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Home >> Articles >> Life of Myden
Utah Rocks
April 11th
Arrived in Las Vegas. Cheryl and I collected the luggage and Chris went to go pick up our rental car. He took an Uber to the rental car place where he went through another fun rental car process. It was very, very, very slow to get the car. We were waiting for quite a while for him to come pick us up.
They tried to give us a minivan, but Chris thought that wouldn't be a very good idea based on the roads that we were planning to drive. He finally got a car, which was a size up from what we had booked, and actually what we wanted because we could fit seven people in it. He got in the car, got all set up, and then experienced a lot of frustration with Android Auto. Eventually, a few hours later, he made it to pick us up at the airport.
We loaded the luggage in the car and then drove to Vons to pick up our online grocery order, which actually went very quickly and smoothly. We hit the road and drove to our first stop, Kanab, Utah. We made one small detour on the way to stop at Edge of the World Brewery. The brewery was in Colorado City in Arizona on the border with Utah. We each had a pretty tasty beer, and Chris had a good focaccia sandwich.
On the way out of town, I stopped to pick up a burrito at the local Mexican place, and then we went to Coral Sands State Park. We walked out to a viewpoint and looked at the pink sand dunes. We made it to Kanab and checked into our Airbnb. We heard from Melanie that they were running behind and probably wouldn't make it until about midnight.
Chris and I went for a swim, and we had hoped to go for a hot tub. However, there was one large family taking up all the space. We swam and we swam, hoping we could outwait them and get in the hot tub when they left. Unfortunately, they stayed in for quite a while. We gave up and went back to the condo. Cheryl and Chris waited up for Melanie, Ethan, and Gaz to arrive, which they eventually did late at night.
April 12th
Chris and I woke up and headed out to hike Wire Pass. The rest of the group had booked an Antelope Canyon tour and planned to see Horseshoe Bend as well. Chris and I decided to skip that as we had already seen it, even though it was 15 years ago.
We drove out to Wire Pass. It was the same trailhead where we started the Wave hike from on our trip 15 years ago. We vaguely recognized it. We started out on the hike to Wire Pass, hiking through a wash and eventually made it to the narrow part of the canyon. We hiked through quite a nice, deep canyon. It was very scenic. At the end of the pass, there were some petroglyphs of goats on the rock wall. We intersected with Buckskin Gulch.
We made it a short way down the gulch before we encountered a large pool of standing water. We debated going through the water and continuing on, but decided not to and turned back. There were some ladies resting in the sun, drying off their feet, and they told us there were about 15 crossings altogether that were up to thigh-deep. So we were happy with our choice not to try and cross the first one, as I don't think we would have gotten very far.
We continued the other way up Buckskin Gulch, but only made it a short while again before we encountered a large pool of water. We thought we might try to cross this one, as the ground was very soft and sandy, unlike the other side, which was rocky. Chris took off his shoes and started to wade across, but eventually, he just sunk deeper and deeper into the mud-like sand and gave up and came back. On the plus side, he got a good pedicure for his feet, as he had a nice mud wrap on them and they were exfoliated as he walked.
We walked back up through the gulch. By then it was getting busier with lots of people arriving and walking down the trail headed towards the pass. We were glad we finished when we did; otherwise, I think it would be pretty busy walking through the narrow pass.
Once back at the car, we got back on the road and drove to the Toadstools, a little way down the highway. At the Toadstools, we went for a short 3km hike through some badlands that reminded us of Drumheller. We saw an interesting balancing rock, as well as some other formations. It was quite windy out.
After the Toadstools, we headed back to the Airbnb. Once we were all back, we barbecued some burgers, had a good dinner, and traded stories from our days. Apparently, Antelope Canyon was very busy with lots of tourists going through the canyon and getting photos taken. We went back and made another attempt at the hot tub. Our plan was to go later at night once all the kids were in bed, and luckily it paid off as we had the hot tub and pool area to ourselves.
April 13th
We packed up all our stuff, which was actually quite a lot. We had a lot of food that we'd have to eat over the next few days. Once packed, we got in our vehicles and drove towards Escalante, taking the Cottonwood Canyon Road. It's a gravel road that you can only drive in good conditions. When it rains, apparently, it turns into mud and quicksand. Luckily, we had a nice sunny day.
Our first stop along the road was a hike to Yellow Rock and Hackberry Canyon. We arrived at the trailhead and set off to do Yellow Rock first. We walked along the creek, and after a short walk, we came to a steep ascent up the side of the mountain through some red rocks. We made it up, and then once we crested the hill, we could see our destination of Yellow Rock in front of us. It was indeed very yellow. We climbed to the top of Yellow Rock, where there were nice 360-degree views all around us. We sat and had some lunch and took some photos. Ethan worked on his selfie technique. The wind started to pick up, and we made our way back down, enjoying the different colored rock formations as we walked.
