It turns out that Dave Rust was one of the first guides in south central Utah and north central Arizona during the early 1900′s.  Additionally, when the tourism industry for this area was getting started and he was poised to get in on the ground floor, he choose to guide in a different manner.  Instead of tourism that is a checklist of sights, which are seen from a tour bus with fifteen minute stops at key points, Dave wanted his clients to gain a deeper understanding of the land and the environment.   Spending hours at an off-the-path location and understanding the geology or ecology of the area was far more important than taking clients to as many locations as possible in a three day sightseeing tour.  In fact,  most of the places Dave went were not accessible by vehicles and his excursions often were measured in weeks instead of days.  His clients were more of the explorer nature than the tourist nature.  This approach provided him and his clients richer and more rewarding experiences that at times developed into life long friendships.

Amazing, as Desert DAWN readies for its first official season, I had stumbled on the person who was leading the type of excursions I started Desert DAWN to lead and he did it in the time frame that I am using for inspiration for the Desert DAWN program.  Needless to say I obtained a copy of the book and excitedly read it.  I realized that I had been and will continue to walk in the footsteps of one of the greatest guides of this area.   I have a new mentor, and a new inspiration in Dave Rust.   Interestingly, some others in my life who I consider  mentors – Dave Wescot and Mike Ryan - have also walked in the footsteps of Dave Rust.

The land that Dave Rust explored was vast covering what is today divided into numerous State Parks, National Forests, National Monuments and National Parks.   The Aquarius Plateau and the Escalante River though are still very much the same.  There is more tourist traffic, because now there are roads.  Interestingly,  the overwhelming majority of this traffic – as in Rust’s day – still does not stray far from the roads.  A few trails have become popular for day hikes, however,  a person can still walk for weeks without meeting another person.  The view points that Dave Rust indicates are still as spectacular.  The cultural history has been added to over the last century.

At the end of the book, Mr. Swanson notes that Dave commented on looking forward to visiting in his hereafter with the guides that he worked with over the years.  It would certainly be amazing to listen to those campfire stories.  I could only hope they would invite me to join their circle, what an honor that would be.

And if, like many who come to canyons, you have harbored the illusion that the canyon was holding you, encasing you, near-enclosing you in warm walls that belie the desert’s vastness, you will realize your mistake.  The canyon does not hold; it runs, as through fingers, primeval and grand.

As the rain comes torrents will begin to spring from the rim in staggered harmony, as from piano keys impressed in rock, awaiting the weight of water.  Ping!  C sharp, say.  First quiet and then louder.  The fatter torrents deeper, the narrow climbing octaves to impel a falling melody.

When the flood begins you may for a moment suspect that you are in the desert’s throat and she is swallowing.  She coughs a fulgurant obstruction and the echo rolls up the walls like a ball bearing trapped in a maze.  Ba da dum ba da dum ba da dummmm.  The motion is seaward, pushed or sucked.

The Escalante River runs rippling up the throat, a green silk scarf some celestial enchanter has tucked away for the prestige.  When it swells for the reveal it will carry many treasures.  Sand and pine cones.  Leaves and stones.  Down the river, all—effluvia on the move.  Here it is, and there it is, and where is it?  Where’d it go?

Settle down.  The ribbing in the silt after a flood is like ribbing on a neck thrown back, a head hung heavily backwards to gape inelegant at the sky.  The rushes are pressed flat against the mud like prayerful servants, as though the palm of some firm god is pushing full against their nape.  Down now.  Down.  Hush now.  Hush.

Slowly the water recedes by what appears, to the bystander, to be quarter-inches at a time, as metric tons of water hurtle seaward.  The canyon does not hold.  The moon pulls the sea to the sand.  See sharp, say: the sun put diamonds in the sagebrush.  The sun put sky in the water.  The sun put uplift in the downshift and the moon pulls the sea to the sand.

The sun endures and will remind you that the general way with full things is that they will be emptied.

Jet crash site, two years later. Fill dirt is still visibly different. Burn scarring in field is no longer visible, at least from a distance. There were still a few small pieces of aluminum and plastic to be found here and there on the ground surface.

