If you find something interesting on this blog…

Althought this blog is not intended to be a prolonged sales pitch it does contain trip ideas, locations and activities that can be facilitated through S&S Adventures.

If you find something intersting here please visit the website:

www.ssadventuresutah.com

 

Buckskin Gulch

Back in June my friend Sam sends me an email with the subject line of “Lets do this in October” and the email contained the following link http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/buckskin.htm 20 minutes later I replied with “I’m game” and that got the ball rolling on our trip down Buckskin Gulch. The plan was to start at the Wire Pass trail head follow it down to its confluence with Buckskin gulch until its confluence with the Paria river setting up camp there for the night before heading up the Paria to where we would leave a shuttle car at the White House trail head. With this basic information the adventure began.

We both arrived within 15 minutes of each other at the White House trail head on 8/14/09 around 6:30 in the evening. We immediately set up our little camp Sam in his one man tent me in my hammock attached to a tree and the picnic table. Once camp was “set up” we went wandering around the surrounding cliffs and scrambling up the steep sandstone walls only to find lots of polished rocks that were great for throwing off to see how far we could make it. The sun started to go down so we went back to camp for a little food and then we sat up and talked in the dark about life, S&S Adventures and other odd topics. Before heading off to sleep we spent a fruitless 30 minutes scouring the area with flashlights trying to find scorpions but instead found a Kangaroo Rat that we were able to watch for a while before it scampered into a hole.


Saturday morning came quickly we both had a poor nights sleep Sam due to allergies and me due to the rope I used to tie up my hammock stretching causing me to be bent in half most of the night. We packed up and took Sam’s car over to the Wire Pass trail head and were on our way by 9AM. As soon as we entered the slot canyon in Wire Pass everything got really interesting with a few easy down climbs and some of the tightest squeezes of the trip we both had grins from ear to ear and couldn’t stop talking about how cool it was.

Tight squeeze here

We took our first break at the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin gulch 1.7 miles in and continued from there. The sights were amazing, Sheer cliff wall, undulating walls like waves stood on end, Logs and debris lodged into the canyon above us, a Tarantula, Thousands of moth wings littering the floor, small plants, Lillis and even a dead mouse in the middle of the trail that I almost stepped on to name a few.

Big Spiders

Dead Mouse (RIP)

Sam at the first of MANY water crossings

At this point we thought the mud was nasty

After the first water crossing we quickly learned that Teva type sandals were the wrong choice of footwear. Though great when you were in the muck as soon as we were out and walking along the cobble floor the thick layer of slimy mud between our feet and the sandals caused our feet to slip in the sandal. After a number of incidents and some nasty ankle twists and strains we decided that for better or worse our backpacking boots were the best option if we didn’t want to kill our ankles.


We figured out shortly after this picture was taken that we had “slightly” overestimated our distance traveled. With Topo maps useless, GPS useless we had relied on what our normal pace would be and figured we were more than 3/4 of the way through Buckskin and that a large rock jam that is very definitive to being almost done would be just around the bend. Well around the bend I noticed that where we were was exactly how the Middle Trail escape route had been described. We had fallen pray to the splendor of the trail and had seriously lagged. DOH. This wasn’t a big deal at least we now knew where we were in the trail so we picked up the pace for the next hour and made it to the rock jam covering 3.5 miles in that hour.

We used hand lines to get down the rock jam and continued hiking towards the confluence. The final few miles would show themselves to be some of the wettest and hardest of the day. Coupled with the fact that we had already hiked 7+ miles at this point the mud began to get deeper and deeper and the pools of water on top the same. Sometimes with mud up to our knees and water above our belly buttons (remember we are both over 6′3″).

