Page, Arizona: Willis Gulch, Muley Twist, Zebra Slot, South Coyote Buttes, Navajo Canyons (April 16–24, 2017)

Sunday, April 16, 2017. My wife, Joan Hutchinson, and I drove to Torrey, with a brief walk in Fruita, Colorado on the way. El Diablo is a fine restaurant in Torrey.

April 17, 2017. We hiked Surprise Canyon (it was not very exciting, though the flowers (Utah Penstemon especially) were excellent) and then drove the Burr Trail to Escalante and La Luz, the house we rented. David and Vicki Nebel arrived there this day.

April 18, 2017. The four of us went to Willis Gulch and Bull Valley Gorge on the Skutumpah Road. Detail: David and Vicki Nebel and Joan and I drove to the Skutumpah Road (which came more quickly after Cannonville than we expected) and easily drove to the Willis TH. The hike down for about 1.5 miles was scenic, and we returned so as to explore Bull Valley as well. But we had trouble with the standard directions. We went upstream for 700 yards and descended to the canyon floor, but water was flowing and we would not be able to negotiate the immediate pouroff downstream. So we retreated to the road and went about one mile along the right rim. There a cairned route led down some rough terrain for about 300 feet to the canyon bottom. I spent only a few minutes at the scenic spot and then clambered back up quickly and we returned to the car.

April 19, 2017. David, Mark Saunto, and I did a long hike in and around the Wingate lobe containing Saddle Arch in Upper Muley Twist. We started early with some climbing gear in the hope of reaching the arch high up in the first lobe of Wingate of Muley Twist. That first lobe starts just before Saddle Arch and extends about a mile up canyon, where there is a large break that one can take SW to get behind the Wingate. The arch (which has been called Arch #3, Saddle Arch being #2) is near the end of the lobe and can be seen from the canyon floor when one gets close to it. But the terrain is trickier than we thought and while we did climb up about 300 feet — and the terrain was beautiful — we did not really get close to the arch. We rappelled once to get back down to the floor. At the end of the lobe David returned down-canyon to the car while Mark and I wandered through the break and around the back of the Wingate. This was rugged terrain, but not totally awful and it was fun to see the back side and make it all the way around. The canyon floor is around 6000 feet here, and we reached 6800 feet on the back side. Although Google Earth makes it look like one could march up the Wingate to the arch, now I am not convinced. But it is great fun to explore the crazy folded Wingate in this area.

April 20, 2017. David, Vicki, Joan, and I took the Halfway Hollow route to Zebra slot canyon. It was not too crowded when we arrived, but it soon became very crowded, unpleasantly so. I think this canyon is ruined now by its popularity. The canyon was much wetter than my other two times there, and I stupidly left my shoes at the mouth. Once the water was dealt with I was unable to climb barefooted up a steep move near the end. We then spent a pleasant hour exploring the terrain above and behind the slot, before returning to the car. Jonathan Kriegel joined us for dinner: He had biked from Green River to Escalante over several days.

April 21, 2017. Joan and I met Bill and Elaine Belvin at a point on the Cottonwood Road (to Page) about a mile before the upper Hackberry TH. We wandered up some steep slopes to great Navajo sandstone that led to the Cottonwood Hoodoo. Then on to Page.

April 22, 2017. Bill had secured permits for South Coyote Buttes and he drove expertly on the rough road to the Cottonwood Teepees parking area. A short walk then took us to the E side of the main Buttes and we spent several hours wandering around them. Highlights were a spectacular dinosaur footprintm, a wavelike feature we called the South Wave, and twin domes with remarkable half-exposed circles.

April 23, 2017. Bill, Elaine, and I did Canyon-X in the morning. We had the place pretty much to ourselves. Elaine loaned me a large Gitzo tripod and it was fun to work with. Then we picked up Joan and returned to the area for a 4-hour guided tour for photographers in Upper Antelope, Rattlesnake, and Owl Canyons. We were a party of seven and there was ample time for shooting in Rattlesnake and Owl, but Upper Antelope was crowded and rushed. On Monday morning Joan and I drove home from Page, with a brief stop to see some friends in Moab.

Monday, April 24, 2017. Joan and I drove home via Moab.