Once back at the car, we had some lunch, took a little break, and then set out for the second hike, Hackberry Canyon. We walked to the mouth of Hackberry Canyon and put on our water shoes. We waded through shallow water. It was nice and refreshing, nice and cold on our feet after our long hike. It wasn't very deep, just enough to barely cover our feet. The canyon was quite scenic, quite deep, not too narrow, with some tall walls above us and some trees beside us. We hiked in for a while and then turned around and retraced our steps back out, taking some photos along the way. We weren't sure if the rest of the group was coming or not, but it turns out they were pretty close behind us.
Once back at the parking lot, we all loaded into the vehicles again and headed to Grosvenor Arch. At the arch, we pretty much had it all to ourselves. We pulled up and then took a short walk up to the bottom of the rock formation to get a close-up look at the arch. It was quite high up, but pretty impressive. We then continued on and made it to the end of Cottonwood Canyon Road. Overall, the road was in pretty good condition.
Once back on pavement, we stopped at one more viewpoint on the way to Escalante and then made it to our Airbnb. Gaz went out and picked us up some pizza for dinner from Zion Outfitters. It was pretty good pizza and also the only thing open in the small town on a Sunday night.
April 14th
We woke up and set out on our first hike of the day: a short, three-and-a-half-kilometer hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls, about a half-hour drive from Escalante. We started out hiking downhill toward Calf Creek and the waterfall. It was quite scenic all around us, with interesting rock formations and views. We arrived at the waterfalls. Here, we could see a view of the top half, and then continued on a little ways further to a second, small waterfall going into a pool. Gaz decided to take a swim. Apparently, it was very chilly; he didn't last very long. We then retraced our steps back to the first waterfall, Upper Calf Creek, and then hiked down so we could see the full falls as it spilled onto some rocks and into the pool below.
After the falls, we headed back up to the trailhead. It was much more difficult going back to the car than it was coming down; it's a pretty good workout. Once back in the car, we headed back toward our Airbnb to pick up Melanie and Ethan. It was a very scenic drive, driving along a narrow spine with nice views all around us.
We did a quick turnaround at the Airbnb and set out on our next hike to Spooky and Peekaboo Slot Canyons. We were aiming to be there for midday when the sun was overhead for the slots to be nicely lit up. We all piled into one vehicle and drove down Hole in the Rock Road, another gravel road which actually ended up being in pretty good shape. It was about an hour's drive to the slot canyons, where again we had nice views on the way.
Once at the slot canyons, we packed as lightly as possible as it was a tight squeeze to fit through them, and you didn't want to have any bulky backpacks. At the trailhead, there was a sizing device that you could squeeze through to test if you were skinny enough to make it through the slots. Luckily, we all fit. Once again, we had another hike where we went downhill first. We walked along the rim with nice views of the valley below us and then descended down onto the floor of the wash where the slot canyons were located.
Once at the mouth of the slot canyon, there were already some people there struggling to get up an approximately 12-foot steep incline up the rock. There was one man at the top helping the rest of his group, as well as a couple of German girls scrambling up the rock face. It was our turn, and we sent Melanie up first. She was able to make it to the top and then help the rest of us as we pushed and pulled each other in a team effort to get everybody up. We also helped a guy and his son behind us get up. Chris and Melanie had a good workout pulling him up, as he was a bit like dead weight trying to scale the rocks.
Once we were in the canyon, there were a few tight spots, but it turns out they weren't nearly as tight as what Spooky Canyon, our next one, would be. We made it through Peekaboo with only a few areas where we had to use our upper body strength to pull us through. We then traversed across to come down Spooky. On the way, we passed someone retracing their steps, as he was too large to fit in Spooky, so he had to go back down through Peekaboo.
We entered Spooky and soon reached a bottleneck where there was a large drop initially, where some people were freaking out and seemed very stressed about how to get through it. We made it down the steep drop, and then the canyon narrowed around us. Progress was slow as we ran into another group in front of us who were taking their time squeezing through the tight spaces. We had to wait quite a while for them to move and carry on, as they seemed to be struggling with how to get through. It was very tight; you had to turn sideways and squeeze yourself through. It probably wouldn't be good for anyone who is claustrophobic. Eventually, we all made it out to the other side; no one got stuck in the canyon.
Once back at the Airbnb, we made spaghetti for dinner and played a game of Carcassonne.