The tree apparently hit by the wing tip. the scar is still visible, but only after pulling aside branches covering it up.

Outside of Fallon we made a trip to the state capital, Carson City where we visited the Nevada State Museum. The museum is housed in the historic Carson City Mint building. The history of the mint in itself is fascinating, being privately financed while waiting years for government funds. Local businessmen and politicians felt it was necessary that a mint be built so that coinage could be made from the millions in gold and silver that were coming out of the Comstock mining district at Virginia City.

The historic courthouse in Virginia City, Nevada.

Another highlight of our trip, especially for Nicolai, was our visit to the Silver State Peace Officers Museum in Virginia City. It is housed inside the still operating courthouse in the actual jails cells. The museum features not only Nevada law enforcement history, but stories, photos, and artifacts from across the United States. The museum is only a couple of years old, but takes you back through law enforcement history for the last hundred years or more. When the courthouse and jail were built, Virginia City was  the richest city in the entire world, hosting world-class entertainers and the visiting rich and famous from around the world . A visit to both Carson City and Virginia City will leave you with a clear understanding of the history of Nevada. We ended our visit with an afternoon at Lake Tahoe, a welcome reprieve from the heat of the valleys below.

Nico cautiously entering the cold waters of Lake Tahoe- very different from the waters we are used to in the silty San Juan and Green Rivers.

Tracking Movies
Although two years of change is probably outside what a tracker might need to understand, change over time is important for a tracker, and anyone serious about nature observation, to understand. We haven’t done any tracking since our recent Dirty Devil trip, but I did watch a couple of movies I found on Netflix on the subject (they weren’t suitable for Nicolai’s viewing). One movie was called “The Tracker”, the other just “Tracker”. They are set in Australia and New Zealand respectively, early in the last century. While neither were specifically about tracking per se, both were about trackers, and those being tracked, and the relationships that develop between them. Both movies are studies of human values, empathy, commentaries on colonialism and war (the Boer war specifically), and so on. The scenery alone makes them worth watching, and you can find a reference here or there to tracking specifically. The main character in one of the movies is played by the same actor that played the tracker in the movie “Rabbitproof Fence”, another period movie set in the same part of the world and well worth watching.

Lizards
I have added a few lizard photos and basic data, along with a correction to the identification of a photo, to the Lizard Pages  on the Desert Explorer website. I added information about the Longnose Leopard Lizard and the Tree Lizard, both of which I now have photos of. I mentioned in my last post an email I received from Utah state biologist who commented on the lizards and my Escalante Trek pages. Besides correcting one of my lizard identifications, he sent me information on the fish of the Escalante River drainage. The paper is quite long and detailed, and is essentially an inventory of the different species found in the Escalante and select tributaries, done in 2003 and 2004. I will ask if I can post the paper on my site for access by the general public, in case anyone is interested in it.

Next Up…
We have been experimenting with different configurations for rigging our new Cutthroat 2 from Jack’s Plastic Welding. I think the configuration is just about finalised. we are very excited to try out the boat, and especially to take advantage of all the room for gear. It will be quite a different float and camp experience than what we are used to, being so limited in cargo capacity in our 2 person inflatables. Now, as long as we have water in the Green River in a few weeks, we will be all set. Look for a trip report on that float in a month or so. If you have time, take a look at the report on the Jack’s website about the recent crossing of Lake Powell using solar power.

For more on our adventures in the Utah desert and across the west, visit the Desert Explorer website.

William Martin LaFever, 28, of Colorado Springs, told rescuers that in addition to the bits of food he scavenged, including a few frogs he caught, he drank water from the Escalante River while attempting to walk from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Ariz., a distance of approximately 90 miles or more by the route he appeared to be taking.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Department estimated he had traveled about 40 miles over at least three weeks before he was found Thursday.

“It is some of the most rugged, unforgiving terrain you will find anywhere on Earth, jagged cliffs, stone ledges, sandstone, sagebrush, juniper,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Becki Bronson said in a telephone interview.
[worldnow id=7502426 width=420 height=278 type=video]

“Where William was hiking, there just isn’t anyone out there,” she said. “There are no people. There are no towns.”

