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 Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 5:46 PM
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It was a very hot day in Arizona as I headed out of the coffee shop and bought a lottery ticket at Beaver Dam Arizona. Now on to my trailhead. I wanted to NOT park on private property or along the dangerous interstate with 75 mph traffic flying into the Virgin River Gorge. the speed limit drops right at the entrance fro 75 to 55 but usually not til the motorists hit the first curve, do they suddenly slam on the brakes. Then, once acclimated to the curves, the speed then picks up to around 70 through the 32 curves of the gorge for the next 13 miles. So, as I drove away from home this morning in my little work car, the Tiburon, the truck mocked me.. It was right. I drove along a dirt road and got bottomed out three times. I gave up as I ran into dead end dirt roads with keep out signage. So, I limped back to the interstate and found a bodacious parking spot that allowed me to pull out of sight off the freeway. That is the key to not getting a ticket in the Gorge, when hiking. The Staties say no parking!! But, if ya can get way down and out of my sight, and I can see that you are in no way going to impede traffic or cause rubbernecking or force someone to change lanes, I will let you park and hike. Sa-weet!! Also, place a sign saying you are not a disabled vehicle and you are hiking.
well from the last pic, you can see I forgot my sign. So, with all the dust I picked up on my nice wax job on the Tiburon, I improvised with my own signage in the dust...hehhe
On to the approach. There is no trail. Just 2400ft of rock and ridge scrambling to the top.
Very nice. I loved it!! Way cool!
     
Wow! Barrel Cactus still blooming this time of year? I like the little pink baby ones.
Babies usually are pink. Then, up higher and some nicer scrambling to the first ridge. Great views!!
      
Check out the organic stuff from the ancient sea bet. Utah is continuing the staircase effect as it is elevated and rises constantly as it is being pushed upward. I hear that if I were to go into the bottom areas of the Grand Canyon that the rocks match the rocks of the Virgin River Gorge. Very very old rock.
Great views from the top into the gorge. Amazing as I look along the life giving water of the Little Virgin River. Look along the river and towns pop up. Go a mile or more to either side and.....bupkis. You all have so much water. We have this. Not one tree out here until you hit around 5500 ft ele in the gorge. Didn't see one living thing, out here in the blazing sun and hot air. Oh! four hawks came out of nowhere and circled over me either in pity, or to laugh....."I'm not dead yet" Go around the block a few times and I'm sure he'll be dead...hehe
        
At the top, I got the wanderlust and instead of heading back down the same way, the way that I knew, I thought I would make a loop. I inventoried my water and supplies and had 1/3 camelbak left from 3 litres and an orange. Bad move. Turned out the way back down that I took was very rough. The ledges dropped from one to the other and I ended up trying to drop to the river and the freeway only to bet ledged up with sheer cliffs that were dynamited when they made the freeway. D'oh!! Now, I was sipping two tablespoons to wet my leather throat and lips trying to conserve. I promised I would not devour my orange until I reached the lowest point in the far distance. It was brutal!! I sat on a hot rock to rest halfway down and my breathing was rapid. I couldn't get it under contol very well. I now was countingl my steps down to 200 and resting. I stopped on a rock and rested...I woke up much later on, contacts stuck to my eyes like dry dinner plates. I drank a little more and ate my orange. An orange never tasted so so so good, before. I sucked on a pebble, an old desert trick to keep saliva flowing. It worked. Now, I was along a ridge where it was like a tiny ant walking across a hot piece or corragated rooftop. up and down up and down...got old quick. I couuldn't drop too low or I would hit steep rocks in the slots and drainages. Had to stay about middle lower earth.
Late afternoon came and shadows drifted across the desert like an old friend. Cooler temps came as I now knew it dropped below a hundred, finally. With cooler temps, the lady of the desert night forcefully pushed out her predecessor; the hot desert calm heat as winds tried to blow my new Pendleton Wool hat into oblivion. I cinched it on tightly and felt the cord cut into my burnt neck. I was crusty. I was not pleased to be near the bottom. What is that? A road? Yeehaw!! an old road used when they built the gorge freeway!! yesh. I followed it until it petered out at a cliff!!! NO.....turns out the road was cut to only put up wire mesh along the cliffs they blasted out to stop rock slides onto the freeway. I walked along and sat and decided that I was going to run out of wster pretty quickly and the sun was setting. Funny. there sets the freeway 70 feet straight down and me up here. I was a place in the rocks where I could scramble. I got a good foot hold and went for it. I held on and wrapped around and heard traffic roaring below. If I fell, or worse, kicked off a huge rock slide that would roll over the mesh and kill some family. But, The rock held really good. Up and over I went. By the time I got to a point where I could see a way down, I was now out of water. The dreaded air gurgle of the camelbak that means I have to blow air into it and inflate it for force water back out to me....I had two sips left and headed down to the freeway. I walked and tried to breathe through my nose. I then, had 1/2 mile to walk to where I parked. No water in the car, either. Broken rule....sheesh.
