FIRE
From
Bryce we headed east on highway 12 towards Cannonville. This stretch of highway 12 is nice, although
the scenery doesn’t compare to the stretch northeast of Escalante. In Cannonville we
stopped at one of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Visitor
Centers. We got an update on road
conditions, which was a little discouraging.
In general, the “good” dirt roads in southern Utah were deteriorating
due to the dry conditions. The roads
were becoming sandy, which can be problematic if you don’t have 4 wheel drive (we didn’t).
Despite this, we picked up a free permit for a night of car camping off
Hole in the Rock Road southeast of the town of Escalante. Hole in the Rock Road leads 40+ miles to the
“Hole in the Rock”, where early Mormon pioneers hoisted their wagons out of
Glen Canyon after crossing the Colorado River, using little more than ropes and
an excessive amount of determination. We
weren’t planning to visit the Hole in the Rock, as the last 7 or 8 miles of the
road require 4wd at the best of times.
We were more interested in a quiet, remote camping experience with some
hikes in the various slot canyons along the Escalante River drainage.
Specifically,
I was excited about hiking to the Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon. Getting there requires a long drive down Hole
in the Rock Road and the primitive spur road out to the Egypt Trailhead. From there, we’d hike down Fence Canyon to
the Escalante River. After fording the
river, we’d hike up Neon Canyon to the Cathedral. Afterwards I planned to explore some other
slot canyons nearby that feature narrows, petroglyphs, and ancient Anasazi
ruins. The hike would be 10 miles, not
counting any extra side trips I might add along the way. Although there aren’t any formal trails, I
didn’t anticipate any problems finding our way.
However, the heat was a concern.
The forecast indicated that temperatures would be well over 100 degrees. We planned to get an early start, but we’d
probably have to delay our return hike until later in the evening.
The
ranger at the Visitor Center in Cannonville didn’t
have specific information on the more obscure roads where we were heading. He suggested that we stop at the Visitor
Center in Escalante to get local information.
We
drove on to Escalante and stopped at the Visitor Center. The friendly, helpful ranger there was full
of bad news. She told me that the road
out to Egypt was currently only passable to 4wd
vehicles. A sandy stretch had developed
on a steep incline, and there was no way we’d be able to drive through it. I considered parking and starting the hike
from that point, but that plan would’ve added 5 miles to the round trip
hike. Given the extreme heat and the lack
of shade in that area, it didn’t seem like a good idea. Unfortunately I had to cancel one of the
hikes I’d most looked forward to. Again.
I
told the ranger that I’d been trying to hike to the Golden Cathedral for years
now, but for various reasons my plans have always been thwarted. One year my rental car was inadequate. Another year the road was in poor condition
due to wet weather, and fording the river would’ve been dangerous. This year the road was in poor condition due
to dry weather. Next time I’m renting a
jeep.
The
ranger was sympathetic. She also
mentioned that the Golden Cathedral is absolutely breathtaking and that I would
have to visit it. Some
other time. Thanks!
We
walked back to the car, nearly wilting in the late afternoon heat. Ugh.
Why did we leave Bryce? I started
the engine (and more importantly the air conditioner) but sat there unmoving,
uncertain about what I wanted to do. We
had a permit to camp along Hole in the Rock Road, but my primary reason for
going down there was no longer on the agenda.
Did we really want to spend a night down there in the desert
sweltering? Spontaneously I decided to
head in a different direction.
From
Escalante we headed north, towards Hells Backbone Road and the Dixie National
Forest. Hells Backbone Road was the
original route connecting Escalante with the town of Boulder and points north
and east. It runs through the mountains,
high above the desert badlands surrounding Escalante. It’s a forested, high-elevation area, and I
knew that there were several campgrounds up there. I proposed spending a night up there to
Christy, before returning to Escalante the next evening. We had reservations for the campground at
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park the following evening, at which point we
could get back in line with our original trip plan. This would also mean another recovery day,
unless I came up with a hike to do up in the mountains. Christy was all for anything involving cooler
weather, so we pointed the car north.
I
wasn’t entirely certain that I was on the right road until we started climbing
into the forest outside of town. This
looked promising, and it was highly entertaining watching the number on the
car’s thermometer drop. It started out
at 106 in town and before long it was down into the 90’s. By the time we reached a turn marked for the
Posey Lake Campground, it was in the low 80’s.