We finally made it to the confluence into the Paria river only to find that the Paria was so silt laden from the recent flood that extracting any water from it was going to be futile (we tried and even with pre-filtering with some socks we filled 2 socks with silt and gave up knowing it would only plug the water-filter rendering us waterless) and had to head back up Buckskin to some of the clearer pools of water. We had originally started with more than enough water for both days but due to 3 water mishaps during the day (my water bladder leaking in Sam’s car in the morning, The nipple pulling off my water bladder on the trail and spilling a gallon of water while filling water bottles at one of the stops) we had to get water else we would be very dehydrated on the hike out in the morning. After getting some water the sun was almost down and we set up a camp on a small sand bar just north of the confluence and tried to sleep through the night yet having a hard time not talking about just how cool what we had just come through was.

parting shot of Buckskin Gulch

Sunday morning came upon us early and we were packed and hiking up the Paria by 4 AM. Both Sam and I have spent plenty of time hiking at night with headlamps but this was a bit different than your normal Alpine environment.

Imagine you have a 25 Lbs pack on your back (this will become more as soon as it gets wet and it will), Your boots are full of water and now you have to cross a river so full of muck that the ripples that would normally be prevalent to show you features under the water are softened by the silt in the water, you start on a soft sandbar stepping down onto a thin sheet of clay that acts like ice for a few feet then you step into 6-12 inches of overly wet clay that sucks your feet in, now step into the river this step and any other in the river could be from 3 inches deep to 5 and a half feet deep. now that you are in the river go to the next sandbar with the same features as the last. Repeat every 30-40 feet. This whole time you only have enough light to see 15 feet in front of you well. your eyes start to burn from the strain over time… ya this was the first 2.5 hours of our morning.

When the sun came up the canyon also started opening up letting us know that we were about 3 miles from the end of the trail so we had made good time. We took a break had some coffee and a snickers bar and headed back up the river. Things got easier from here with more time spent on larger and larger sand bars and less river crossings until we finally made it back to the car. Glad to be able to rinse off some of the Alkali laden silt on our bodies that was starting to burn a little bit…









Both Sam and I agree this was one of the most difficult hikes we have done. from reading other peoples experiences our 10 hour trip through buckskin is not that uncommon but the recent flood caused us a lot more physical toil that was normal for the hike at the end of Buckskin and up the Paria.

In the end this was a GREAT adventure. Would we do it again? Yes we were already talking about doing this again but hiking all the way down to lees ferry (3 more days) next year.

 

Kings Peak 2009 – Highest Point in Utah

This trip has been in the planning since early May when we (S&S Adventures) were contacted by a gentleman from New York by the name of Marty who wanted to be guided up Kings Peak as it was his goal to reach all 50 of the US high points Utah is the 7th highest.

We all met at the Henry’s Fork Trail-head near 6PM (Marty hitched a ride with Sam from Salt Lake) where we set up camp ate some dinner and sat around the campfire talking about previous trips and the hike up the next day.

July 16 the start up the trail came at 7AM after taking down camp and application of liberal amounts of bug spray. The trek up was beautiful as we went from 9364 feet to 11067 Feet in elevation in 9 miles. Much of the way we were walking in the shade of the trees and just enjoying ourselves. We reached camp around 1PM just below Gunsight pass in an open meadow. We lounged for the rest of the day in the sun playing cards or just looking at the mountains that surrounded us going to be early so we could get an early start the next day. Both Sam and I were testing out some new gear on the mountain. Both of us had new stoves to play with, I tested out a Mil Spec Bivy and my boots and Sam a new lightweight backpacking tent (Detailed reviews of these will come out soon).

July 17 Summit Day. We started hiking up Gunsite pass at 4 AM by the light of the moon and then hiking back down into painters flats on the other side by the rising sun. Soon to be hiking up the west side of the mountain until we reached the last major rise and the beginnings of the boulder field. We ended up going up the West face instead of the long northern slope while more climbing up is needed the footing is about the same and you cut off a lot of distance going up this way. After the long scramble we made it to the top of Kings peak for a short rest and then to head back down. Marty pounded his head good on a rock coming up and the altitude had some effect on him as he is a lowlander but made it to the top. Sam made the summit a little before us as we decided Sam would rush down to get Marty’s pack and move it to Anderson pass where we would go down the Chute to cut 6 miles off the return trip.

Looking down Anderson Pass and the Chute our way down to Henrys fork Basin and back to camp. Dropping 1200 feet in a little under 1/4 mile. Great fun sliding down the scree field.

