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Beaverton, ON
Canada
1295 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2007 : 7:05 PM
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This is the 2nd of 4 Trip Reports that I will post, of my 2 week venture into Southern Utah recently.
After I left the Salt Creek Canyon area of SE Utah, I make my way over towards Saint George in SW Utah, to visit Rented Mule and family. Jerry and his wife Wendy were very gracious to offer me their spare bedroom, while I was in the area!
Hey! ... what's that along the side of the highway! 
I arrived and we made introductions and was shown to my guest room, only to be greeted by a familiar sight on the foot of my bed. 
Although we had just met, Jerry is the type that you feel that you've known most of your life. 
We went out and got provisions for the hike next morning.
We head out early, travelling 80 miles, SE of Saint George, towards Whitman Canyon, which connects to the Grand Canyon, located on the property of the Bar 10 Ranch. which has it's own airstrip and helipad.
 
We head down what is obviously a large 'outcropping' of basalt, along a 'track' that Jerry informs me has been greatly improved by the owners of the Bar 10. In previous years, this track was a "real tire shredder". I admire the stark beauty of the landscape, flora and fauna and the odd splash of colour, slipping by, outside of my window. During some 'pre-trip' correspondence, Jerry suggested that my timing couldn't have been better for hopefully catching the cacti flowering. So far, we see one or two cacti blooming in the distance. We get out to take a few pics.
       
Jerry calls me over to show me what he discovered hiding in the shade. I had to look closely, just to see a 'shape' but couldn't see it clearly until I got home and saw what it was on my computer's screen. I discover what Jerry calls a 'horny Toad' is also known as the Desert Horned Lizard.
We start heading down towards the Grand Canyon,
    
until the trail head comes into view, along with the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The truck is parked and we get out to peer over the rim and admire the awesome view of the canyon and the Colorado River, over 900' below. We see 2 parties of rafters, taking a break along the shore.
  
    
The Bar 10 helicopter swoops in and plucks a couple of rafters out of the canyon and takes them back to the ranch house. Can you $ay ... Cha Ch'ing! The other(poorer) rafters, shove off and head downstream, through a small rapid. I zoom in and catch the 'action'.
   
We start descending and before long, there is an extensive section of very interesting columnar basalt, that intersects our trail.
     
We continue our descent into the canyon bottom's cool lushness, where I proceed to place one foot into the cool waters of the Colorado river.
   
After a quick lunch, Jerry suggests that we go over and check out an old Anasazi pictograph, located a short distance away. On the way over, Jerry spots a collared Lizard sitting beside the trail, eating some vegetation. Jerry spooks the lizard and it scampers around him, only to stop on a rock within 2' of me and my camera. He thought that he had better drop what was in his mouth, so as to pose nice and pretty for y'all here on Club Tread!
     
We check out what appeared to be an old mine adit, when we hear/see a group of hikers making their way down, into the canyon. Other than the rafters, Jerry and I had the canyon to ourselves up to this point. The river keeps drawing in my wandering eyes.
  
They group arrives and after finding that their 'priorities' were 'all wrong', we decide to hike out, before the temps soar. Jerry is on my ass most of the way up until near the top, where he takes a couple extra 'photo breaks'. We return to the truck, open up a couple of ice cold bevies and pose for one of Jerry's 'Signature Shots'
.... oops ..... there ! ...
We start our way out and notice that the cacti have bloomed ... like all over the place! Like a couple of little kids, we are scampering all over, taking shots, while we're being 'watched' overhead.
      
Jerry suggests we go and check out another Pictograph site, up on Mt. Trumbull, so we head up there, into the coolness that 7,500' brings, as the day is winding down. There is an real forest up here, including some Ponderosa Pines and a few Doug Firs. We check out a few paths before Jerry nails the right one and after parking the truck, hike down the 3/4 mile path to the 'bowl' that contains a lot of rock art on a jumble of broken basalt.
    
I finish taking some photos of the site and retreat up the bank, back to the trail. Jerry was off somewhere else and enters the site and is looking for arrowheads and any pieces/shards of pottery. He found a couple pieces on an earlier trip and placed them into one of the many 'cubby holes'/cracks that abound at this site, but forgets where. He's really checking everything out! All of a sudden, I hear a guttural grunt off to right, around 90' away.
Humph! I look in the direction of the sound but see nothing, nor do I detect any kind of 'movement'. A couple of minutes goes by when I hear it again, but closer to me, Humph! and shortly after another one approx midway between these 2. I get the distinct feeling the sight is being 'watched/guarded/ by Spirits. I relax and light up a smoke, while the Spirits continue to make themselves known to me, vocally. I get the distinct impression that they disapprove of Jerry disturbing their 'site'. After about 10 minutes, Jerry is finished poking around and heads towards me. The guttural vocalization stops but I continue to stand still, listening . When Jerry joins me, I relate the experience to him and we stand still for another minute, but there are no more 'vocalizations' .
We head back to the truck and swap 'Military Stories/Experiences', all the way back, arriving home about 10.30. A full day indeed!
The next day, Jerry shows me his 'secret ambition'. A scramble up on top of a Mesa, which would include an overnighter( currently forbidden in the Reber household) searching for artefacts and cataloguing what he finds. It is on/close to the local Reservation. The passion he has for this 'dream hike', is infectious and I almost feel compelled to stay and help make it a reality for him.
He then takes me Snow('s) Canyon, a small, but interesting State Park, on the outskirts of Saint George. He tells me of this white sandstone 'monolith' like outcrop. We park and make our way towards it. Before long, I feel compelled to do some 'scrambling' and I am soon heading up towards the top, for a good look at this little gem of a park. The texture of the rock reminds me of a large pachyderm's epidermis.
Jerry is a walking encyclopaedia of history and educates me about the Mormons and their struggles in Utah, as well as in the west, in general.
             
