Stone Donkey Cyn August 25-26

We started the day with the good news that Cottonwood Road was just opened, our ticket to our next backpacking destination and a possible shortcut back to Arizona. We made brief stops at Bull Valley Gorge (muddy!), Willis Creek (pretty boring) and Grosvenor Arch (unimpressive after just coming from the Escalante) before continuing our drive on the rough dirt road. The road weaves back and forth between some neat jagged rock formations (strike ridges) known as the Cockscomb. We backpacked up Hackberry Canyon through some very annoying quicksand and liquefied sand for several hours, forced to camp short of our planned campsite because of time, exhaustion and lack of daylight. The next morning we opted for a cross-country route to the head of Stone Donkey Canyon to avoid the wretched canyon. A nice 130 foot rappel dropped us into the head of the Stone Donkey slot. The slot was beautiful, but compensated by being narrow, having skin-shreding downclimbs, being dark (headlamp needed in places), muddy quicksand, and some wading in very foul water. It was a lot of work for 800 feet of slot canyon. I had sand everywhere! Thankfully we found a spring clear enough to filter near our camp. Instead of the slow slog in liquiefied mud down canyon back to our vehicle, we opted to try an uncertain trans-Cockscomb route to hit the road where the last couple miles to the car would be easy. The beginning (climbing out of Hackberry) and the end (getting down the steep face of the Cockscomb) were the hardest. The first drainage we tried led us to several dryfalls so we backtracked to find another way down. We lucked out and found a steep rockslide chute drainage that allowed us passage down to the road. Ryan graciously ran the road back to the car while I waited with the packs. Thankfully we could made it south to the highway although it involved a bit of boating through deep, wet, rutted mud in our borrowed 2WD truck. Over the worst stretch the car rarely went straight forward and the wheel had to be constantly rotated from one extremity to the other to try to compensate for the last slide of the car. Thanks to Ryan for a great trip.

Out of Egypt August 23-24

We hiked down from Egypt Bench into the Escalante and camped near the mouth of Choprock Canyon. The plan was to leave at first light the next morning for a highly committing 14 hour adventure through 3.4 miles of beautiful and dangerous slot. It would be the hardest canyon I have done (with genuine risk) if we weren't jolted to consciousness by light rain and dark clouds at 3:30AM, less than a couple hours before our scheduled start. Unwilling to become a statistic, I took it as a hint to try something else that day. After sleeping in, I explored Lower Choprock a bit, going as far as the last rappel out of the slot canyon. We then decided to do the short technical version of Neon Canyon, which we had both done last year. We managed to downclimb or avoid all the rappels except the last one, saving a lot of time. Some fun short swims and the infamous Golden Cathedral rappel are the highlights. We wasted some time by trying to traverse a ledge in the Golden Cathedral. We then headed down canyon to check out Ringtail slot, which was loads of fun. Way better than I thought it would be. Short (couple hundred meters), but fantastic with narrow flooded corridors, dark stretches, deep wades, tricky climbs and potholes. The highlight was a keeper pothole (one that is not readily escaped and easy to get stuck in without cleverness or skill) with deep water and muddy edges. Ryan hoisted me onto his shoulders to where I could get a grip on a slippery muddy handhold and pull myself out. I laid across the lip of the pothole, anchoring my feet as best I could and pulled Ryan up until he could help himself out. We then returned to our packs and hiked back to Egypt. Despite a good day of activities, the weather held and it was a shame we didn't get to do Choprock Canyon. Someday I will return.

Zebra & Tunnel Slots August 23

We hike down Halfway Hollow to see Zebra and Tunnel slots. For being so short, Zebra is still one of the prettiest slots I've been to. The patterns in the sandstone are unlike anywhere else I've been. I was surprised to find the slot very different than my last trip- what was bare rock, concretion-filled potholes and ice last time was covered in sand. Tunnel was also very short, but still interesting. It involved a 100 foot long wade through a dark tunnel-like slot.