Once back at camp we decided to push for the trail head and drive back to Salt Lake for the night. We averaged 2.2 MPH going out even after the long trek to the top and with our packs ending the day by saying bye at the trail head as we drove back to civilization.

Great Trip!

 

Green Eyed Monster – Caving in Utah

On Saturday 6/27/09 I got the opportunity to go into GEM (Green Eyed Monster)  leading a group of cavers (John, Cameron, Sam, Jeff, Spencer, Shane). Everyone had a great time.

We hiked the south face of the mountain about .65 of a mile up 65degree slopes of loose scree and talus to the entrance. The entrance is the modified entrance to the mine and is a 2 foot steel culvert at a 45 degree angle down about 12 feet and then you have to shimmy through a triangle shaped entrance in the rock that is well.. SNUG for 5 feet or so. all of this is done while sliding in mud.

Once in you are walking down the main shaft of the mine. most of the shaft has 2-3 inches of water on the floor and you can see the rotting steel rails just under the water. after about 200 feet or so back you come to the main haulage tunnel on the left and from there another 100 feet to the climb into the un-mined cave area shown in the maps. you enter the cave from the mine into the Medusa room.The water level and mud level was much lower this time compared to the last time I was there a few months ago. I went through the loop a couple times and finally got to go into the pool room (I still have bruises from forcing my body in there). The great thing about GEM is that it is just one giant formation and that is odd for a cave.

Again please note this Cave is on private property and you need permission from the owners to go in. People not following the rules will cause the owners to stop saying yes to entering the caves and mines in the area.

The wonderful pics from in the cave and thanks to Shane and everyone else who was holding flashes all around the place

 

Exploring the Ancient World

What a great trip this was! We began by leaving Salt Lake around 4:00 pm on 06/18/09 and heading SE to Moab. We arrived shortly after 8:00 pm, set up camp and made contact with the rest of our party (Jeff, Dave and Barry). After connecting with them we decided to do a night run up Shaffer Trail and then down Long Canyon. This was quite the drive. Shaffer trail at night is quite a contrast to the day time experience and you became starkly aware of just how many washes are on this trail, climbing the switch backs in pure blackness is an ominous feeling. If you have done this trail in the light you know you are climbing over a thousand feet in the air but the night sky with no moon blotted out everything but the patch of road in front of you, one misguided turn and it is a long fall to a dirt nap. Two members of our party (Dave and Barry) had not done Shaffer trail and did not have a real appreciation for what they were climbing.

After finishing up Shaffer we traveled back down Long Canyon. Long Canyon is usually a pretty easy jaunt but due to the excessive rain we have been having there were several places where the road was eroded pretty badly. We got through though and soon were back on hwy 279 and headed back to our camp spot at Williams Bottom.

Rainbow on the way to Moab

The next morning we headed out around 8:00 for the Indian Reservation city of Chinle and the main event of our trip Canyon De Chelley (say: Canyon De Shay) and Canyon Del Muerto. On the way there we decided to hit a trail called Montezuma Creek. What a good decision. This trail dropped into a hidden canyon where we found a community of homes built right into the rock faces, Jeff and I also had the pleasure of speaking at length with one of the residents about his home build and some of the history of the area. After we passed into the BLM portion of the canyon the real excitement began as we spied many cliff dwelling ruins and Petra glyphs, along with the stunning scenery of this canyon. After about 2.5 hours in this canyon we were back on pavement and proceeded into Chinle.

Home built into the rock face in Montezuma Creek

Montezuma Creek

Keiva in Montezuma Creek

Keiva in Montezuma Creek

Keiva in Montezuma Creek

After setting up camp we headed out and drove the south rim of the canyon and saw some of the cliff dwellings and spider rock from the canyon rim. As we looked at them our anticipation grew for the events of the next day when we would be descending into the canyon and see these sights up close and personal.

Spider Rock Canyon De Chelly

After touring the south rim we headed back to camp and hit the sack. We had some good wind and rain that night and I was grateful for the protection my tent afforded me.

