Canyonlands NP, Arches, Grand Staircase

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Canyonlands, Manti La Salle, Moab and Arches, drive through Capitol Reef and one day hike in Grand-Staircase Escalante

Fri June 27 to June 29

Canyonlands

After spending a little longer in Monument Valley than we’d planned (but it was worth it), we continued driving up toward the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park, headed for the Squaw Flat campground, which is first-come, first-served only. It is always a little dicey arriving in such places late, but we were hoping that a mid-week arrival and the summer heat might mean there’d be a place. On the way in we skipped Newspaper Rock and other temptations in order to get into the park. The day I am writing this we are in Idaho, headed for Blackfoot, and for the life of us, not one of us can recall the campsite at Canyonlands. We must have found one…..and I do have a photo of some “kissing rocks” on the rim of the canyon taken from our campsite…..but the nature of the site, the meal we surely ate - it is all a blur. I’m pretty certain it was dusk or dark as we set up, and we probably ate a kind of hurried meal and fell into bed late. The hike we took the next day, on the other hand, is clear as a bell. It was one of the best, most interesting hikes of the entire trip - and with an adrenaline kicker - worrying that Rollie might be lost or dying of dehydration as we sat in a hot, hot parking lot (inadvertently running down the car battery) while waiting for him to appear. Here’s the story:

We set off a little late in the AM (maybe 9:30 ish) for such a fiery place (hard to rouse boys and we were tired too), taking the trail recommended to allow us good views of the needles/chimneys and mushroom formations. With plenty of “don’t bust the crust” signs and educational flyers, we learned that the desert soil in this region builds up a black, gravelly-looking cryptobiotic crust (you just have to relish that phrase - go on - say it fast 3 times in a row!) that helps anchor it against wind, contains nutrients for plants, can be damaged by a single footprint and take years to repair. But walking on rock is OK. So this trail was great for the kids because most of it was already on the slickrock, marked with cairns, but they could also explore a lot off trail as long as they stayed on the rock. It got so that they could recognize where others had gone off trail and tsk tsk about it. I was impressed with how the desert scrub that looks barren from a distance was covered with plants and scurrying lizards. It was a very hot day. We were deeply grateful for the places where we found rock shelves that created some shade so we could stop and snack, have water and rest a bit.

After marveling at the scenery and walking about 2 hours, we had reached our first probable turnaround place at the edge of a great canyon of formations, and I thought it was time to backtrack. I was too hot and worried about our water supply (down to ¾ of a bottle for all of us) - and this only because I always carry a bit more water than I think I’ll need -- to keep on to the more distant endpoint of the in-and-back trail we’d been shown at the visitor center, but Rollie wanted to press on to that spot and also take a loop trail he noticed on the trail guide map. This would require Max and Miles and me to backtrack as planned and then drive around to a different point and meet him in the car. As usual, I didn’t like the change in plan, and thought it was not a good idea for Rollie to go off into the desert without water - but he insisted so………(I would fling about the phrase “mule-headed” here if it were not too much like the pot calling the kettle black). Off Miles and Max and I went down the trail, sharing our water, resting occasionally and enjoying some new features and new off trail (but on-rock-only) adventures (Max climbed up a very tall rock). Then we had to figure out how to find the trail end…got to where it seemed it ought to be and waited, running the AC for a while to keep cool.

What I did not realize was that I had turned the engine off upon parking, out of habit, and turned on the fan rather than the AC, so by the time we were getting seriously worried about Rollie (it had been almost an hour from when we expected him), I had managed to run down the battery. When Rollie finally stumbled off the trail, alive but extremely thirsty, it was about 6:00 PM, and we had a dead battery and empty parking lot, except for one lone RV that had pulled in and gone down to the end of the lot. Luckily, the Swiss fellow who could drive his rented RV (his wife said she didn’t drive) got back from a walk pretty soon and was able to give us a jump start.

A Word About Water And Dayhike Supplies

It is true that Rollie doesn’t seem to need as much water as the rest of us when hiking. But even he admitted that not having any on the Canyonlands trail was a mistake. I usually need a 1/2 liter bottle per 2 miles if it’s hot, and a bit less if not. Usually the boys don’t like to carry water - but have been subjected to “if you don’t carry your own you can’t drink mine” enough times that they are willing to do so most times now. I must admit that from time to time when we have changed the hike plan or something unexpected happens I have relented and given them some of my water.