Stevens Arch & Coyote Gulch August 22

Again this place is beyond words and is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited (don't tell anyone!). At first light we scrambled up to Stevens Arch, which was well worth the effort. You cannot get the scale of this arch without a person standing in it- it's one of the most impressive arches in the world. It really deserves a better name like Eye of the World or Portal of the Sun or something. I wonder if the Native Americans had a suitable name for it. The stream in Coyote Gulch is a small stream with a big ego. The variety of scenery I saw today was astounding- arches, waterfalls, minerets, ruins, water-streaked cliffs, moss-laden springs, meandering streams, and cathedral-like undercuts. The undercut just south of Jacob Hamblin Arch is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen- probably 300 feet high and 150 feet to dripline but scale is so inapplicable here. Echos resonate for 6 seconds here. Golden light is reflected off canyon walls into alcoves and corners. I took a nap sitting in the stream waiting for the sun go go lower before we climbed out of the canyon and back to our cars. I hike the whole length of the canyon in only boxers. We only saw two other people all day. Today was pure, natural decadence. One of the best days of my life. Click on photos for larger view.

Egypt 2&3 Slots August 21

We started the day off dropping into Egypt 2 via a tricky downclimb that put us into the canyon below the rappels. We headed down Egypt 2 then went up Egypt 3. Both canyons had nice pothole sections and narrows but Egypt 3 was nicer in all respects (although there were long stretches of slot less than one foot wide that slowed us down). I'll admit to satisfaction at seeing a 6+foot man fight his way through the skinnies (bottom photo). The top of Egypt 3 was probably the most enjoyable stretch. Then we drove the long drive down Hole-In-The-Rock Road to the Forty Mile Ridge trailhead and began the hike into the confluence of Coyote Gulch and the Escalante River.

Escalante & Coyote Gulch August 21

Paradisical, heavenly, edenic, divine, magical, nirvanic- this is a place that defies even those words. Every view here is more of a feeling than a sight. It is almost too much and I feel unworthy. We hiked from the trailhead across sand dunes and slickrock to the dramatic canyon rim. The view below is a reef of fins, towers, cliffs, alcoves and arches cut by the muddy Escalante river. This place feels a long way away from anything else and it is. The route into the otherwise vertical-walled canyon is serendipidous- a flake of rock just wide enough for a person to pass through cuts diagonally down the cliff face to meet a sand dune high against the buried canyon wall. The Escalante feels divine in the warm evening air. The stars are brighter and more numerous than I have ever seen. We are camped on a sandbar along one of the canyon's deepest and most sinuous stretches directly below the majestic Stevens Arch. A warm breeze blows down the canyon accompanied by crickets, babbling water and the occasional bump in the night. So here I lay in this place unsuitable for words and one of the most remote places in the United States.

Dry Forks Slots August 20

Hole-In-The-Rock Road-this is the place. We hiked from the Dry Forks trailhead to Spooky, Peek-A-Boo and Brimstone slot canyons. Despite their proximity they each are remarkably different. Spooky is characterized by pea-sized concretions in the sandstone that give it a textured look and by having narrow stretches that I only fit through sideways. We then cross-countried over to Brimstone Canyon where a well-placed sand dune allowed us to jump into the canyon with otherwise steep, vertical walls. Brimstone was great- dark, foreboding, wet. We waded to where swimming was necessary and enjoyed the play of light and sculpted rock before retreating to the sun. Peek-A-Boo was not as nice as I remembered it, partly because it was coated in mud and dirt from the latest flood. Everywhere we've gone there's been evidence for a recent flash flood.

Calf Creek August 19

Today got off to a disappointing start and ended with a grand finish. After losing the lottery to get an elusive permit to see the Wave and finding out that everything else we wanted to do was flooded or off a closed road, we decided to drive to the promised land of Escalante, UT. Thankfully conditions were better up there and the last flash flood was two weeks prior. Despite our late arrival to Escalante, we decided to attempt the technical route of Calf Creek. We rappelled Upper Calf Creek Falls, a 85 foot, mostly free-hanging drop next to the falls, which just missed a plunge into the pool at its base. From here we hiked several miles down the beautiful Calf Creek, mostly staying in the creek and not seeing another human (lots of fish though!). After what seemed like a very long way we found ourselves at the awe-spiring and very daunting terminal pour-off of Lower Calf Creek Falls. Here the water plunges 130 feet into a pool rimmed by cottonwoods and towering, overhanging cliffs. After some deliberation about anchor possibilities and much procrastination, we set up the 150 foot rappel down the falls. An absolutely fantastic rappel- one of the top 5 I've ever done (click on photo above). Lower Calf Creek Falls is amazing- the kind of place you expect as a finale to a 5 day backpacking trip, not a couple miles hike from a paved road. After a little effort pulling the ropes down, we hiked down the canyon to the campground in the dusk and dark. We then walked for 1.5 miles along the road until we were able to hitchhike the remaining 4 miles to our car. The wind in my hair, the refreshing breeze and the moon rising as I sat in the bed of the truck as it climbed the narrow ridge back to our car was a glorious end to the day. We didn't get back to our vehicle until after 10PM. One of the better days of the Escalante trip.

