Journey to Middle Earth
As the Grateful Dead so aptly put it, "What a long strange trip it's been." This adventure keeps taking unexpected twists, and there's a long way to go yet.
Coyote Gulch was awesome, with its waterfalls, fluted watercourse, arches, bridges, wild flowers, springs, and high red rock walls. Unfortunately, the weather was so great: rain and cold. Instead of sticking around to see if the sky would clear so we could go explore some slot canyons, Ray and I decided to head out. We ran into a few folks, including one fellow, who, to my surprise, rightly guessed we were on the Hayduke Trail. That was a first for sure.
We dug up the cache bucket and water that I stashed for section seven over the Kaiparowits Plateau, a section I had previously decided to sacrifice to allow for more time to enjoy the rest of the adventure. We quickly caught a ride to Escalante with three Californians who had also heard of the Hayduke Trail. They dropped us at the Escalante Outfitters, a wilderness-friendly business run by Steve Roberts and his son, Scott. There we chowed down a tasty pizza, crashed in their campground, and caught a warm shower after an icy night.
The next morning, we “cruised” Escalante, eating breakfast (not Clif Bars) and buying some books for the trail – I got only one by Ellen Meloy, and Ray bought two books about someone who has greatly influenced my world: Everett Ruess. I found it strange that the town of Escalante had so many references to Everett, as some town folks are most likely responsible for his disappearance so many years ago.
We next went to the Grand Staircase National Monument visitor center to see if we could learn about any good ways to kill a couple of days before meeting my brother at Bryce. Another visitor seemed amazed to learn that we were not only hiking the Hayduke Trail, but that I was a co-founder.
We decided to head to Bryce to poke around. It took us about three hours to hitch a ride, watching countless empty pick ups, SUV’s and RV’s go by until finally someone picked us up and delivered us to the park. The very first people we saw threw my head into a spin: it was two experienced hikers who bailed from the Hayduke Trail after finding 12 miles a day too much. (I tried to warn them…!)
Ben and Allison decided to restart at section eight, the section my brother was meeting us for. They’d been having nothing but bad luck: they spent two days in the rain waiting to drop in the narrows of Round Valley Draw before giving up and heading to Bryce for some hiking.
We decided to join forces – instead of just having my brother join me for this section, we’re now traveling in a pack of five: me, Ray, Ben and Allison, and my brother Chuck.
Before my brother met up with us, we stopped in the Bryce Visitor Center to inquire about trail conditions. Not only are the shuttles not yet running, which Chuck was planning on riding to get back to his rental car, we were told that Rainbow Point was snowed in and the Under-the-Rim Trail, which we had planned on traveling, was also buried under snow. We decided to check for ourselves. Turns out there is snow at Rainbow Point, but the Under-the-Rim Trail was virtually clear. Game on!
We shuttled out to Round Valley Draw just in time to get hammered by an icy rainstorm, which was followed by a cold frosty night. Fortunately, the weather seemed to break, and into the narrows we went. They were even better than I remembered, with sections where the sky was completely obliterated by the 250ft high canyon walls. In places you could touch both walls at once. The surprise: despite all the nasty weather, there was water only at the very beginning of the slot.
We spent the next day and a half in the wondrous Hackberry Canyon, first with Zionesque white cliffs and flat, dry sandy bottom, then as more and more seeps and springs sprung from the bottom of the Navajo Sandstone in a clear running channel surrounded by cottonwood trees and willow. Ray and I even got in a great side hike starting at 5:15am, climbing out of the canyon on the old “upper trail” and to the top of a huge sandstone tower we believe is called the Sandstone Donkey. What a view!
After visiting with two awesome mule packers, Mike and Allison, who were spending their retirement traveling the wild areas of the southwest, we came upon what appeared to be a juvenile bald eagle carcass. It was apparently the victim of poisoning (local ranchers don’t like predators and often set out poisoned meat to kill them, despite being illegal). A mile and a half of stunning narrows, complete with fish and quicksand (one trap caught Chuck, taking two of us to pull him out), brought us to the cockscomb.
We’re now camping at the confluence of Hackberry Canyon and Cottonwood Wash, and hopefully, I’ll be handing this update off tomorrow to a passing motorist on the Cottonwood Rd for delivery to Mountainzone.com.
