Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Utah
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Dry Fork Coyote Gulch Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Utah |
April 24, 2019
After visiting the wonderful Broken Bow Arch yesterday, I drove up to this
trailhead and spent the night in the car, just so as to avoid an extra 52 miles
on the ultra-horrid Hole-in-the-Rock Road.
Having watched the sunrise, I go back to sleep in the driver's seat after warming up the car. By the time I wake up again, four more vehicles have arrived.
Getting started at 8 a.m.
The good stuff is way down there
This route begins in a most unorthodox fashion — a rock scramble followed by a balancing act down a crooked slab.
Is this really the right way?
I guess it is
Starting down
A rare shady spot
It is just a 250-foot descent to the dry wash itself. Directly ahead of me is the area's most popular attraction.
The entrance to Peekaboo Gulch
I scrambled up there nearly twenty years ago as my sweetie watched from below. While I was shooting a couple of photographs, Barbara started calling to me. After scrambling my way back, the man that I had previously encountered simply could not make it down by himself. I managed to assist him without incident.
Today, I had hoped to film some others climbing this thing. Maybe later. There are other things to see.
Heading downstream
Snowball Sand Verbena
Tufted Evening Primrose
Less than a mile away is a previously unvisited slot canyon. In fact, a popular
3½-mile loop starts at Peekaboo and ends here. My sister did that one
a few years back on a guided tour.
Entering Spooky Gulch
The slot is nice and wide...
...until it isn't
'Wedding Ring Arch', one of many in the series
Crawling is the only option here
I can hear the threesome's voices ahead, but that's not making the task any easier.
Becoming ever more cramped
A couple of spots are unpassable until I remove my pack and carry it in one hand. In one spot, I barely can make it through at all. Not long ago a man got stuck in here, and no one discovered him for several days (he survived).
End of the line for me
Without an actual destination in mind, continuing no longer seems worth the effort. More crawling would be required, and for an unknown distance.
Starting back
The gulch wildlife entry
It is fortunate that yesterday's photographic fiasco over at Broken Bow Arch has been resolved. Today I won't have to throw away any irreplaceable photographs.
Spectacular
Back at the 'crawl spot'
Nearing the entrance
Well, that was great! That slot is the narrowest one I have seen.
Heading back upstream
Aha! Back at the Peekaboo Gulch entrance, two women are about to try their luck.
Neither one is willing to take that big second step
Finally, they give up and come down, which is too bad. Doubtless that adventure is primarily why they came here.
Perhaps I'll see some more action later. Meanwhile, a short distance farther upstream is the area's third attraction.
Entrance to Dry Fork Narrows
This one is nice and wide
Oops! Cancel that.
Beautiful
Interesting dike in the wall
A big chokestone signals the terminus of my exploration, which is perfectly fine.
More exciting wildlife
This is why I go hiking
Nifty wall patterns
They are going in
I am going out
Just as I exit the slot into the sunlight, three hikers reach the bottom of the access trail. The man turns to me and asks where Peekaboo Gulch is. I am going to view some action after all!
She is having quite a struggle, and cannot make it unaided
The man below her, who is not even part of their group, is handed a rope, which he fastens around the woman's waist. Then the two guys above manage to hoist her up by pulling on the rope.
I hope that that group isn't planning a complete loop, for I cannot see how that
heavy-set woman could possibly make it through Spooky Gulch.
This process takes half an hour
The next group includes a little girl who is too short to manage the first obstacle, so I step over and lift her by the legs onto the first platform.
After more false starts, she finally does make it up
I have seen enough action for today
it would be easy enough to install three or four useful metal handholds here; but that's not what BLM does. They provide the exciting stuff, but trailblazing is up to the users. The idea is to have some chance at a wilderness experience, which is pretty much unavailable in the more popular national parks.
Starting back up the hill
Many hikers are just getting started, in the afternoon heat
A pretty elaborate cairn
Interesting contrasts
Nearing the tricky passage
Piece of cake
Enjoy!
§: Well, I had a great time today, and without doing any trying
gulch-loops. I would like to have improved my ancient photograph of the
nifty double arches just inside Peekaboo Gulch, but I guess that won't happen.
In any case, my Hole-in-the-Rock – Escalante River Quest is nearly
complete. Excepting a couple of off-trail arches that I haven't yet
managed to visit, I have done every area hike on my bucket list — a dozen of
them altogether.
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