished. Overall, my photographs this time around were more satisfactory, probably because I was toting a better camera. Duh. Next time I might even take a tripod, or a real SLR.
Next time? Yes, I really would like to visit Melody Arch and some other nearby features as well; there is so much more to do around here. Will I actually make the effort? If not, it won't be because this hike isn't one of the most amazing and worthwhile walks that one could possibly hope to take.
It is.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Solitude |  |