A light drizzle starts up and we start the downclimb. Not as easy as the trip up! We start heading out of the park, but decide to make one more stop.
   
We head for home and it is with a heavy heart, for I know that I must depart from my 'home away from home' the next morning and the warmth that the Reber Family bestows lavishly on me.
We head out for dinner that night and we soon head for bed as the next morning starts the beginning of another work week.
I'm up early, pack the van, say good-bye and am on my way to another adventure.
Thanks again Jerry, Wendy and Nick for putting up with me, I had a fabulous time!! 
Dusty
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Edited by - Dusty Boots on 05/10/2007 06:59 AM
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 | DW2
Senior Member
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West Coast, B.C.
1395 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2007 : 9:25 PM
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| Good read Dusty and fabulous pictures! Brings back good memories indeed. Utah and Arizona have so much to explore....you can never get enough. |
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 bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4646 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2007 : 9:26 PM
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Nice shot! Love the lizards too 
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 06:45 AM
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Great report and pictures! The spirits were just trying to communicate .
Happy trails,
Lynn |
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Anchorage, Alaska
USA
1340 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 07:44 AM
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Oh wow, AWESOME trip report!! Yeah, I know all about the Mormons' settling Utah. One of the things about having a Mormon buddy, aside from deflecting propositions to join the church  , is learning their interesting history; how they came to be in Utah. And great geology shots! The Grand Canyon is a real mixed bag. It looks like snow in a couple of your later pictures...?? |
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double-double seeking, snow-chasing, short-cutting, vertical feet collector
4523 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 08:14 AM
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what a wonderful trip report !!! superb photos.
And nice to 'see' you Dusty Boots and Rented Mule, after reading your reports over so many years. |
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Telkwa
1176 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 09:22 AM
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Save that dream hike for us, Rented Mule - or hey, we'll join you sometime too Dusty Boots. I would love exploring those areas.
To meet Jerry is to love Jerry for sure. Did he tell you the time when we were with him we heard the spooky feral dogs???? Audio phenomena seems to be a part of a journey with RM.
Great photos and look forward to more reports.
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Telkwa
1176 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 09:25 AM
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Edited by - telkwa on 05/10/2007 09:41 AM |
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 11:22 AM
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| nice trip report and pics, Ken You and RM look like you've been hiking together for years. |
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Beaverton, ON
Canada
1295 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 9:10 PM
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Thanks for the comments and I think Kathie hit it on the head about RM - " to know him is to love him "
Kathie, he told me a few stories about the trips you had.
I believe the mountains in the background of this pic are of Pine Valley Mountains(?), which are between Cedar City and Saint George, but the cloud cover obscures their peaks.
Next up .... - Zion NP
Dusty |
Edited by - Dusty Boots on 05/11/2007 06:26 AM |
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Chwk, BC
Canada
457 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2007 : 07:45 AM
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Great detailed trip report. Sounds like your having fun down in the south. Some really funny pictures.
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2007 : 8:38 PM
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Very nice! Thank you so much! I'm flattered! I had a wonderful time!
Sorry I missed this post! I was looking for it; but this site is very popular and full of so many outstanding Trip Reports that it almost requires hours to look at them all. Too bad. There are so many that get missed because the site does really move quite fast.
You are always welcome to come back again and again!
Your pictures are, as always, top drawer! It looks really cool to see something through someone elses viewfinder. I love exploring this area! Cheers! jerry |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13441 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2007 : 11:39 PM
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Great report, with superb photos of so many interesting things. A feast for the eyes indeed.
A few of those cacti, one would regret messing with.
Regards, |
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Trail blazin', backcountry bushwackin', pine huntin', photo takin', long winded story teller
3838 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2007 : 09:51 AM
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| Jerry, you are one cool dude. Would love to spend a month down there but I doubt I will ever get the chance. Great report Dusty Boots. Can't wait to see the next ones but I doubt any will top this. |
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Whitman/Grand/Snow Canyons- Hangin with the 'Mule'