Arizona Strip August 18

Arizona Strip: that skirt of red rock land north of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona/Utah border. A long but satisfying day. We left Flagstaff early and headed for 7 Mile Draw, a short one rappel technical canyon near the Navajo Bridge. Most of the canyon was pretty boring until the 85' dry fall rappel into a cathedral-like chamber (click photo at right for larger view). We explored further down canyon a ways towards the Colorado River, then returned the way we came, doing a fun and easy rock climb up the dry fall (with a belay, 5.6). Next stop was exploring Middle Waterholes Canyon outside of Page, AZ. The slot had a few nice narrow sections. While we were happily photographing, thunderheads were building overhead. By the time we started heading up canyon thunder could be heard. When we got to an unclimbable dry fall (deadend), it started raining good and thundering loudly, which prompted a rapid adrenaline-aided escape down canyon to where we could climb out of the canyon. We tried to stay on a bench halfway up to avoid a potential flash flood below and lightning strike above. We then checked out the Toadstools- impressively transient balanced rocks called hoodoos- in the last light of the day. We camped near a flooded Paria River.

Havasu Canyon Revisited August 17

Back in the beginning of July I wrote about and posted pictures from my trip to Havasu Canyon, a beautiful waterfalled tributary of the Colorado River and home to the Havasupai tribe. On August 17 heavy thunderstorms led to a dam collapse, which in turn caused a flash flood that devastated the canyon. Bridges out, trails vanished, trees ripped out, the campground destroyed and one of the canyon's famous waterfalls I was lucky enough to see (see pictures) is gone forever! There is now a gorge where the waterfall was. More than 420 tourists and tribe members were evacuated by helicopter. The canyon is closed to tourists until at least Spring 2009. Google "Havasupai flood" or check out videos on YouTube if you are interested. There's movies of what should be a 30 foot wide and 70 foot deep gorge filled to the brim with turbulent brown water. From what I have seen it will take many years for the canyon, vegetation and waterfalls to "recover." Some of it is changed forever. And tourism is the main source of income for the Havasupai. Again I feel very lucky to have seen this special place before this catastrophic flood. RIP Navajo Falls.

Eastern Sierra Climbing August 1-6

3rd- Today we did the regular route up Fairview Dome (5.9, 900', 9 pitches), one of the 50 classic climbs of North America (route at right in red). A beautiful hand/finger crack leads to a spacious ledge, which then sweeps up and over a small overhang followed by low 5th class pitches. I did my first hanging belay which was a little nerve-wracking. Other than that I felt surprisingly comfortable on this long multi-pitch route. The two highlights were the excellent hand/finger crack and the sections where I used nothing but potassium feldspar crystals as hand and foot holds. Awesome climb! We ended the day at Buckeye hot springs under a star-laden sky.







4th- Today we checked out Take It For Granite Cave, an awesome granite talus cave. What an excellent cave! Beautiful sculpted passages with a couple very unique rappels. The highlight was rappelling through a keyhole with a waterfall flowing through it. There was also some fun little swims, downclimbs, mazy route-finding sections, potholes to 20ft in diameter in places and waterfalls galore. Wish I had pictures. It was a short, but sweet trip! Ended the day in style at Travertine hot springs, a true classic.

5th- Weather scared us away from our original plan of doing Cathedral Peak and Eichorn Pinnacle- bummer! So instead we did the Northwest Book (5.9 variation, 2 pitches) up Lembert Dome. It felt really short compared to Fairview Dome! We also tried to do West Crack of Daff Dome but there were slow parties clogging it up. Instead I led the 5.9 sport climb, Witch of the West. We stopped at a Long Valley hot springs to soak in the rain. The duel between scattered rain clouds and sunlight created some absolutely amazing light rays. It was almost too beautful. We also did some night bouldering in the Buttermilks. Sharp, painful granite but cool problems.

6th- This morning I grunted my way up some neat bouldering problems in the Buttermilks until my fingertips were too sensitive to climb anymore. On the way back we stopped at the Alabama Hills where I got to lead the Shark's Fin Arete (5.8 sport), a classic that I've always wanted to do. It makes an awesome photo with Mt. Whitney in the background (see photo above). Some photos by Karen and Richard. Thanks to both for a fun trip. Home at last for a few moments after a month of traveling.