Hazel was looking forward to spending some time outside with
her parents after a long week with family. We wanted to break up the drive home
so we decided that we would stop in Escalante and explore a few canyons.
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| High above Coyote Gulch |
When
we arrived in town, most places were closed for the season but we managed to
find an open restaurant to have dinner at and recharge for a long hike the next
day. We woke early and drove almost 30 miles down Hole in the Rock road. The
road is terrible washboard the entire way because it is quite sandy. I managed
to find a good speed somewhere around 40 mph that was the least brutal. Laura
sat in the back and held Hazel’s head so she wasn’t vibrated too much through
her car seat. We had discussed hiking only a portion of Coyote Gulch since it
is over 13 miles to do the loop but we decided that hiking out and back didn’t
make any sense.
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| Crack in the Wall - Entrance to Coyote Gulch |
We got an early start and opted to drop into the canyon through Crack in the Wall and then head upstream from there. Walking along the canyon
rim, it took a bit of wandering to find the easy path down into the large
canyon. When we found it we worked our way through the tight squeeze and then
down the sandy hillside to a platform maybe 100 feet above the river. I set up
a rope belay for Laura and she and Hazel cautiously descended the rock slabs
down to the river. I coiled the rope and followed.
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| Hazel with Stevens Arch in the distance |
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| Path down into Coyote Gulch |
We changed to water shoes
and neoprene socks and stepped in the icy cold water. The confluence of the
canyon with the Escalante river was only a few hundred feet downstream so we
walked over and then started our hike up Coyote Gulch. The canyon was impressive
and had many neat features; 1,000 foot walls, lush vegetation in the middle of
the desert, multiple arches, cliff dwellings and lots of other interesting
things to see and experience.
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| Confluence of the Escalante River and Coyote Gulch |
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| Natural Bridge |
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| Mark on the wall indicating the climb out |
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| Jacob Hamblin Arch |
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| Looking down on the Jacob Hamblin arch from the top |
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| Making our way back to the car after climbing out of the canyon |
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| Looking at the Moki balls |
Hazel did excellent all day as we carried her facing
out much of the day so she could experience the views and changing scenery.
Near the exit of the canyon we saw the most impressive arch of the day before
climbing up the exit slabs. There was a rope there from a group who had
descended earlier in the day so I cautiously climbed using the rope only if
required and once I checked that it was secure, Laura and Hazel followed. We
made the long hike across the desert rim back to the car and were super happy
that the day was as beautiful as it was and that Hazel did so amazing!
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| Near the entrance to Peek-a-Boo |
The next
day we once again drove down Hole in the Rock road. This time we went to a loop
of Peek-a-Boo, Spooky and Dry Fork slot canyons. I had visited these canyons before so I
knew this would be a fun day with just a few spicy spots with Hazel. We carried
a rope to be extra safe but never ended up needing it. Peek-a-Boo was short and
fun. We made quick time through the shallow and narrow slot canyon. It was
impressive as before but I was disappointed to find many places where people
had carved their names in the rock. I suspect that with the destruction of the
canyons will come a permit system and the BLM will try to do a better job at
preventing people who don’t respect the canyons from getting down there.
Next we hiked over to Spooky canyon. The
beginning was excellent fun and I enjoy this canyon more than Peek-a-Boo. The
chock stone downclimb was the most interesting part of the canyon as I made a
few chimney moves down the 15 foot drop with Hazel in the pack on my chest. She
did great and even laughed as we made our way down the narrow slot. It was
narrow enough that I had to take Hazel out of the pack and carry her above my
head several times so we could squeeze through the narrowest parts of the
canyon. Exiting, we stopped for a break and then had an enjoyable hike up the
Dry Fork and on back to the car.
On our way back to town we stopped at Devils
Garden and checked out the toadstools and arches of the area. Not much makes me
happier than being outside with my family and although she won’t remember them,
I hope that Hazel will look back at these early adventures and find inspiration
for her own later down the road.
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