Grand Gulch to Hurricane Wash

I woke up at first light. Everything was silent. I looked around, no sand dune next to my sleeping bag. I glimpsed outside. Blue sky and my supply bucket standing tall in front of my tent. 

Peace

This was a good start. The pad was still flat and the water frozen, just to keep it real though. I lay still until the sun warmed the tent a little, made breakfast and started to lay out the content of the bucket to portion out food for the next section. In every food cache I packed some extra treats, mostly things I received from friends. This one had chocolate drops from Chris and Nazli, and also fresh garlic from Yahan.

Treats

I would make this a short hiking day. I was exhausted from the tough last section. Under normal circumstances I would have had a zero day in a trail town, but there was no such thing nearby. I had hiked and backpacked in this area before. The Waterpocket Fold was right in front of me and I started out in the Grand Gulch Trail, following it for some time until I came to a route that would cross the Fold. 

Waterpocket Fold

But not today. I left around 10 am and hiked to the Muley Tanks, natural pools that have served humans as water sources at least since the migration of the Mormon people into this area. I found a nice camp spot nearby and decided to call it a day. I dunked my pad in one of the tanks, found another hole and fixed it with Gorilla tape. Finally the pad stopped leaking.

More Fixes

The next morning I made my way to what’s called the Red Slide, a very steep rock slide that had the faint impression of an old mining track winding upwards. I think mining was abandoned in the 60s and I found it amazing that I could still make out the track, however faint it was in places. At some point I found remnants of an old camp again and even parts of what potentially was an old compressor used in the mines, along with an old battery. 

Trash Or Artifact

From its highest point it was another few miles to get to the pass over the Fold and I thought I could have lunch up there. Then I saw the terrain, steep talus, huge boulders, washes to cross and I hoped I would make it up there by dinner time.

That turned out to be the more realistic estimate and after a lot of scrambling and bouldering I made it to the top. The views were incredible.

Up On The Pass

I considered camping there, but was worried about exposure to the elements should the weather turn and slowly started scrambling down the other side towards Moody Canyon, which I was to follow to the Escalante River. The canyon had a few impassable sections that required me to climb out and back in a few times. During one of those climbs I found a nicely protected flat spot that looked perfect for camping and I set up my tent.

Another thing that I usually don’t like when camping is mosquitoes. Yet, when the wind brought a cloud of them up from the canyon to join me for dinner, I was pretty relieved as it meant there was water further down. I could now have hot chocolate after dinner and an extra gurgle after brushing my teeth!

The next morning I still had to hike over three hours the to make it to the birthplace of the mosquitoes. It was a hot day and the extra water was much appreciated, even though it was murky and only good for cooking. 

Includes Minerals…

The canyon walls became ever more impressive as I came near the intersection with the Escalante. 

I followed that river for 25 miles over the next two days. The water was clear and the riverbed is stunning. The river meanders through the sandstone and cut a deep canyon with vertical walls in most places, perhaps 50 to 100 meters deep. 

Escalante River 

There were seeps with hanging gardens and huge overhangs, especially as I got closer to the end. I also got to swim and rinse my clothes for the first time since I was in the Dark Canyon.

Here I also saw the first snakes of my hike. I initially mistook the curled up and harmless gopher snake for a rattlesnake. There was also a garter snake swimming impressively against the current of the Escalante.

Gopher Snake

Garter Snake

The river banks are overgrown, so for the most part it was best just to walk in the river. The water was chin to knee deep, but some sections had rapids and really deep areas that I had to hike around. In sum, a lot of bushwhacking, climbing, and dragging my feet through the water. There were many sections with quicksand, but I learned in the Dirty Devil how to deal with them.

When I saw Stevens Arch I knew my trip down the Escalante was almost over. 

Stevens Arch

Two more bends in the river and I saw the mouth of Coyote Gulch, my next destination.

Coyote Gulch is very pretty. It’s also popular and I saw other backpackers again, the first humans since I left the Grand Gulch Trail. It also has a well defined trail running through it, so travel was easy and fun. I cowboy camped a few miles into the gulch on a small plateau under a huge rock overhang. It was a bit windy, but I was well protected there.

Camp With A View

All I had to do the following day was hike about 10 miles in the gulch and Hurricane Wash to the end of this section and my next food cache. I took my time, taking in the beauty of the place, enjoying the abundance of fresh water and shade. 

Cactus In Bloom

This section wasn’t easy with the tough climb up the Waterpocket Fold and the endless water wading in the Escalante, but the scenery was spectacular and the good weather helped to make it very enjoyable.