The sheriff’s department said it was remarkable that searchers aboard a helicopter were able to find LaFever at all, much less alive.

(credit: CBS)

Deputy Ray Gardner, who had recently completed training in search and rescue operations for people with autism and was aboard the helicopter, said LaFever would not have survived another 24 hours.

The helicopter took LaFever to Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch. The hospital said it could not release any information on his condition.

LaFever was trying to get to Page because his father, John LaFever of Colorado Springs, told him he would wire money to him in there, the sheriff’s department said in a written release.

William LaFever had called his father on June 6 or 7 to say he was hiking in the Boulder area with his dog, and that someone had stolen some of his hiking gear and he had run out of money. John LaFever told his son to catch a ride to Page to collect the money.

Unbeknownst to his father, William LaFever apparently decided to hike down the Escalante River and then hitch a boat ride along Lake Powell to Page, rather than try to catch a ride, the sheriff’s department said.

LaFever set out along the river but ran out of food. His dog left him, and LaFever began abandoning his gear until all he had was the clothing and shoes he was wearing when he was found, the sheriff’s department said.

The dog hasn’t been seen since. Authorities do not know why the dog ran off, Bronson said.

The early June phone call was the last time the family heard from LaFever, and his sister reported him missing on Monday, the sheriff’s department said.

A telephone message left at the LaFevers’ home in Colorado Springs wasn’t immediately returned.

Gardner’s training in searching for people with autism taught him they are naturally drawn to water, so the helicopter search focused on the Escalante River, the department said.

The helicopter team spotted LaFever Thursday afternoon, sitting in the Escalante River about five miles from Lake Powell, weakly waving at the aircraft.

Gardner was dumbfounded when LaFever identified himself because of the long odds of finding anyone in that country, the sheriff’s department said.

“In all my career I have never seen someone so emaciated,” Gardner was quoted as saying in the sheriff’s department release. “I could not believe that he was alive, and feel certain that in another 24 hours he would not have been alive.”

Gardner didn’t immediately return a phone message late Thursday.

LaFever was so weak that he couldn’t stand, but he was so eager for human contact that at first he would not stop talking long enough to eat or drink anything, the sheriff’s department said. He eventually took a drink and ate a granola bar.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Line of the Week
Southern Utah

Trepidation

BJ drew me a map the old fashioned way, in the sand. We had just arrived deep in a canyon off the Escalante River with six llamas and set up camp. It was a great opportunity for me to check out an area I knew nothing about.  BJ was tired and I had all day. The canyon we were in was lush. Birds were singing, fish were swimming and the spring was flowing. The map was one of those things you look at and wonder, “What are my chances of pulling this off?” There was one circle on the left of the map that he said was a large monument. To the right looked like a perfect set of butt cheeks with a gap in the middle. “Climb the old Mochi Steps (steps fashioned by the Anasazi Indians to climb steep areas of rock), gain the ridge and you will see this monument I speak of. From there, walk to the far end of the butt cheeks, go 90 degrees to the right and look for the only sand dune in the area. That is the only way you can make into the main canyon of the Escalante which will eventually take you back to our canyon. It may be difficult to find the dune, but you got it”, BJ said.

A last second decision made me leave my camera behind. I was unsure about the flow of the Escalante. It had been rising lately and my camera was brand new. I started walking. I made my way with ease up the spring canyon, to the Mochi steps and over. As I gained the ridge, the sun began to blaze. I started to think to myself, “I better not screw this up”. In front of me was a maze of endless, quizzical desert. There were rock outcroppings, sage brush and sand as far as I could see. A mistake out here could lead to major problems. With every step, I surveyed the land around me making sure to gather landmarks in case I needed to retreat. There was no water anywhere in the area. My mind began to wander into feelings of adventure, awe and trepidation

I followed the landmarks of the map as best I could but I never found those “butt cheeks”. I walked to the far end and made a 90 degree right turn. That’s when I saw a deflated balloon with a string attached. It was clearly one of those balloons that a kid somewhere lost. This is where it ended up, in the middle of nowhere.