I also am the one who carries the “fear factor” stuff: emergency blanket (the mylar kind), bear bell, snake bite kit, insect repellant, sunscreen, TP and a plastic bag, hiking snacks, sometimes a secret surprise such as a fruit roll-up or chocolate bar for when people get dispirited, a pocket knife, 2 emergency whistles and lip balm. And I am the one who embarrasses everyone by clapping hands and saying “hey bear” on certain trails, or using the pesky bear bell. Go figure. The others carry water and food too, and are usually willing to take a turn with my daypack if they are traveling light. I would carry even more “just in case” supplies if we went on longer hikes, such as a first aid kit, but with a few exceptions we’re doing 4-5 hour hikes. Rollie often totes the binoculars, a bird or wildflower ID book, much of the lunch, and his hiking poles (which he shares with me on the steep downhills). Max always has his camera, and often a backpack with snacks and water which he and Miles each carry for ½ the trail. As of today (Aug 4th) Miles is now sporting a new Yellowstone daypack of his own and has decided he needs to always carry his swimsuit, since he likes to swim and refuses to swim in his underwear (unlike Rollie - much to the boys’ chagrin).

Warner Lake

After being rescued by the Swiss, we headed for our next camping destination - a spot at Warner Lake in the Manti La Salle National Forest. Getting to National Forest Service camp grounds can be like looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. You keep scanning hopefully but the actual location of the campground always seems to belie whatever mileage you can guess at from the map, or even what is posted. We drove up and up and up. The view of the sunset from the overlooks was stunning. We saw hills with patches of whitish-beige. I was so influenced by the baking heat we’d been in, the sand at every campground, and the not-white color of these patches, that I was certain they were trapped sand - until we continued to go up and up and the rest of my crew were laughing at me and insisting it was snow. They finally convinced me. This has become a standing joke of the trip - and to ward off the teasing I have to declare that I see patches of sand upon the high peaks and remark how odd it is that the sand hasn’t melted yet. We made it to our campground after dark, and luckily found our names upon the first site in the tent loop.

It was a lovely forest - cool and shady and even at dark not many mosquitoes to speak of (this is the best kept secret of the desert southwest - you haven’t got the huge carry-you-away-for-dinner mosquitoes that we are finding in the northwest and north central region). When planning the trip I had a hard time finding anyone with the National Forest Service to tell me about the campground (which I sought out on the recommendation of George, who said quite correctly that we would need a respite from the heat of the canyon country below), and when the campground host found us she explained that it had been privatized for a while and was only recently back within the purview of the National Forest Service. During the private ownership, cattle had broken through fencing and fouled the water, so for our stay there was no potable water (she very kindly gave us some). Max took photos of the vernal forest - aspen quaking and lush greenery high above the desert - the next morning, but rather than stay another night, which had been our plan, we thought we’d try to find a spot nearer to Arches National Park - where we planned to tour next. This was perhaps not the best idea since it was going to be hot anywhere else we went - but it ended up having an up side.

Moab

Our camp host suggested we take a shortcut down, following a route that would lead right into Moab. She said that after a certain point the road would make a great bike ride, downhill all the way, and that we would come to the famed Slickrock bike trail. While en route we met up with other cyclists who recommended that the boys try out the practice trail. I was willing to drive sag while Rollie and the boys rode down. We were in a bit of a spot, having neglected to fill up with gas on the way up the mountain, so were almost out of gas, and almost out of the water our host had given us. My task was to drive into town, coasting in neutral where possible to save gas, to fill up the van, and get them water. Although I was focusing on driving, the view down this road was stunning - one of the prettiest drives of the trip, with a bright blue sky, incredible sandstone formations seeming to melt into unusual shapes or tower above the road at different points, with all the amazing textures that this geography has to offer. I found gas, Gatorade, snacks, noting the location of several coffee shops but restraining myself in favor of getting water to the cycling team. I headed back to the Slickrock Trail, arriving just in time to meet Max and Miles coming off the practice trail. (Side note - while I was checking out, the clerk in the store learned from a neighbor that her 9 and 10 year old sons were walking many blocks down Main Street in the sun and said that she was going to give them a good talking to - evidently feeling it was too hot for sane people to be out and about, especially if not carrying water).