Keep it Wild!
Mike Coronella and the rest of the Hayduke Gang
Coyote Gulch was awesome, with its waterfalls, fluted watercourse, arches, bridges, wild flowers, springs, and high red rock walls. Unfortunately, the weather was so great: rain and cold. Instead of sticking around to see if the sky would clear so we could go explore some slot canyons, Ray and I decided to head out. We ran into a few folks, including one fellow, who, to my surprise, rightly guessed we were on the Hayduke Trail. That was a first for sure.
We dug up the cache bucket and water that I stashed for section seven over the Kaiparowits Plateau, a section I had previously decided to sacrifice to allow for more time to enjoy the rest of the adventure. We quickly caught a ride to Escalante with three Californians who had also heard of the Hayduke Trail. They dropped us at the Escalante Outfitters, a wilderness-friendly business run by Steve Roberts and his son, Scott. There we chowed down a tasty pizza, crashed in their campground, and caught a warm shower after an icy night.
The next morning, we “cruised” Escalante, eating breakfast (not Clif Bars) and buying some books for the trail – I got only one by Ellen Meloy, and Ray bought two books about someone who has greatly influenced my world: Everett Ruess. I found it strange that the town of Escalante had so many references to Everett, as some town folks are most likely responsible for his disappearance so many years ago.
We next went to the Grand Staircase National Monument visitor center to see if we could learn about any good ways to kill a couple of days before meeting my brother at Bryce. Another visitor seemed amazed to learn that we were not only hiking the Hayduke Trail, but that I was a co-founder.
We decided to head to Bryce to poke around. It took us about three hours to hitch a ride, watching countless empty pick ups, SUV’s and RV’s go by until finally someone picked us up and delivered us to the park. The very first people we saw threw my head into a spin: it was two experienced hikers who bailed from the Hayduke Trail after finding 12 miles a day too much. (I tried to warn them…!)
Ben and Allison decided to restart at section eight, the section my brother was meeting us for. They’d been having nothing but bad luck: they spent two days in the rain waiting to drop in the narrows of Round Valley Draw before giving up and heading to Bryce for some hiking.
We decided to join forces – instead of just having my brother join me for this section, we’re now traveling in a pack of five: me, Ray, Ben and Allison, and my brother Chuck.
Before my brother met up with us, we stopped in the Bryce Visitor Center to inquire about trail conditions. Not only are the shuttles not yet running, which Chuck was planning on riding to get back to his rental car, we were told that Rainbow Point was snowed in and the Under-the-Rim Trail, which we had planned on traveling, was also buried under snow. We decided to check for ourselves. Turns out there is snow at Rainbow Point, but the Under-the-Rim Trail was virtually clear. Game on!
We shuttled out to Round Valley Draw just in time to get hammered by an icy rainstorm, which was followed by a cold frosty night. Fortunately, the weather seemed to break, and into the narrows we went. They were even better than I remembered, with sections where the sky was completely obliterated by the 250ft high canyon walls. In places you could touch both walls at once. The surprise: despite all the nasty weather, there was water only at the very beginning of the slot.
We spent the next day and a half in the wondrous Hackberry Canyon, first with Zionesque white cliffs and flat, dry sandy bottom, then as more and more seeps and springs sprung from the bottom of the Navajo Sandstone in a clear running channel surrounded by cottonwood trees and willow. Ray and I even got in a great side hike starting at 5:15am, climbing out of the canyon on the old “upper trail” and to the top of a huge sandstone tower we believe is called the Sandstone Donkey. What a view!
After visiting with two awesome mule packers, Mike and Allison, who were spending their retirement traveling the wild areas of the southwest, we came upon what appeared to be a juvenile bald eagle carcass. It was apparently the victim of poisoning (local ranchers don’t like predators and often set out poisoned meat to kill them, despite being illegal). A mile and a half of stunning narrows, complete with fish and quicksand (one trap caught Chuck, taking two of us to pull him out), brought us to the cockscomb.
We’re now camping at the confluence of Hackberry Canyon and Cottonwood Wash, and hopefully, I’ll be handing this update off tomorrow to a passing motorist on the Cottonwood Rd for delivery to Mountainzone.com.
Keep it Wild!
Mike Coronella and the rest of the Hayduke Gang
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