I gathered my last landmarks as I left the zone on the map. I followed some large paw prints through the sand. “Maybe this critter knew the way”, I thought. I began to imagine what it must have felt like to have wandered into this region back in the day. I came to the edge and could see the Escalante River below. I decided to head to the left. Within ten minutes I saw her, a huge, steep, sand dune. I had a great feeling of accomplishment. I ate lunch and felt that I would straight line it back to camp.

There was a five foot ledge I had to jump before I ran a few hundred feet down the dune to a steep bank of the Escalante. I noticed a lot of overgrowth along the river. As I made my way down the river I realized that this would be the most difficult section. Not only was I bush whacking through thick clumps of brush but there were prickers from Russian Olive, poison ivy and a recent caterpillar metamorphosis. The caterpillars lined the trees in the thousands and would fall off into my shirt and between my toes. I was hiking in shorts and sandals.

To avoid some thicker areas I decided to cross the river. My first step into the river set me waist deep. The Escalante was running much higher and faster then a couple days prior. The snow must have begun to melt. I was shocked when my second step was above my waist.

I was in and out of the river for the next 4 miles or so. Each crossing got a bit more hairy. One such crossing left me with a rotten feeling inside. The river was wider, the flow was faster and I put it off as long as I could. I grabbed a stick to test the flow. I started pondering what that poor kid from “Into the Wild” must have been thinking when he realized that his crossing was impossible. This wasn’t going to kill me, but I was alone and unsure. I took a step, waist deep and continued into the middle of the stream. The current was tugging at me. My shirt began to get wet. The current tugged even harder when I lost my footing close to the opposite shore. I was shoulder deep and flailing when I reached out and grabbed a branch and pulled myself out of the river. I was soaked. The fall would have destroyed my camera.

Flustered and tired I made my way back toward our canyon. I found the final landmark, a turret that would lead to it’s own form of trepidation and returned to camp with my tales of travel, river crossings and a nice batch of poison ivy.

To view Photography from Southern Utah, check out:
http://ryansalmphotography.photoshelter.com/gallery/Southern-Utah-Canyons-Llamas/G0000pN.pn5EUGcA/

The Line of the Week is a weekly photo piece by Ryan Salm featuring some of Tahoe’s finest athletes doing whatever we deem rad. We will be using the term “Line” loosely to describe anything resembling chutes, big airs, pointers or any general madness. All images are the property and copyright of Ryan Salm Photography. All images are only to be used in conjunction with the Line of the Week. Any other usage must be cleared in writing by Ryan Salm.

Robert & Ruby Osborne – 1923 Arts and Craft Architecture

200 East, Escalante, Utah

Philo Edmund Allen- Federal Architecture

200 North, Escalante, Utah

Ariel Alvey Barn – Eclectic

300 East, Escalante, Utah

Perry Martin Liston was the son of Commodore Perry Liston. He was born in Little Keg Creek, Pottawatami, Iowa in 1850. He married Emma Jean Shurtz in 1876 and they lived in and raised eleven children in this home on 200 N.

All Photographs © Don Lee Brown

Blessed with beautiful topography, fertile lands, and a relatively long growing season, Escalante has been called the “Land of the Sleeping Rainbow.” The early pioneer settlers built more than fifty homes of native brick which stand as a legacy today. The town was laid out on the “Zion Plan,” with four homes to the block and ten-acre farms surrounding it. Wide streets and neatly landscaped yards with corrals and barns are still characteristic of the town.

© Don Lee Brown

But more importantly to me, I’d like to start wondering about our own silt trap on the Colorado and when Glen Canyon might return. It only takes a second of thought on the subject and the answer always comes: probably not in my lifetime. Even if the dam was completely silted up and stopped producing power, the revenue generated would still be a huge argument for keeping the “lake” (a lake is a naturally occurring body of water, a reservoir is a man-made pool of standing water, just to clarify) in place, no matter how much water or the condition of power generation at the dam. And think about how many writers have benefited from the dam, or at least filled newspaper editorial columns and pages of free magazines ranting over the subject through the years. I’ll leave it at that and move on to …trash.