Max and Miles had given the practice trail on the rock a good try, found it tricky, and also were hot and thirsty and so were coming in for shelter just as I arrived. We sat in the shade and sucked down liquids at a “supersizeme” rate. Rollie arrived about 10 minutes later, having completed the test route, found it tricky, and found himself - thirsty! We sluggishly got the bikes on the rack and headed down to Moab for food. Luckily we scooted in to a café just before closing and got sandwiches and the all-important espresso drinks. Now, slightly wilted , but supplied and on the verge of a better mood, it was time to seek shelter for the night and then see if we could catch a bit of Arches NP before sundown (this cycling adventure having not been on the schedule after all).

We learned at the Moab Visitor Center that the first-come-first-served campground at Arches was full, as we had expected, but there were a few sites in National Forest Service campgrounds along the Colorado River outside of Moab, so we went to nab one before heading on to the park. Site selection always being a bit of an issue - it seems as if some days Rollie is picky and some days I am, but in either case the boys have no patience with it and get annoyed. Nevertheless in the serious heat, and slogging our way through our various annoyances, we got the tent pitched, in the sand, but beside rushing warer, some belongings thrown into it, and walked down to the river for a while. Those who could brave the chill waters (Rollie, Rollie, and Rollie) endured total body immersion, while others got in up to the waist, or collected rocks (guess who did what!). One of us was extremely startled by a bug like thing. Like an gigantic six inch millipede - that had the effrontery to begin crawling on her (well that gives it away) and Max very casually said “oh that’s a helgramite.” As if it being a larva for something (Mayfly?) matters when the really big hell-thing is crawling off a rock and onto your foot.

So - persuade the boys to stop climbing on these rocks (not easy - promise of more and better rocks met with resistance) -- hop in car, turn on AC. (As Karl used to say about all things weirdly wasteful, excessively American in a Texan or Hollywood kind of way, “I love this country” - AC being a really good thing in the desert). Make our way to Arches, search steep entry cliffs for bighorned sheep but don’t see any, head for loop drive and a bunch of arches like Double Arch and others that are supposed to look lovely at sunset and are near the road. These are splendid. And they have trails that take you up into and onto them - you can climb! The boys were in heaven. We got many lovely photos and the sunset was really beautiful. We were hooked (or,rather, the boys were happy and Rollie and I were hooked and determined to get up super early to make the approximately 5 mile round trip hike to Delicate Arch in the morning, at or near sunrise in order to beat the heat.)

Then they took me back into Moab to find a WiFi place so I could download documents for work. We found a restaurant with WiFi, ordered some food and while I worked the kids played pool, foosball, and watched a wide screen TV upstairs. So it was pretty late when we got back to the campsite and we discovered the dirty little secret of Moab summers: biting midges. I had casually noticed the phrase “biting midges” in the local newspaper and thought nothing of it. But we got back to the site and were bitten up while outside the tent, and by the time we discovered that the midges followed our headlamps in through the tent door, it was too late and the tent was full of them too. Also it was about 89° in the tent. So….I tried to sleep. I was being bitten and was too hot; I tossed and turned till about 3:30 and then asked Rollie if we could get up and go find a breakfast place before our planned hike. If we had been in a comfortable spot, with no biting bugs, I doubt very much I could have risen in time to hike as early. As it was we got coffee and food at a Denny’s and were starting our hike as the sky lightened. I hiked on ahead for a bit chatting to a young Australian while Rollie went back for his hiking poles. She recommended hiking down into Bryce Canyon when we got there - which I had not planned to do - and that proved to be a good tip. Delicate Arch was....enormous, and seemed pretty substantial - not so delicate. But really impressive and standing alone as it does - well worth the hike. After walking back by way of the some petroglyph rocks, Rollie took me to a WiFi coffee house in Moab to do some more work while he went back to wake up the boys and break camp.