My throat was raw when I got to the car and put my gear in the back. As I cranked up the AC in the dark, I felt such a relief. I drove to the first exit in St. George and funbled around to find my wallet which had I hid under the passenger seat that I couldn't find it.
I did and downed two Monster drinks, two iced teas and sat for an hour hydrating and talking to the night clerk at the gas station/mart. I went to get up and felt everything was tight.
On the way home, My right leg pulled into a major charlie horse so bad that it had me hollering. I pulled over on the side of the road and held on to the door waiting til it let loose. I went home and it kept pulling. I couldn't sleep. I drank some mustard til I thought I was going to puke. Everything settled down and I went to bed around 2 am.
Oh, when I got home, my wife was upset that I was so late and in such pain. I had another charlie horse attack in my left foot and calf. My wife couldn't help me because both of her nails were still drying. D'oh!! I got up and danced a jig hollering and saying some jibberish that was unintelligible. It scared my little weenie dog and she hid under the bed.
Ahhh next week, I hike in the high, cool mountains with running streams and shady trees.
YESH!!! |
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 9:35 PM
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Is that the I15 in that one pic?
It's beautiful country down there. The lack of tree cover really exposes some interesting geology. The mixture of volcanic and sedimentary deposits in the same area, really captivates my attention. |
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Qualicum Beach, BC
Canada
1307 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 11:10 PM
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So, what's with using mustard to rid yourself of cramps? You might have posted it somewhere before, but I can't find it. I haven't heard of using mustard before. Can you elaborate on how you use it and how it actually works in the body?
Peter |
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Sunshine Coast, BC
Canada
251 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 08:31 AM
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Gotta say, I love those pics. Brilliant, what beautiful terrain. One day, I'd be much obliged to get more advice on trails in that area
As for mustard for cramps? man, that's new to me. I think I'll stick to Gatorade and calcium-Magnesium tablets :-) |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 8:46 PM
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He he my wife's sister was on the phone once when I was having cramps from hiking and she said to drink in about 4 tablespoons of mustard. Mustard? I asked wincing... yes. mustard.
I was in huge pain and leaning on the breakfast bar. I couldn't even sit down. I drank down the first tablespoon. At this point, I was willing to stand on my head and sing the Star Spangled Banner. Gross... I got the other three tablespoons down and tried to relax as I was breathing my mustard breath pretty hard. After about 20 minutes it settled right down. After that, within the hour, I could walk, sit, shower, and went to bed and nothing pulled the rest of the night. She raises horses and lives right in the middle of Amish country. Maybe it is like the old trick of putting cabbage leaves under your straw hat to keep your head cool whilst working the fields. hmmmmm I am married... I do what I'm told.
I will check into the calcium/Mag tabs and gatorade, XJ6. Do you take it throughout the day? Or load up on it for a day or two to get it in there? Or on the ride home? I need to stop in the runner's shop or bike shop and see what they do in this heat.
Hi, Prother! I am guessing sodium. lots of it in 4 tbsp all at once. Maybe the turmeric? I will have to ask my horse raisin sister in law who said her brother suffered from cramps as a kid in the sixties. I will get to the bottom of this family remedy. I never heard of mustard, either.
Nurse....start the mustard IV.....hehe watch out for jaundice with all that food coloring..
Thanks, Hiker Boy! Yes, I am always amazed at the open views and the geology, myself.
Being on the corner where the mojave desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau come crashing/colliding together in a land where it is always uplifting is fun. I don't understand all the anticlines and features. Geologists down here are plagued with folks asking questions, dropping with wheelbarrow loads of rocks whuts this? whuts that? ya don't say.... of course, for free....hehe Down here, knowing a geologist personally, is like having a relative who can cut your hair. Or a chiropractor in the family for that tweeeeek in the neck or back at my beckoning call, usually on weekends or after hours.
Next week, I am going to hike up Pine Mtn at the trail where CT's Larryl went with me.