8:00 the next morning we met at the ranger station and secured our guide (Calvin – Ya not very traditional I know) and permit for our decent into Canyon De Chelly. The local regulations require a Native American guide to enter the canyon. The canyon is surrounded on two sides and sometimes three by no less than 800 foot high sheer cliffs. As we traveled the canyon our guide provided us with insight on the history of the canyon and the culture of the three tribes that have inhabited it. The Hopi, Anasazi and of course its current residents the Navajo. Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and told us many stories along the way. Some of them factual and other hinted of Navajo folk lore but all were equally engaging.

 
Canyon Del Muerto

Canyon Del Muerto

Canyon Del Muerto

Mummy Cave Canyon Del Muerto

One of the many times we were in the river

Whitehouse Canyon De Chelly

Window Arch Canyon De Chelly

Spider Rock from below Canyon De Chelly

Here are a few sample of the stories we heard

Spider Rock

In the beginning the Navajo were to take no skills from nature. However one woman took the are of weaving from the spider and this is how the Navajo learned to weave rugs and make some of their clothing. The elders were very upset that Spider Woman had done this and so they put her on the top of spider rock. They gave her a tree and a berry bush to survive on and there she lived for many years. Then one day she left the rock by using the tree and bush to weave a rope which extended to the crack in the rock then climbed like a spider down the crack.

Also Spider woman is the Navajo equivalent of the boogie man. If children do not listen to their parents they can be taken to Spider rock where spider woman will descend the rock and take the unruly children to the top and eat them. The white top of the rock is the bones of the children she has eaten.

Massacre Cave
In 1805 the Spaniards came to Canyon De Chelly looking for gold. The Navajo were not people who valued gold but the Spaniards believed that the Navajo must be hiding all the gold and began to question and kill them for information about where the Gold was hidden. About 100 Navajo women, children and elderly went to a high cliff cave to hide out until the Spaniards left. The Spaniards followed them to the cave but the cave was unapproachable. When the Spaniards attempted to climb up to the cave the Navajo would roll big boulders down on them the cave could not be reached from the top either. Eventually the Spaniards noticed a large overhang above the cave and decided to shoot at the overhang and it fell upon the Navajo killing them all. Some Navajo men were across the canyon and watched all this happen powerless to stop it. The Navajo men sent out runners to warriors, who were out in the wilderness hunting and told them what had happened. The warriors returned and drove out the Spaniards.

Anasazi history
Anasazi means “Ancient Ones”. Many of the the ruins and rock art in the canyon were done by the Anasazi. The Pueblo Indians are the descendants of the Anasazi.

We spent a bit over 8 hours in the canyon seeing the sights and doing to many river crossing to count and then we were done. We returned to our campsites with much to contemplate. The next morning the plan was to finish off our tour by traveling North East to Mesa Verde and see some more ruins before returning home. We began this leg at 6:30 in the moring by traveling up the North rim of Canyon De Chelly and then connected with the Lukachukai Mountain Trail. This trail was starkly different from the previous trails we had been on for this trip. We ascended into rich and beautiful mountain country full of tall pine and spruce trees and lots of high mountain lakes and ponds. The flowers were in full bloom at this elevation and we were stunned at the natural beauty as we crested the summit and descended and could see the Red Rock mountains to the North of Lukachukai.

View on Lukachukai Mountain Trail

From the mountain trail we proceeded to the Hard Ball trail and things got a bit interesting. This trail was unbelievably remote and the rugged desert landscape was reminiscent of the old western movies. Jeff broke a shock mount and Dave lost a fender flare  all in the space of this 25 mile trail. Don’t let the carnage fool you, it was not a difficult trail, just a streak of bad luck. Hard ball popped us out just a bit SW of the four corners and after a damage assessment decided we should forego the trip to Mesa Verde.

We headed North on hwy 191 through Blanding to Moab to price and eventually home. I Rolled up into the drive way around 8:30 pm. Great trip, I will remember this one for a while to come and will definately go back.