A Note About Forgetting Things

It is surprising that it should be so easy to leave something at a campsite or in a hotel, despite double-checking, (or to drive off with something on top of the mini van) but we have managed to forget a few things on this trip: a solar shower, a pillow, a duffel bag of blankets and sheets, 2 sleeping bags stuffed into one stuff sack, a DS game machine, the rainfly pole to our tent, two soccer balls, a pair of binoculars. A camera got left in a Chinese restaurant in SF, but we were able to go back for it. Many of these things we have not missed until the next day or the next time we set up camp. We had to replace some of these. For others we made do (taped 2 awning poles together to serve as a rainfly pole).

Good Gear

The gear we got for the trip or organizing concepts we developed that I love:
Two Mountain Hardware “binto” organizers with 3 separate carrying “cubes” each. One was set aside for 3 cubes of things we might need in a pinch while on the road - rain gear and water bottles; water shoes, swim suits and a spare towel; games, laundry items. The other one was for all smaller in-site camping gear: head lamps, air mattress pump, lanterns etc. I love every piece of Title Nine clothing I got. These clothes do what they say, fit well and are comfortable: they dry quickly, shed water, defy stains, allow easy movement when hiking and so on and so forth. Smartwool hiking socks. Wear them for 3 days of hard hiking and they are not damp and do not smell. Wow! Nesting anodized aluminum cooking pots. Great lightweight, effectively non-stick (but with no icky coating) pots - with a crummy detachable handle - the only downside. Organizing drawers for cutlery and utensils. Three plastic boxes for food: breakfast, lunch and dinner and a small one for condiments. This has helped us keep track of everything and not rummage too much when time to cook.

Wish List:
Then there’s the category of gear we wish we had but aren’t going to interrupt the trip to shop for them (they are not critical but would be great for the next trip) such as: hiking poles for everyone, a roomy double-water-bottle fanny pack for Amelia, more hiking pants for Max (he loves them), a high-powered spotting scope or binoculars for animal viewing.

Back to Canyon Country

After packing up (and leaving our sleeping bags behind by accident) we headed out toward Capitol Reef and Grand Canyon Escalante. We didn’t have time to spend here on this trip, wanting to get to Yosemite and all, but if we make a return trip, I definitely want to spend time in both these areas.

Luckily we did borrow a book on day hikes in Grand-Staircase Escalante from Maggie and family. We called to double-check on the location of a trailhead that was on our way, and found it (though it was not obvious, nor marked) and set off on a hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls. The dayhike book, though accurate in certain regards, used words like “soon” to tell what would happen with the trail. I guess my idea of soon is sooner than theirs, so I had misgivings that we had missed a fork in the trail, and also that (given how many dried up streams and waterfalls we had encountered so far) because it was the height of summer, there would be no water and no fall. At the start of the trail we had scrambled down a steep slickrock bank, following cairns, and were headed down, down, down (and I was envisioning the return up, up, up - in the heat of late afternoon), so at a certain point I decided I was not going to go on unless there was water to be found. So the advance scouts went ahead with an emergency whistle, while I stayed behind with the other one, and we worked out a system whereby they would signal me if the turn toward the falls and/or water were discovered. Hearing the signal I carried on a caught up. There was no water yet, but a returning hiker who said that there was indeed water and a lovely waterfall. So - relieved, we continued through the odd but beautiful landscape of slickrock littered with volcanic stone - carried down by glaciers ages ago. Climbing slightly we finally came to a series of secluded pools, stream-fed, that dropped off to a pretty waterfall. We swam or dipped in the chilly water of the shallow pools, and Rollie went upstream to a deeper, even colder pool that he jumped in. We lingered a while, till the sun suggested late afternoon, and then hiked back, slowly. We lost our way (the cairns being a bit hard to see - or notice when we were talking and looking at plants and rocks) and had to scramble up a more difficult route and make our way back along the canyon rim to our car. This was one of the loveliest hikes of the trip - one we all agreed was a favorite. Next we drove toward Kodachrome State Park, just outside Bryce canyon to camp for the night.

Next blog: Kodachrome, Bryce, Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

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Photos

Canyonlands - Kissing Rocks
my own title for these rocks visible on the rim from our campsite.

Manti La Salle
Is that snow.........or sand? These are Max's photos.

Moab - all gone!
Max's picture

View from campsite
Pretty site - but biting midges keep me awake. Silver lining - it fores me to set off for breakfast and a hike to Delicate Arch in the wee hours.