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 Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 10:12 AM
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Ahhh back to the desert!! The recent rains brought with it the pungent smell of sage as there was not much of a breeze today. Monsoon was pushed south and being blocked by the mountains. A beautiful, all day nine hour 7 mile hike through the slickrock in the Virgin River Gorge, Arizona. I feel so good being amongst the beautiful slickrock, Joshua trees, cactus, Lizards, and Everything!!
Check out the swirly alcoves. Truly a boulerer and scramblers paradise. Some rope stuff here, too I imagine. Of course, a great find of birthday celebrations/past.
     
I lolligagged my way along the slickrock screes and made it to the base of the huge slickrock mountain. I scoured the area for Native American Indian relics and petroglyphs but found nothing. With the Virgin River to the south, I am sure that is where the action was. Water is everything, out here. What a great day! I am truly in my element.
Walking along the slickrock benches winding along the base of the mountain was way cool!
Check out the rocks as I walk along virtually little sidewalks of slickrock.
      suff
I mosied along at a slow, easy pace enjoying my delicious nectarines. yum!! Fruit tastes extra good when you're parched. I came upon a seep, deep in the cracks of the slickrock; water compressed by the sandstone and ekes droplets of water out of the compressed rock hundreds of feet down. I got on my knees, went to press my lips against the water for a drink but suddenly a swarm of bees living in the crevice flew out and let me know that this water was theirs!! I am so lucky I didn't get stung. they were honey bees. If they had been wasps or yellow jackets, I would have been stung, for sure. I didn't know I could jump that fast and far, at my age..hehe My face stained with sweet necatarine juice probably didn't help, either.
Onward and up and down til I came to some beautiful swirled rocks.
       
The mtn took a turn to the north toward Bulldog pass and some great mines to explore but I
headed into the draw and up the side to a hogback of slickrock. What is this!! A pine tree? What are you doing here? Are you lost? In amongst a stand of Joshua trees, stands this pine tree. I was shocked to see it here. Check out the face in the rock. Way cool!!
 
Climbed up to the top of the divide between a huge wash and the mountain that has at least four names, locally. I was now on the ridge between the deep valley and the mountain bajada and since it is made of mostly slickrock, I call it a hogback. I picked it up from a local guide years ago who said it looks like you're walking on the back of a hog made of slickrock and smooth boulders. So, here is the hogback and the views as I walk along the hogback hoping that my earlier views from the highway below traveling at 80 miles per hour were correct; that I would be able to slowly drop in elevation and make the desert floor without being ledged up at some steep inaccessible pouroff. Well, here goes....
   
I got a little worried that it wasn't dropping quite fast enough. It was another very steep way down to the valley floor, but pressed on remembering what I had seen from the highway.
It was beautiful!! I saw a silver fox but it was too quick for my camera. It's silver fluffy tail floated along the white slickrock as it saw me and ducked over the edge.
   
I got my wish. It didn't cliff out. Instead, it was a very very steep rocky, crumbly mess down about 400 ft to the hills that lead to the valley floor and the wash. I slipped and fell twice as rocks and gravel gave way beneath my feet. I eventually made it to the gentle hills and walked down the drainages to the bottom of the valley. It was really pretty down there walking amongst the cactus plants to the highway for the ride home.
   
As the sun was setting, I looked back from the highway feeling really great. I had just spent 9 hours walking amongst some amazing rock formations, swirled rocks, saw a fox, lots of cool stuff. Here are the last two pictures. A baby Joshua tree that reminds me of my days swimming in the Bermuda Triangle of a Sea Urchin! Then, the best of all. Every year I look for a heart in my hikes for my wife for Valentine's Day. I blow it up, frame it and write a little poem across it with a sharpie. What do you think? is this a good "heart"?
Or am I suffering from exposure to the elements. hehe
 