 

Fishing in the Uinta’s

So Sam and I were originally planning on summiting Lone Peak last weekend. unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side so we decided to be safe and not go. But we always have something else on tap that we can do

Instead we took off Friday afternoon with the tent trailer to go up SR150 up by mirror lake and camp where we could near a lake and spend the time fishing. We ended up at Lost Lake just south of Lilly and Teapot lakes (the gates were still closed to the campground). We did have to make our way through some deep (3-4 foot deep consolidated) snowdrifts to get to a camping spot. A little use of the winch, a bit of digging with the little shovel and a heavy foot on the gas got us through. once camp was set up we walked down to the lake and threw our lines in. I got the only fish on day one..

Day 2 we woke up and started fishing the stream with no luck then headed to the lake. by the end of the day we had 21 fish for the trip, I had even got 2 fish at once a couple of times. most of them were rather small fish and were thrown back but by noon we had a couple nice fish that we decided to wrap in foil and cook on the fire. We were a little too relaxed and ended up burning both of them. Luckily we got some more large ones for dinner. we called it a day around 5 when the snow started to come down. We fried the fish up in the trailer and had a nice little dinner. During the day others had used the trail that we had forged the other day making it much easier and we were confident about getting out the next day without shovels or winches .

Some hot coco and 100 proof cinnamon schnapps gave us a bit of extra incentive to relax. At this point we figured out that we both had some sun damage to our faces but on top of that both of us had failed to wear sunglasses (mine because they were lost the last weekend, Sam because he is a tard and had them on his forehead all day). with bloodshot eyes we decided sleep would be good.

Sunday morning we woke up and had coffee and oatmeal and packed up the tent trailer and our gear. As we were hooking up the trailer the snow started to fall hard and neither of us wanted to deal with the snow so we headed home.

In short it was a great trip, 21 fish total, I got the first and the most and Sam got the largest. — No pictures were taken during the trip—

 

Great Salt Lake Expedition 2009

On Thursday May 14 My friends Mason (and his Daughter), Steve (and his son) and Chad (with his son and father) met up at my house in Tooele at 9AM to begin a 4 day 3 night circumnavigation of the Great Salt Lake with Me and my eldest Kahlan. The basic plan was to head west on the pony express trail until we reached gold hill for the first night’s camp. From Gold hill we would north west to Wendover NV for our last fuel stop in 350 miles and to pick up the last member of the trip Sam who couldn’t get away until Friday morning. Lucin Utah and the Sun tunnels would be our lunch stop on day 2 and then to head to the highest point (85** feet) in our trip for our planned 2nd night in the sawtooth National Forest. Day 3 we would head east and north touching into Idaho for a short time and seeing the 5 house town of Standrod then head south east as directly as possible to Locomotive springs on the north point of the Great Salt Lake (GSL). A quick visit to the Spiral Jetty and then down to Promontory point for camp 3. Day 4 would just be driving from Camp 3 home on I15.
As the old Maxim states the The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry this is why on any trip of this sort you have to be willing to be flexible and enjoy the changes as they come and not let the little modifications in plan ruin the trip everyone on the trip was well prepared to go out and have a great time even with the changes to the plan that happened

 

The San Rafael Swell

In Utah when one speaks about the rugged beauty of the desert they are almost always speaking of Moab and the area’s surrounding it. However what many residents and vistors to Utah fail to understand is the majestic beauty of other areas of the state.

One of my personal favorites is the San Rafael Swell.  The “Swell” as we call it is located in the Eastern part of the state between Castle Dale, Green River, Price and Hanksville. This area offers some of Utah’s most impressive senic vistas and is accessible to all vehicle types. Much of the Swell can even been seen by passenger car on roads that are well maintained and treated with a special solution that nearly eliminates dust. Getting off the main drag is easy too and there are hundreds of mile of track within the Swell for the adventurer who wants to see rarely seen sites and test thier driving skill.

Some of my favorite vehicle based adventures in the swell include the always fun “Devlis Race Track” and the beautiful “Eagle Canyon”. One of the most amazing views within the swell is the “Wedge Overlook” also known as “The Little Grand Canyon”, but I tell you there is nothing little about it. There is a fantastic campground right at the Wedge Overlook and this is a night you wont forget as you watch the shadows cast across this beautiful expanse and the San Rafael River in the gorge below.