It was great!! Woods...ahhhh
Then, back to the gorge for a full day out in the sun with very little elevation gain, this time and lots and lots of hydration. I will load up really good this time.
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 9:22 PM
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| I remember driving through there two years ago. That was an unreal section of road...you're driving across flat desert when you hit this wall with a little crack going up through it. It takes you up, up, up and the next thing you know, you pop out near the top at St. George. I stopped for gas and lunch there and thought this whole town doesn't seem to have been built on anything flat! |
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North Vancouver
Canada
745 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 10:32 PM
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That is quite the story Jerry. I enjoyed it! It's always the "go back a different way to make a loop" ideas that get you in trouble. It happens to the best of us. Glad things worked out for ya though.
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5466 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2012 : 11:47 PM
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Glad you made it out!!!
Do you remember when we went to the Wave, I stopped in a "coffee, books and gear" store and bought that book, "Death in the Grand Canyon." It details all the different ways people have died in the Grand Canyon: falls, dehydration and heat stroke, drowning, air accidents, etc. Well your story reminded me of the dehydration chapter, especially people who, in their desperation for water, try to scramble down cliffs and get into even worse trouble.
Sounds like a very scary experience. I bet liquid never tasted so good when you hit that gas station. |
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Sunshine Coast, BC
Canada
251 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 09:16 AM
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Saturday morning here in the Vancouver area. Another pouring rainy day and persistent high elevation snow has eviscerated any grand plans for an ascent of something, anything in the sea-to-sky, We are seriously missing our hikes and glorious blue skies of Mt. San Jacinto and the Indian Canyons, in the Palm Springs area. Your pics of fascinating geology and cloudless skies are providing motivation aplenty to head south again. God bless American sunshine 
As for cramps etc., I usually have two 500mg Cal-Mag-Zinc tablets the night before a hike, especially if it's going to be a hot, sweaty one. Seems to help. A chiropractor gave me that advice years ago, and I'm glad he did. A cup of Gatorade afterward to rehydrate and all is usually well, If it's really hot, and the hike was tough, a little extra salt is the order of the day in my case.
oh man, I wish it WAS hot here  , would be much obliged to have to take some cal-mag-zinc |
Edited by - xj6response on 06/30/2012 09:18 AM |
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Campbell River, BC
Canada
761 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 5:11 PM
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| Looks like you're becoming more adventurous. I think you need to increase your intake of electrolytes. You can buy Nuun electrolyte replacement tablets and add a couple to your water bottle. |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 6:08 PM
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It really is a bizarre thing like you said, Hiker Boy, to drive across the flat desert and slam into a stone wall and drive through 32 S turns and pop out at St. George with its Laccolith mtn Pine Mtn at 10,000 ft.
Thanks, NS! I love hiking solo because it frees me from a strict timeline or itinerary.
But, that being said, I DO from time to time, get into trouble when the wanderlust kicks in.
thought of you and your warning sign collection. I took a picture of the roadrunner realty sign. Not dangerous or warning, but 2 dollar "craps" hehe sign. You should make a coffee table book. I remember when you bought that book. Scary stuff. I broke several rules that day. Lesson learned.....I hope...hehe
In a couple weeks, I am going for a full day hike in the mountains; after the 4th. Then, back into the gorge to do another low desert hike. It is really nice in the fall or spring.
No water sources. More hot, dry weather. But, I will be better prepared this time. for sure. Can't wait. I love this stuff!! You will really like the TR for this area as it is chock full of joshua trees and red mtn peaks with amazing rock formations and some hoodoos.
Thanks again, XJ6! I will look at that and talk with the Desert Rat climbing shop friends that I talk to who do SAR for Zion. Mag tabs tip is greatly appreciated. when I had the main pull from my big toe through my calf I could have sang the halleluia chorus!! I have never had a pull that grabbed that hard and lasted like a wolverine was chewing on my calf.
I really appreciate the tip.
Thanks, Solo! I've never heard of NUUN. I will definitely check it out with some friends and read up on it. I am not allergic and can take anything in my cast iron stomach.
Thanks for helping me put this problem to bed, hopefully.
 partly-cloudy |
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2012 : 8:28 PM
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| I will be back travelling in your beatiful state in two days. Right now I'm acclimatizing to the heat and sunshine in Boise, tomorrow on to Craters of the Moon and then on to Utah. Unfortunately I wont be going that far south this trip. |
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Hot day for hiking in the gorge