Sea To Summit Trash Dry Sack
On our recent San Juan trip I took along a few new pieces of gear, including a dry bag specifically designed to carry trash. I had been thinking about it for a couple of years. REI used to carry it, and I went there with it on my list last summer I think. But as is so often the case with items I try to get at REI, they no longer had it. Lucky for me that Sea To Summit is here in Boulder; it took a couple of days to order it in at the Boulder Army Store. I paid about 35 dollars for the 20 liter bag. The 10 liter is about 30 dollars. Both sizes are available, although many outfitters seem to carry only the 10 liter size.

The Sea To Summit Trash Dry Bag. It made packing out our trash easier than ever on our recent San Juan float.

I only plan to use this on the river- I wouldn’t want the extra weight on my back while packing. And after a 9 day trial on the San Juan I am completely satisfied with it. The bag is pretty simple- it is a silcoth drybag with a roll-top closure, no different from other Sea To Summit bag designs. But this one also has daisy chain loops up both sides and added strips at the top edges to hold a trash bag liner in place. In the first few days we had it about a third full of trash (remember, this is the San Juan and we took along a cooler). We dumped that bag at Mexican Hat and had another about half full by reaching clay hills. There were no problems at all with it. The high points of the item are the trash bag liner inside making it easy to empty, and the loops down both sides. The loops allow for easy attachment anywhere on the boat you may have room for it.

Speaking of Waste…
A topic I have been meaning to write about all summer is that of human waste and its disposal. I know that many people think that when they go into the bush, their bathroom can be just about anywhere they choose. They feel that they are out there in the wilderness and it is just natural to squat behind a bush and do their business. Unfortunately some people think this way when they are on the river, walking down a busy trail, or in a well-used camp outside of Moab. Obviously there are a few problems with this notion.

First, ”wilderness” is a subjective term. When we visit Moab for example, we camp about 20 minutes from town. To those who make one or two weekend camping trips a year, this may qualify as camping in the wilds. To me this is the suburbs of Moab, used by hundreds of campers a month. It is not a few days walk from nowhere- it is a place where someone else will camp in a day or two. Unfortunately camps like this are being trashed with human waste, diapers, beer cans, and every other type of trash you can imagine scattered through the desert (especially around Moab). Granted, this is not the case with most people who visit the area. But there are enough who consider these parts of the desert, or wherever it is they are found, a place to tear up, burn up, and leave trash. And this summer while in the Escalante I began finding the same situation along the river. As I made my way down the river from Moody Canyon I found countless places where people had defecated directly on the ground, possibly the same person/group of people, based on various tracks and sign. I found locations where groups of people had gone to the bathroom,waste on the ground, toilet paper blowing in the breeze. This is a river, with the usual river rules- pack out trash, human waste, no fires (on the Escalante), and common river runner courtesy. I wondered, in the parlance of our times, WTF?

Used Wag Bag outside of Moab. I found it as you see it, lying on the ground surface. Someone got the first part of it right- they used the bag. But then they left it here in the desert.

 And then it gets even  stranger. River runners all know about Wag Bags. Visitors to Moab are introduced to them at the visitor’s center in the middle of town. I am wondering if a little more education is in order regarding their use? Maybe something about the disposal part- the concept being to use the bag, take it back to town with you, and place it in a trash can. The bags are not meant to be left on the ground where they are used. Granted, I would expect to find something like this around Moab, based on the number of people who visit there, language barriers, and so on. But I found the same thing in the Escalante.

On my last day of walking on my recent trip there I found a slight trail down a steep wash, then some recently carved moki steps, and a cairn on the other side of the main wash while crossing Middle Moody canyon. There aren’t a lot of places to get across it and I was happy when I found this crossing after about an hour of searching, just as night was falling. As I climbed out the other side, right there in front of me, eye level next to the cairn, were a couple of used wag bags with a rock on top of them. Again, I felt a little disgusted at the site for various, obvious reasons. And the logic of those who left them is lost on me- first,why are people using Wag Bags in the middle of nowhere in the Escalante when a hole in the ground is all that is needed? And why are they leaving the bags at a cairn along a “trail”? 