In addition to phenomenal vehicle based adventure opportunities the Swell abounds in hiking trails as well. If you have not experienced “Little Wildhorse Canyon” you just don’t know what you are missing. Again, when you hear talk of hiking through slot canyons the first thought is immediately “The Narrows” in Zions National Park, the Narrows are amazing to be sure, however Little Wildhorse Canyon offers a large variety of narrow slot canyons with high walls that will truely amaze you. There are also a large selection of day hikes in around the Wedge Overlook as well as a variety of multi day hikes that will blow your mind such as San Refael Reef, Crack Canyon, Muddy Creek, and Devils Canyon trails. The Swell has so much to offer.

As if the incredible scenery from both vehicle and foot weren’t enough, the Swell continues to offer up reasons to visit. The Swell was home to the Anasazi indians for thousands of years. The picto and petro glyphs left behind show the advances in technique and pigments used to create these stunning pictures that are so well preserved on many of the Swell’s walls. Additionally as the cowboys moved west such renowned folks as Butch cassidy and the Sundance Kid “holed” up in the Swell and left their mark behind as well.

The Swell offers something for everyone but before you go off the main track (Buckhorn wash) do your homework. Navigating the back roads and trails of the Swell can be tricky even for a seasoned adventurer, and at times the trails can be hard to follow. It is best to make sure you have your trip well mapped out using GPS technology and have the necessary gear in case of an emergency, and always carry lots of water. You can also work with a guide service such as S&S Adventures to show you what you want to see and make sure you don’t miss anything or get lost in the process.

However you choose to enjoy the Swell get out there and see it. Here are some pictures to illustrate better what I am talking about.

One of the Arches in Eagle Canyon

Braving Devils Race Track

Swaseys Cabin

The Wedge Overlook

One the many Petroglyphs within the Swell

 

Pony Express: Faust, UT to Ruby Valley, NV

This is a recap of the Pony Express trip Scott, Mason and Myself went on in August of 2008.

I have wondered for along time what lies beyond Ibapah, so early on this year I set about plotting the Pony express part 2. The basic plan would go from Faust along the established route we have all done and then cross through Ibapah into the unknown. This was an exciting prospect – history, unknown trail conditions and what was sure to be beautiful country.

We headed out (Scott, Mason and myself) Thursday evening after work and headed for camp 1 (gold hill). Didn’t take long before I noticed my DS Rear Axle seal was leaking so had to make a quick stop at checker to pick up a couple gallons of Diff lube. Then hit the trail





Tried a little trail side seal fix (didn’t work)


We got up Friday morning loaded up and headed for the unknown. Our goal was Ruby Valley


Shortly after going through the town of Ibapah we saw our first PE marker of the new trail

as well as an old cabin

Shortly there after we crossed on to the reservation. Unknown to us this sign is not just a “stay on the road” sign. It means STAY OUT. coming home we ran into the law. They were nice enough about our trespassing and said that as long as we call ahead they allow you to cross the reservation. I have the name and number if anyone ever heads out that way


We then came to the abandoned town of Tippett. Tippett was just about as cool a place as I have ever been.





about 20 miles past Tippett we hit the Stone house. Stone house is not on the PE but a very worth while stop







The entrance to Schellbourne




Random Llama

From Schellbourne it was a quick detour to Cherry Creek. Cherry creek was once a booming mining town, what remains is a run down community with one store, which is a Bar. We had ourselves some lunch and a beer




From Cherry Creek we got back on the PE and headed into Egan Canyon. This is when the road changed from a nice broad graded road to double track

Once through Eagan Canyon we ran into a 150 year old cemetery




We encountered a variety of terrain from this point… all of it stunning




Hit Camp 2 in the ruby valley camping above a wildlife refuge.




A little fun with a snake


Next morning we decided to head back home on Saturday rather than Sunday as originally planned

The wildlife refuge





Before heading home though we wanted to make our way over the pass and down into Eureka






After hitting Eureka it was paved road back to Schellbourne then back to dirt all the way to Faust beautiful sunset drive

Great time, Awesome trip, Good company.

So many more pictures available anyhow Maybe Sam or Mason will post up more details.. but you get the gist of it [/quote]