Clearly we’d made the right decision.
We
found a great site in the campground. It
was completely isolated from the other campsites, and someone had left several
bundles of firewood behind. We set up
camp under an impressive canopy of ponderosa pine before I returned to the
kiosk at the campground entrance. Along
the way I passed the smoldering remains of a car that had apparently caught
fire earlier that afternoon. I was a
little disappointed that we’d missed the carbeque,
but then again, we didn’t have any marshmallows anyway.
I
met the campground host while I was paying for the site. He was the talkative type despite missing all
of his front teeth. I could include most of his life story here if I were
inclined to. He was a former truck
driver from Missoula, Montana; and I mentioned how much I liked that town, even
though most of western Montana had been on fire when I’d first visited
there. I could tell he was the
no-nonsense type – he didn’t care for any sort of foolishness in his
campground, like spontaneously combusting automobiles (apparently he’d put an
end to the carbeque himself with a fire
extinguisher). At some point our chat
began to feel more like an interview, but I guess I passed the test since he
eventually allowed me to return to my campsite.
Somewhere
in the vast array of maps, guides, and other information I’d brought I stumbled
upon a mention of a trail to the Posey Lake Lookout. It was only a short hike, but it sounded like
the perfect evening leg-stretcher. Our
morning hike in Bryce had been enough for Christy, so she elected to stay
behind. I grabbed some water, a snack,
and my camera and went searching for the trail.
I
walked all the way back down to the kiosk near the lake only to discover that
the trail actually started near our campsite.
By the time I returned I’d been hiking 15 minutes but hadn’t gone
anywhere. Fortunately I kept a better
pace on the rest of the hike. I climbed
a heavily wooded hillside, passing under a lovely dark canopy of ponderosa pine
and aspen. The campground host had
mentioned that there had been numerous bear sightings in the area recently, and
I nearly jumped when I spooked a mule deer.
A bit later I spotted several bucks watching me from their hiding place
on the ridge above.
I
reached the Posey Lake Lookout after 30 or 40 minutes of hiking. The lookout isn’t on a summit, but it does
offer a sweeping view of the forests surrounding Posey Lake and the canyon
country beyond. Colorful, rugged canyons
twisted away into the distance, the view only limited by the haze from the heat
rising from the desert. Still, the
mighty Henry Mountains east of Capitol Reef National Park were clearly visible.
The
hillside surrounding the lookout was covered with scattered Aspens and Indian Paintbrush in bloom. I
was attempting to photograph both when I felt a sharp burning sensation on my
right ankle. I glanced down and swatted
a red ant. I was lining up my next photo
when I felt another bite. I smacked
another ant, and was about to straighten up when movement grabbed my
attention. I looked down again and saw
about a dozen ants lined up on the cuff of my right boot. Clearly they were preparing to attack, but
they were waiting for reinforcements.
The movement that caught my eye was a small army of fire ants
surrounding my boot. I was literally
standing in a nest of the little devils.
I
freaked out a little. I started
violently swatting and running at the same time. I returned to where I’d dropped my pack
before stopping to make sure I’d gotten all of the ants off my boot and
leg. I was just beginning to regain my
composure when I noticed several more ants nearby, and one crawling on my pack. A bit more swatting and stomping ensued, but
it was no use. The entire hillside was
literally crawling with them.
I
made sure there weren’t any others on or in my pack before starting my
retreat. The hike back was uneventful,
and Christy was getting dinner ready when I returned to camp. We had contemplated swimming in the lake
earlier, but upon closer inspection we noticed that the marshy lake was
swarming with insects. Instead, we
decided to enjoy our first (and ultimately only) campfire of the trip. Due to the exceptionally dry conditions and
rampant wildfires, most of the places we visited had banned campfires. Posey Lake was a rare exception, and since
someone had left several bundles of wood, we decided to take advantage of the
opportunity. It was nice relaxing around
the campfire, and we took the opportunity to reflect on the trip thus far. We’d enjoyed some fantastic hikes, but there
was still more to come. For the next
day, I suggested a scenic drive encompassing Hells Backbone, highway 12 over
Boulder Mountain, Capitol Reef National Park, the remote Bullfrog – Notom Road, and the now paved Barr Trail. After that, I planned an easy, scenic hike to
Calf Creek Falls to finish out the first week of our trip. Then it would be on to the Grand Canyon.
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