4-Wheel Driving Smokey Mtn Road Escalante, Utah

As of 1pm today, 78 miles of Smokey Mountain Road is open with some sections needing high-clearance vehicles. Its not everyday you can drive this dirt road along the Kaiparowitz Plateau to Page, Arizona. Rain, wind & snow play havoc on this slow winding remote road. You'll want to go slow because you can miss this cache along side of the road or other ruins on the way to Lake Powell. The rugged desert landscape had long shadows as we descended into Big Water, Utah.
After spending the night in Page, Az, we headed back in search of an interesting hike. There are countless old ranch roads that go no where and that was fine with us. We walked a double-track ATV road that seem to connect with Last Chance Canyon for over 2 hours. Perhaps next exploration we'll ride our mountain bikes and find where the ATV track meets Last Chance Canyon.
Closer to Escalante, we had a rare glimpse of the elusive "Fins," tall castle-like fortress, lit up in the late afternoon sun. We recognized our next adventure off Smokey Mountain Road: to find a route to climb these secluded rock fins.

Strolling in Upper Calf Creek

Last Saturday was down right hot in Escalante, Ut. We headed to water, Upper Calf Creek to be precise, from our campsite perched above Boulder. I'm vague as to where this almost-pristine campsite is located because 1) we want to keep it almost-pristine 2) DEEP sand would most likely trap your vehicle 3) The winds can be challenging on this exposed bench.

We traversed down and over mounds of slickrock and came to where the trail from Highway 12 leads to Upper Calf Creek Falls. I brushed my knee on some Poison Ivy in an alcove before we traipsed down Calf Creek. The brushy steep banks kept us in the creek which was no problem with our trusty water shoes. After a mile and half of walking in this dappled-light filled stream, we found a way up over more slickrock to our campsite. This loop hike took us 6 1/2 hours and we welcomed the winds that cooled our brows from exertion. We toasted the views and to our wonderful warm day.

Escalante River Packraft Trip

I'm not a neophyte to inflatable rafting but definitely a novice to packrafting. I'm also a sucker for new ways to explore Escalante Canyon.

Last week, 3 friends & I packrafted down Escalante river when the river was 8 cfs (cubic feet per second). We all had Alpaca rafts which can glide on 2 cfs water courses and weigh only 7 pounds. We strapped our heavy dry bags and packs to our bows that contained provisions to camp overnight. We were to haul our raft, paddles, camping gear, etc up 5 miles to our shuttle vehicle.

My 1st indication that this was NOT a leisurely float trip when I was ensnared in spiky thorns from Russian Olive branches hanging (thriving) in the river's current. The 2nd clue was when I scrambled for my bilge sponge, bandana, water bottle after my raft flipped over. Omen #3 came as I pulled out my stuff from my "dry bag" that got wet from being submerged. I was never cold or miserable.

It was an adventure cuz I discovered new-to-me petroglphys & pictographs in weird places. Our camping site (Twin Caves) was spacious & not trampled on. The weather was warm and the river inviting. Will I return to finish running the Escalante River? We'll see.

Dogs Allowed

I'm not a fan of organized campgrounds, but I had to get out of the house where we work and live. Somewhere close and dog friendly. Kodachrome State Park is only 45 minutes west of us and they allow dogs. Yay! I did feel a bit guilty when my dog made foot-prints on the Zen-like raked dirt that surrounded our campsite. And what a treat it was to take a HOT shower after mountain biking a single track through weird red rock formations on Panoramic trail. When the sun set, the towers and monoliths lit up as if they were on fire. Sometimes civilized camping is pure pleasure.

Camping Accessories

I went camping up in the mountains with a bunch of Escalante folks last week and used my friend Ellie's bag she gave me to haul all my camping accouterments. As I unpacked, I noticed what items I ignored and made use of.
The obligatory camera was never picked up; too busy biking, hiking or petting horses. And fortunately, the bug juice was never applied. Either I wore long sleeves and pants or was moving too fast for the bugs to settle on my skin.
I did write 3 pages every morning in my journal I brought along. I recorded my dreams and reflected the life of a fly and my dog.
I read magazines cover to cover and got cozy with my Kindle at night in the tent. Having bear spray next to me was worth its weight in comfort.
Ellie's bag gave my camping experience more options for luxuries and pleasures.

Nasty Gnats

My face bears witness to the destruction from the tiniest creatures Mother Nature can dish out while camping in the Cedar trees last week-end. I understand why we saw no one while hiking in the vast wilderness of the Kaiparawits mountains: who would want their skin gnawed on by incessant gnats that are not deterred by poison, tight clothing or flight? We escaped to the high ridges where weird boulders and old snags reside in the unhampered breezes. Taking in the vistas on high hillsides, we rejoiced in the freedom from gnats.

Skywatching

Its been an interesting summer for sky-watching: Lunar eclipice, meteor showers, finding the north star, seeking Uranus moons.
I had a perfect position to view the Perseids meteor shower. We camped on a peak with a 240 degree view of the sky high above tree line to watch the show. My portable chaise lounge supported me along with a minus 15 degree sleeping bag to see the spectacle in the wee hours before sunrise. I counted 53 falling stars. The streaks came from all directions and time intervals. After each falling star I'd make a wish: peace in the middle east, I'd lose five pounds effortlessly, our front road be paved, see more falling stars... Fifty-three was a good number to crawl back into the tent on.
I regret not taking a photo of the Lunar eclipse. The moon looked like an old picture of red Mars. Eerie. Being awake in the dead of night is spooky too. Coyote howls seemed to be only ten feet away. Bushes rattled as if creatures were convening on how to attack me. Paranoid thoughts ruled during the slow, shadow moon show.
Lately I've been using the binoculars to locate Uranus moons in the southeast sky in the early dark evening. Clouds or my forgetfulness has prevented my newest discovery in the heavens.
The persistent north star or Polaris, has been chased by the Big and Little Dipper for centuries. I've only recently noticed there are other worlds to unearth out in the dark skies.