So what do you do in a situation like this? I could collect them and pack them out (which I did not), I could call the Escalante visitor’s center and let them know that there are stupid people in the world (not much use in that), and then I could write about it here. Of course writing about it here is just “preaching to the choir” as they say. I am fairly certain that most of the people reading this blog don’t need a lesson on the use and disposal of a Wag Bag, or when it’s okay to dig a hole. In the end I guess it is up to us to convey our knowledge to others less enlightened than ourselves. Be sure to tell them to wash their hands when they are done.

For more about the Utah desert and our adventures there visit the Desert Explorer website.

Geology
Whenever I find myself in a canyon I am always captivated by the countless millions of years of geologic history in front of me. And I always wish I knew a bit more about what I was seeing. The Escalante area is no excepotion- it is a geologic wonder. With so many different formations and so much geologic time represented there, volumes could be written on the geology of the area. Oddly, a thorough search of the internet yielded very little information about exactly which formations you are walking through as you make your way down the river, at least if you are a novice geologist. If you can read a geologic surface map, or follow a technical paper written specifically for geologists, then you will find some detailed data available. I had expected to find a geologic map of the canyon bottom for the hiker walking down the river, but found very little other than references to the formations themselves. And those were not specific. So the task remains for a geologically minded canyon bottom hiker to give us such a map. I’d really like to see one.

Thin sheet of quartzite, about 1/8 inch thick at most, on a slab of Navajo sandstone along the river. This was a rather common occurrence on the lower section of the river.

From the Moody Canyon trailhead I began my walk in the Wingate and Chinle formations, which apparently dip down and disappear at the river. Most of what I walked through was Navajo sandstone, in the lower part of the river canyon, and up Coyote Gulch.

While I wish I knew more about the specifics of what I was viewing- the depositional environment, the minerals that caused the specific colors, and the events that caused the folding, bending, and dipping- enjoying the imposing beauty of the vertical Navajo sandstone walls, the fluted columns of the Wingate sandstone, or the colorful Chinle shales is usually enough. Not much needs to be said about the Navajo walls- for me they represent the desert canyons with their dark, patinated, vertical walls reaching hundreds of feet high, and the occasional arch such as Stevens arch near the mouth of Coyote Gulch.  

The Chinle formation is one that I have not had much experience with, but on this trip I got to see and feel it up close. On my last day of walking I had to cross through it on my way up and out of East Moody canyon. It was a wet day and the clayey material, revealing ancient swamps and waterways, stuck to my boots, more with every step, until each foot weighed 10 pounds more. But the moisture only added to the beauty- the purples were deeper, the greens brighter, and the extra weight on my feet just added to the adventure.

Another unique geologic feature that I have wondered about for years are “Moqui marbles”. These are round or near-round sandstone spheres varying in size from BB-size up to an inch or more in diameter. I have found them on the mesa top in the Escalante in a few different locations. Don’t confuse Moqui marbles with tumbled sandstone “marbles” found in stream beds. The formation processes for each are completely different. Moqui marbles are formed during the deposition of sand as iron froth-coated air bubbles in very wet sand. Eventually they weather out of the parent material and are found, in the Escalante at least, in large concentrations making their way down gentle slopes.

"Moqui marbles"- ironstone concretions found weathering out of sandstone.

Rock Art
I encountered only a few rock art panels along the river, and a few in Coyote Gulch. As it usually goes, I likely walked by at least as many as I saw. They will be there for the next trip. All of the panels that I saw were small in size and number of elements compared to most panels I have seen both in and out of the area. Perhaps it has something to do with the rough nature of the lower part of the river canyon. The early inhabitants likely chose more hospitable locations for hunting and living and making art, if in fact it was art. Excluding one panel in Coyote Gulch, all were petroglyphs. Coyote Gulch has a few impressive panels, one of which is a pictograph of at least 5 near life-size anthropomorphs. For me, there is nothing quite like finding rock art. And finding life-size human figures staring down at me from a canyon wall, knowing that they have been there for hundreds of years, is really a humbling experience.

A small rock art panel along the lower Escalante River.

