audrey
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Pat and I and friends Marge and Mitch landed in Salt Lake City and drove to Torrey, Utah on April 24. First stop was lunch in Sandy at the Mayan: great food, with the added entertainment (!) of loinclothed divers, right inside the dining area, plummeting into a small pool from about 20 feet up.
The weather was wonderful, though several days we kept a very watchful eye on storms that never quite made it to us. We did get a bit of snow, but mostly the storms stayed attracted to the 11,000' mountains nearby, like Boulder and the Henrys. You'll see some very dark skies in some of my photos, which made the views even better at times.
We hiked:
1. Chimney Rock loop with a trip to and from the spring in Upper Spring Canyon. The loop alone is only 3.5 miles and the views from the upper part are jaw-dropping;
2. Upper Muley Twist Canyon. The drive there on the Notom-Bullfrog Road and home via the Burr Trail each deserve a full day of exploration. The Canyon is a must-do...the west side is dark red rock with about 6 arches viewable; the east side (rim route) is white sandstone and narrows to a knife edge that gives views into the canyon and also looks out eastward over the Strike Valley. You're right on top of the Waterpocket fold here.
3. Cassidy Arch and part of the Frying Pan Trail plus a stroll up Grand Wash. The redrock, the stunted pines, and the views...this is supposed to be one of the most popular trails in the park, and we saw 5 people all day.
4. Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley. Marge attempted a nasty scramble right at the start of Little Wild Horse and fell and broke her wrist. Not knowing it was broken, she wrapped it up and we proceeded for about an hour through the canyon until she started to suspect it was not just a sprain. Oh well, we did get through some of the narrows, and frankly, I'd trade it for an Escalante canyon any day. Not as colorful, and there were signs of overuse everywhere: some trash, graffiti, etc.
Goblin Valley is likewise uninspiring, probably because there are no restrictions on foot travel and although climbing on the goblins is discouraged, it's a paradise for kids and others who like to scramble. They look trodden and are probably eroding at a record pace.
5. Horseshoe Canyon (Canyonlands). Wow! Standing in the Great Gallery, in an orange alcove gazing up at 8-foot high pictographs that may be as old as 8000 years is a good way to spend the day! We hiked in later than anyone else and had the 2 rangers to ourselves, and they unroped the restricted section and took us right up to the wall and gave us a fascinating talk.
Last stop that day was the Green River Medical Center for an xray.
Great trip. Next year: Arches and Canyonlands!
Pics here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577603291Siqrzf
The weather was wonderful, though several days we kept a very watchful eye on storms that never quite made it to us. We did get a bit of snow, but mostly the storms stayed attracted to the 11,000' mountains nearby, like Boulder and the Henrys. You'll see some very dark skies in some of my photos, which made the views even better at times.
We hiked:
1. Chimney Rock loop with a trip to and from the spring in Upper Spring Canyon. The loop alone is only 3.5 miles and the views from the upper part are jaw-dropping;
2. Upper Muley Twist Canyon. The drive there on the Notom-Bullfrog Road and home via the Burr Trail each deserve a full day of exploration. The Canyon is a must-do...the west side is dark red rock with about 6 arches viewable; the east side (rim route) is white sandstone and narrows to a knife edge that gives views into the canyon and also looks out eastward over the Strike Valley. You're right on top of the Waterpocket fold here.
3. Cassidy Arch and part of the Frying Pan Trail plus a stroll up Grand Wash. The redrock, the stunted pines, and the views...this is supposed to be one of the most popular trails in the park, and we saw 5 people all day.
4. Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley. Marge attempted a nasty scramble right at the start of Little Wild Horse and fell and broke her wrist. Not knowing it was broken, she wrapped it up and we proceeded for about an hour through the canyon until she started to suspect it was not just a sprain. Oh well, we did get through some of the narrows, and frankly, I'd trade it for an Escalante canyon any day. Not as colorful, and there were signs of overuse everywhere: some trash, graffiti, etc.
Goblin Valley is likewise uninspiring, probably because there are no restrictions on foot travel and although climbing on the goblins is discouraged, it's a paradise for kids and others who like to scramble. They look trodden and are probably eroding at a record pace.
5. Horseshoe Canyon (Canyonlands). Wow! Standing in the Great Gallery, in an orange alcove gazing up at 8-foot high pictographs that may be as old as 8000 years is a good way to spend the day! We hiked in later than anyone else and had the 2 rangers to ourselves, and they unroped the restricted section and took us right up to the wall and gave us a fascinating talk.
Last stop that day was the Green River Medical Center for an xray.
Great trip. Next year: Arches and Canyonlands!
Pics here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577603291Siqrzf
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