Next week? I have so many choices, I don't know what to do. I was going to look for some swimming holes in the Mighty Virgin River for my hiking guide but look at this flash flood red mess filled with quicksand that I have to swim in. What a mess the monsoon made of the river with lots of flash flooding. The virgin is a very silty river for its size. It moves tons and tons of silt and carves beautiful Zion Natl Park as a work in sandstone art each and every day. Amazing little river. I may swim in it next week. Not sure. Don't want to get my legs tight in a quicksand bar. Cattle get stuck and bawl. The rancher comes out with a rope and pulls it out. It is nasty stuff.
Hope you liked my hike. I know I did. As I sit here drinking a cup O' Joe I am still absorbing it in.
Here is that muddy river. cheers!! jerry
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 10:20 AM
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Looks muddier than the Fraser.
I am sorry to say I laughed out loud at your bee story. Good tale of the trip, though. Awesome pictures. |
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in the valley, BC
Canada
1458 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 10:36 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Rented Mule
[ Every year I look for a heart in my hikes for my wife for Valentine's Day. I blow it up, frame it and write a little poem across it with a sharpie. What do you think? is this a good "heart"?
Or am I suffering from exposure to the elements. hehe
That is so sweet! Yes, that is a good heart for your wife. 
Cheers! |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 10:40 AM
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Thanks, JD! What's a guy gotta do to get a drink? Yeah, I may re-think that swimming idea until the river settles down, a bit. As I flew into Vancouver for the first time ever, I looked down at the Fraser and asked my seat companions and flight attendants who were assisting me as I was amazed at what I saw out the window, What are those things that look like sticks in the river? they laughed and explained that they move logs down the river.
I think it was the Fraser? It was a pristine clear day for flying and not a cloud in the sky. I was like a kid in a candy store and had lots of folks on the flight explain what I was looking at out my window. You all live in some amazing country. Something to behold, for sure. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
2660 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 11:47 AM
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Yes, that'd be the mighty Fraser River with log booms floating on it.
You saw a fox? So cool! I've never seen a wild fox in North America, only in the UK.
I like the joy that comes through in your trip reports Jerry 
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 1:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mad owl woman
Yes, that'd be the mighty Fraser River with log booms floating on it.
You saw a fox? So cool! I've never seen a wild fox in North America, only in the UK.
I like the joy that comes through in your trip reports Jerry
I saw a couple of foxes for the first time in my life in the Chilliwack River Valley a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty awesome.
Not to derail this trip report. Back to the sediment, yep, that's the Fraser. It moves millions of tons of silt per year. In fact, I have an image from NASA you might be interested in seeing... let me dig it up.
Clubtread won't let me post picture URL's so you'll have to follow the link. But here it is. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=77368
Back to your muddy river: I'm surprised it's that muddy. Though... how are the winds in this area? I must know before I apply my elementary geomorph knowledge. :P |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2012 : 2:58 PM
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Thanks, Blu!
I have found a heart every year of hiking. She really enjoys them and I will tease her in January saying I haven't found one yet. And, that I will "need" to go on several hikes so I can find one...hehe shhhhh.... Then, coming up with the poem is easy for me. Don't know why. I have always been lucky with poetry. In high school, I used to write poems for guys to woo their girlfriends. 
Thanks, Mad Owl! I saw a flash! Then, it ran from behind some boulders along the snow white slickrock with its fluffy silver tail. It was so smooth like it was floating on top of the slickrock. It slinked over the steep ridge since I had spooked it. Way cool.
Wow! What a great shot from NASA, 22! We get some harsh cross winds in the gorge. Most days are breezy. But, yesterday had hardly a breeze. that is why the smell of sage was so good. I wanted sage buscuits!! We had a monsoon rain the day before and the sage scent wafted up along the bajada the whole way. NASA studied winds just north of the pass below for Martian dirt devil study. they had monitored the dust/dirt devils which on Mars are very harsh. they wanted to study why and how they form with air and temp currents. We get lots of them just north of where I was; Utah Hill area of the Beaver Dam Mtns.
About 4 miles due north past some old silver mines was the supposed study area. |
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Slickrock, Joshuas, Lizard = Joy!