April 15th
We left our Airbnb in Escalante and went to Red Rock Canyon to hike the Losee Canyon Trail. After one false start where we arrived at the wrong trailhead, we found the trail and hiked up Losee Canyon with nice views around us. Red rocks and nice formations. Very beautiful, easy hike.
We continued up the trail for a while, enjoying the views. We got almost to the end and then decided to head back. Then we retraced our steps back down the canyon. Once at the trailhead, we did a short hike around Arches Loop. It was only 1km but had some pretty impressive views and some small arches along the trail. It was almost better than the 10km hike that we had just completed.
We continued on to our destination for that day, Hurricane. We took a scenic shortcut across going by Duck Creek, which Chris called a redneck resort as it looked like there was lots of hunting and fishing in the area. At one point we reached some lava fields which looked very strange as they were at quite high elevation with trees growing out of them and also some snow around them. We continued on. We had hoped to do Cedar Break Point Road but it was closed in wintertime as it was still snowy.
We did stop at the Zion Overlook and could see Zion in the very far distance. Checked into our Airbnb in Hurricane. Got settled in and went out for dinner at the River Rock Roasting Company. We got a table on the patio which had nice views of the canyon below us. It was quite hot though as the sun was directly on us. We played a round of the golf card game while we waited for our food to arrive.
Once back at the Airbnb we celebrated Ethan's birthday with some cupcakes and he opened his presents. After dinner we played Carcassonne. And then Chris and I went for a hot tub. Our only complaint was there were some annoying blue lights starting across the indoor gazebo of the hot tub. Chris said it made him feel like the police were chasing him.
April 16th
We got an early start and left our Airbnb at 6:30 to try and beat the crowds to Zion. We were able to get a spot in the parking lot at the visitor center and then took the shuttle up to our first destination, the Grotto, to hike Emerald Pools. We had to take the Kayenta Trail because the normal trail to Emerald Pools was closed due to a washed-out bridge. The trail had really nice views looking down and across into the canyon.
We went to the middle pool first. We were a little disappointed as it was kind of just like a large puddle on the ground. We decided to push on to the upper pool. However, we couldn't find the trail. We started up one way, leading to a dead end and some other people wondering where the trail was as well. We retraced our steps back to the second pool and noticed that there had been a large group sitting in front of the sign directing us to the third pool. They hadn't said anything to let us know we were going the wrong way. Once the path was unobstructed, it was pretty clear where to go. We continued up to the top pool. It was a pretty steep, stiff climb and felt longer than the 0.3 miles the sign said.
We arrived at the third pool. It was quite a bit nicer than the second pool. It was a large pool with some tall cliff faces surrounding it. Someone said at times there's a waterfall coming down, but it was too dry, so no waterfalls for us today. We finished off by backtracking down to the first pool. It was quite nice as well, with some small waterfalls coming over the cliffs, and you walked underneath the cliffs and the waterfalls. We enjoyed the views from there and then walked back down to the shuttle stop to catch the bus further up the canyon.
We got off the shuttle at the last stop, Sinawava Temple, and from there you could walk along a paved pathway along the river. Once you reach the end of the pavement, you either had to turn back or put on your water gear to hike up the Narrows, a hike in which you walk up the river getting wet. Chris and I elected to continue on, put on our water shoes, and got our hiking poles ready. The rest of the group decided they didn't want to and turned around to wait for us back at the visitor center.
Chris and I started up the Narrows. First, the water was knee-deep, and it was quite cold. We went around the first bend and soon reached a stretch where we had to decide whether we wanted to keep going or turn back, as the water was waist-deep. We decided to push on through and waded through the narrow section with lots of other people leading the way to show us where the shallowest parts were. After that, we continued up the river, crossing back and forth from side to side wherever it looked easiest to go upstream. We had our water shoes; Chris made good use of his Keens finally, but most other people had rented full gear in town with boots, hip waders, and large sticks.
When we started, the weather was quite cool and cloudy, but luckily the sun came out and helped warm us up in the cold water. Our feet were a little cold, but it actually wasn't too bad once you got used to it. We found a sunny spot on a bank and stopped and ate some trail snacks and tried to figure out how far we'd come. We decided to keep going a little further and kept saying "one more bend, one more bend," until we finally decided we would turn back. Walking downstream was a little easier, as you're going downhill and also with the current. There were still quite a few people starting at this time, and the canyon remained very busy. We had been hoping to make it to Wall Street, where the Zion Canyon intersects with the Orderville Canyon. Turns out when we looked afterward, we were probably only a few hundred meters away, so we should have kept going for one more bend. Nonetheless, the part we did was quite scenic, and it was pretty fun wading up the river through the water.