Tracking
Whenever I walk in the canyons I am always on the lookout for tracks. I search them out not only to identify them, but also to follow them. This is how you learn to track- by finding and following them, by reading them, and by building a profile of the quarry you are tracking. On a previous trip in the Escalante, on the upper part of the river, Robert and I made it a point to follow the turkey tracks that we found all along the river. Not only did we practice finding and following the freshest tracks, but after a while we found that the turkeys led us to the easiest paths and around obstacles.

On this trip I found the usual turkey, beaver, coyote, fox, and of course human tracks. Walking along the river margin, in many places there was only a narrow strip of dry land. I followed the tracks of a previous hiker through much of that. It was interesting to see where this person chose to cross the river, when to climb through or over or under obstacles. By following any set of tracks, after a time you begin to build a picture of who or what made the tracks, and you can begin to anticipate their next move. In this case it was a male traveling alone, on the river for days, and with plenty of experience in route finding and canyon bottom travel. Even when I stopped looking for the tracks, I found that I was still following them, that this person and I shared our choices for a route down river.

A Quick Note About Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is found all along the Escalante River and in many of the side canyons. The river corridor, and the side canyons draining into it, tend to be very wet. They are perfect locations for Poison Ivy to thrive. Keep your eyes open for the stuff- you will find it everywhere there is a constant source of water. If you come down Scorpion Gulch, be especially watchful. The narrows down near the river require either careful wading through the potholes, or more careful squeezing and scrambling along the stream edge. Either way you will be negotiating a Poison Ivy jungle. I have taken to wearing long pants most of the time and also carry a small bottle of Tecnu, a soap made specifically to combat the oils deposited on the skin when you brush against the plant. 

Poison Ivy in a relatively dry location just up Fool's Canyon from the river. It gets much thicker further up canyon where spring-fed pools of water are common.

For more on the Escalante Region, Poison Ivy and other desert flora, tracking and geology, visit the Desert Explorer website.

And that’s why I’m sharing some slideshows I found with you. Because there’s just not enough beauty going around the world at the moment, and I think there’s always time for a zen moment.

source

From americansoutwest.net:
Slot canyons, Escalante River (UT) slideshow

Holeman Canyon, Canyonlands National Park (UT)

Static photos, Cottonwood Wash, Capitol Reef (CO)

Static photos, Buckskin Gulch, Paria River (UT)

ommmmmmmm…

Coyote Gulch, 2BIII
approximately 10 miles
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
03/13/10

.

Across the surreal, slick rock world we went to the edge of Coyote Gulch. We made our way down the “Crack-in-the-Rock”, a narrow crevice behind a sandstone flake that allows access to the sand dunes, which in turn access to the canyon bottom of Coyote Gulch. On the descent we spotted the massive Stevens Arch, a span believed to measure 220 feet. Once we hit the waters of Coyote Gulch. Mike, Eric and David made for a short side trip and headed down Coyote to reach its confluence with the Escalante River as Laura napped creek side with nothing but the sound of wind and water. After returning we all headed up the canyon nearly a 1,000 feet deep, encountering wonder after wonder including waterfalls, quicksand, natural springs, arches and a natural bridge spanning over Coyote Gulch. Though the canyon bottom was filled with trees and vegetation, Spring had not really hit this environment with only the faintest signs of buds on the ends of the trees.

When we spotted the fourth natural arch of the day, Jacob Hamblin Arch, we reached our exit out of the canyon, a steep Class 5 ascent to the world above. From the rim we could see dark and ominous clouds rolling in. We hurried across the slick rock and back to our vehicle as we now spotted rain in the distance. Having to set a new camp to put us closer to the canyons we would be attempting in the next several days in this vast wilderness, we broke down the Dance Hall Rock camp in record time to beat the weather. The precipitation began to fall on the drive to the new camp, but as we gained elevation it came down in the form of snow. We were given a brief reprieve to pitch our tents. As we sat around a campfire in our new home, how naive we were to think the weather  had passed.

.-Laura & David

Southern Utah Wanderings – August 2009
Though this adventure didn’t produce many compelling (publishable) images, it was one of the finest journeys I had ever been privileged to take. And some of the non-publishable work I’m about to share will  serve to remind us all of the magnificence of southern Utah, the adventure that can be had in a week’s time, and the wonder of canyon solitude. Here are some photos and words.

