We hadn't been to Utah camping in a while and I wanted to take my wife on a special hike there, Upper Muley Twist.
I like the name and if you don't follow cairns you'll definitely get your muley in a twist yourself, there is no actual trail. I was hoping my bad back would make the hike, especially after the 12 hour drive to get there. I've done this hike before solo and knew what was coming, one of the top 5 hikes on my list, it's not easy.
Good morning Utah, we're back!
The loop trail is in the shape of a lollipop with a short stem, ok a squished lollipop. Hike north up the wash like we did to make the clockwise loop which is my preference, climb to the top ridge and hike back south to the point you climb back down to the wash and back down to the parking spot.
Just off the top of The Burr Trail Switchbacks, the drive in is a wash that's often, washed out. This time wasn't bad.
Getting a late start didn't seem so bad, but it was one of the shortest days of the year and I hadn't taken that into account.
There's quite a few arches to see hiking up the wash, making the long slog in sand a bit more scenic.
Lynn was pretty happy to get going, or was she asking me why I was taking so long?
Harder rocks embedded in the sandstone are being exposed once again by water. Funny how sandstone was once sand, becoming rock under pressure of ancient oceans, now becoming sand again while exposed to the elements of wind and water.
Feeling good so far, my knees will be like sand by the end of the hike.
Darn, where did I drop the truck keys?
Several miles up the wash, we had to start climbing.
I wonder if she'd marry me again knowing how many climbs and cliffs she'd have to make? We started out almost 45 years ago with hiking and backpacking before we were married, we've never stopped.
And yet more climbing.
Finally, we could see the very old and worn sign at the top, look close...
An old guy holding up an old sign, it's a sign of the times.
Snow, I hadn't thought of that since we had not seen any, and shadows. It was getting into late afternoon and I didn't want to be looking for cairns in the dark. There is no trail and on a clear day with longer hours it's not an issue.
Finally the overlook of the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic feature of the Earth's warped crust being exposed for a hundred miles. Looking east to the Henry Mountains.
And south to Lake Powell and what used to be Glen Canyon.
A kiss with a view, sounds like a new James Bond movie, but better in real life. Like I say, 45 years of doing this with me, it's been better than I could have ever dreamed, poor girl.
Pictures were taken in a hurry, we were racing daylight.
And there was still climbing to do. Don't look down Dear!
We were hiking along a ridge of Navajo Sandstone, which is white, and looking at a ridge of Windgate Sandstone that is red. These images were taken in fairly dark conditions, the iPhone camera lightening them with auto-exposure.
Not prepared for ice I didn't have slip-on cleats for our boots...
and we had this to climb. This is a picture from my solo hike in sunlight, with no ice, to show what scared us to death. This time it was covered in ice. I took no pictures concentrating on finding small open patches of rock to put feet down without sliding. Plus it was almost dark.
At the top I took this image to show how dark it really was without auto-exposure. We did have headlights and flashlights but finding random cairns was a problem. Lynn would stay at one while I looked further for the next.
Finally back at the sign where we started that morning, it was a good sign.
The morning scenery was pretty nice
Everything went sideways, for a minute, with getting out from the driver's side to take this picture being a problem. Something about gravity and a heavy door.
From there is was over to another favorite place to stop for a night, the view being the reason even if for just one night.
In years past we have camped on the other side of the far double saddle that looks out over The Maze
We're driving we're driving, to another hike. When I'm out alone and find some nice places I go back later with my wife. I'm not sure she'll be so agreeable after the two hikes on this trip, too much climbing and steep cliffs. Yet we had a blast and love communing with the people of the past, the Anasazi.
Gathering some of last fall's pinecones to get a few pine nuts that haven't fallen out.
My usual picture of cryptobiotic soil, crypto, thats made up of live organisms. Who knew dirt was alive? We take great pains to not walk on it, it can take a hundred years to grow this size, but who's counting?
A top-side image of ruins below, we'll climb to them tomorrow. Thank goodness the wind wasn't blowing or I'd see them up close as I fell past them, not having anything to hold while taking this picture...
The next morning things started off going downhill,
before going sideways. Yeah, these canyons get you going every which way.
Let's see, which way was I going?
There it is, not too far as a bird flies.
Hours later we were on the same level. It's like climbing in a maze to get where you want to go.
I call it Dave's Getaway, tho I'd like a cottage at the beach too.
I had a point to make, if only I could remember what it was. A point to make, a...ok ok.
Looking through a window in time, literally.
We are and have always been amazed at the fingerprints still visible after 900 years, that packed the mud into the rocks. In other ruins we can see the larger fingerprints of the older Anasazi up high on the walls and the smaller prints of children down closer to the ground. We don't touch them as we'd like to, our finger oils would help them degrade that much faster.
The ceremonial kiva with portal where water and things for the ceremonies were handed in. This was a gathering place.
I stuck my iPhone into the opening for a view, like an ancient hand had done centuries ago with water for their elders. The bottom legs of the entry ladder are still visible, without lashings.
Lynn took a picture looking across the top of the kiva, the view of Anasazi so long ago.
I taped a small broom to my hiking stick to brush out our footprints, trying to leave it like it's been since the owners left it.
A parting shot, I don't know if I'll be back, but I have it in images to look at and think how fortunate I was to have been there.
Now to find our way out, not going back the way we came. It wouldn't matter, it's impossible to go the exact same twice way in these canyons...
My last time hiking here for example, I missed this rock of petroglyphs. And if I came back, I might not find them again.
While I was a excited to find unknown petroglyphs my wife Lynn was excited to find life in a precarious place
I lacked a theory on this one as to how it started, with a solid cliff above. Those other roots were from this small bit of green as it looks for drips of water, fighting to survive.
Speaking of life in precarious places I don't know, was I praying for that rock to not slide down on top of me, or that those Vibram soles on my boots would hold?
Lucky to have found it again, the one and only way up to the top of the plateau, busting through the rimrock. If that one sideways rock wasn't there you'd have to turn around and go all the way back, there's an open dryfall just beyond. I personally believe it was put there like that 900 years ago, by the people who's canyon home we had just visited.
So excited to be up and out, Lynn jumped for joy, or was it fear?
There you have it, thanks for reading as we fight with the selfie stick to get a decent picture, it's not happening!