We made it back to the paved section, changed our shoes, and walked quickly down the path to catch the shuttle, as we didn't want to keep the others waiting too long. The shuttle back was quite slow, as it stopped at every single stop along the way. We made it back to the visitor center and joined up with the rest of the group. I went to go get in the car to go home, only then to realize that my cell phone was missing. Chris had used it to listen to some Yellow Warblers, and he must have set it down somewhere when he changed his shoes at the trailhead for the Narrows. We searched and searched all our bags and didn't have it. We were thinking we might have to take the shuttle bus all the way back up and hike back down to the start of the canyon again. Chris decided to go check the lost and found, and luckily they had it, much to both of our relief. I retrieved my cell phone and had to sign for it and enter my passcode.
We made our way back to our vehicle and drove back to our Airbnb. We relaxed for a little bit and played Carcassonne and then headed out for dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant called El Rancho. We ordered and then played another round of golf while we waited for our meals. Unfortunately, our meal choice didn't end up being the best, as Melanie started feeling quite ill soon after dinner. So far, the rest of us have been fine.
April 17th
We got another early start and headed back to Zion to hike Angels Landing. We arrived in the parking lot and it was a little busier than the previous day. We caught the shuttle up to the Grotto shuttle stop where we exited the bus and started on our way.
We could see Angels Landing ahead of us in the distance and it was hard to believe that we were able to hike up it. The trail quickly steepened up a few switchbacks and then flattened out through a valley. There was a sign telling people to be quiet because there were Mexican spotted owls in the area that were endangered and they needed silence in order to hunt and raise their young. People apparently found this very difficult or thought the sign didn't apply to them.
Once we were through the valley we arrived at Walters Wiggles. 21 steep switchbacks leading up to Scout Lookout. We made it up the switchbacks which weren't too bad as they are paved the whole way. Upon arriving at Scout Lookout it was quite busy with lots of people admiring the view. We enjoyed the view briefly and then continued on up to Angels Landing where we needed our permit to access the chain section to go to the end.
We arrived at the first set of chains. Looking down it was a long ways down to the valley below us and a sheer drop. We made it across the first section and Sheryl decided she would wait for us there while Chris and I did the remainder. There was a short traverse across a ridge where there is a sheer drop on either side of you and no chains to hang on to. Once across the traverse we arrived at the next set of chains and continued to scale up the side. It got a little windier but overall the weather was quite nice and sunny. We had good views all around us.
We continued up the chain sections with a few scrambles and we finally made it to the top of Angels Landing. We enjoyed the views and took some photos before we started to head back down. By this point it was starting to get a bit busier and we had to wait so that we could alternate on the chains between people coming up and people going down. It gave us more time to take in the nice views.
We made it back down and then took the shuttle bus to a court of the Patriarchs where we found a nice spot by the river to have our lunch. We sat and ate and watched a pair of turkeys go wandering by, a male and a female. They were both pretty big. After we finished our lunch we once again got back on the shuttle and headed back down to our car at the visitor center.
It took us a while to locate the car as we couldn't remember where we had parked it that morning. Some people were also following us around the parking lot as they wanted our parking spot but I think they were a little annoyed that we didn't know where we parked. We finally found the car and got back in and headed up the scenic drive to the Mount Caramel tunnel, a tunnel that was built in the 1930s. There are several steep switchbacks on the way up to the tunnel with good views over Zion.
Once in the tunnel we drove through the 1.3 mile long tunnel that had some windows with outlooks onto Zion. We made it through to the other side which is also quite scenic. Lots of red rock with different layers and we drove as far as Checkerboard Mesa before we turned around and headed back to Hurricane. Back at our Airbnb we played some games and then had dinner eating up all of our leftovers from the trip that we hadn't eaten yet. After dinner we played Uno and Chris won. It was called Uno No Mercy which is basically a longer version of regular Uno, by getting people to pick up more cards.
April 18th
We packed up our Airbnb and went for one last hot tub before we hit the road back to Las Vegas. We got about 200 meters from the Airbnb when the tire light warning indicator went off, telling us one of our tires was low. We stopped and used an air pump to re-inflate it, and we were a little concerned that we might not make it smoothly back to Las Vegas. But luckily, so far, the tire seems to have held just fine.
We made a stop at Joann Fabrics for Chris to look for his velvet home theater fabric as Joann is going out of business. He did not have any luck finding any.
We continued on to the Las Vegas North Outlet Mall where we parked and left the vehicle while we went into the Las Vegas Arts District for lunch. We had lunch at Taco Terrain, and then walked around and looked at some murals.
It's time to head back to the airport, so we dropped off our car and made our way to the airport for our flight home.
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