Day 1: A long drive brought us from Golden to Capitol Reef National Park. Following the advice of BACKPACKER columnist Steve Howe, we set off toward Navajo Knobs. Not the most amazing hike in this magnificent red rock country, we actually felt a bit sluggish and disappointed, having just been treated to gorgeous wildflowers in a hidden basin in Rocky Mountain National Park the weekend before. Alas, as it almost always does, the light started to ripen, and we spotted some desert bighorn sheep, and giant cedar growing at the base of a monolithic dome of sandstone.

Golden light, dramatic shadows. Almost inevitable in the desert of Southern Utah.

Day 2: The night before, still disappointed by the scramble over slick rock, we decided that we had come to hike canyons, and canyons we would hike. Again, a Steve Howe suggestion led us to Sulphur Creek. The images speak for themselves, I think.

Before the sun has crested the canyon wall, there are plenty of places to capture the roiling trickle of the creek's flow.

Before you reach Sulphur Creek, you pass through a much drier creek bed.

Sulphur Creek Canyon

One of three short scrambles.

Sulphur Creek, early morning light

Day 3: Originally, we had planned to start a 3-day backpack trip along the Under-the-Rim Trail through Bryce Canyon. But, when we approached the ranger about a backcountry permit, he gave us what he called the traditional introduction: “Let me start by telling you what I tell everyone: the backcountry of Bryce Canyon is remarkably unspectacular.” On to Plan B–which we hadn’t yet devised. While we pondered how best to see Bryce Canyon amidst the hordes of texting teenagers and French-speaking, fanny-packers, we started thinking about the days ahead, and where we might find spectacle and solitude. But first, we needed to see Bryce in as untraditional way as we thought possible: by moonlight (I’ll save the traditional images to others with the time to find the perfect light and the big camera to capture all the detail).

Dark stars, darker hoodoos.

Hoodoos glow under the light of a near-full moon.

Days 4-6: After passing on the Bryce backcountry, we decided upon backpacking into the Escalante Canyon. I’m not exactly sure why we chose it, initially, but after seeing the name “Death Hollow” on the map, we knew we had happened upon something special. It was an incredibly fortuitous decision, as it brought us to an indescribable slot canyon, complete with cascading slickrock chutes and swimming holes for skinny dipping–and diving. It was divine.

The turn from the Escalante River toward Death Hollow was not obvious--we didn't really know we had made the right turn until we had come out three days later. But I'll always remember the golden slickrock that marks the intersection.

Much of our hiking was done in the river, but it was welcome. The water was perfectly cool, and typically only ankle deep. Then came the lower slot of Death Hollow, where the walls tightened, the water deepened, and the wading and crawling began.

More gorgeous light.

Right, let me not forget to tell the most tragic tale from our journey. As I was photographing the canyons, the gorgeous light, the water rippling over mossy rock, I became giddy. The scenes before me were not something I had ever really seen before. In my giddiness, I acquired clumsiness. As I turned to run and show Brianna all the wonderful photos I had just taken, I stepped straight into a 3-foot deep pothole under the water, and instantly crashed to the ground, my camera sling-shotting into the rock and water. Instantaneous disaster. I can’t bear to go on. Hundreds of shots missed, I somehow convinced my camera to work again, but it just wasn’t the same.

Brianna navigates the narrows for now...but would successfully fall into this pool three out of four times as we made our way back and forth through this most amazing spot.

One of our rewards on the other side.

On our way out, we couldn't help but think we had found the perfect spot for a skinny dive. Incredible.

Day 7: Our last day for adventure, we woke early to visit Calf Creek Falls, then headed for Hanksville, hoping to get lucky enough to happen upon the hidden cavern of Robber’s Roost Canyon. We got there, to the canyon, but quickly realized we were in a giant maze with limited time to get lost. Needless to say, this trip was deliberately guided without plans and maps much of the time. Sometimes, it’s just more invigorating that way. And, you get to stumble on things like this.

Red walls, green tree. Off the Burr Trail. You will see humans, perhaps even screaming kids.

One rock, two holes. But why?

See more photography at www.chriscasephoto.com.