“Rock” Into the Canyons We Go

Legends of the Southwest Fall Semester Blog # 4 

We woke up early on the morning of October 20th to make the short drive into Moab in order to meet AJ, our canoe and shuttle outfitter.  After unloading all of our gear from the trailer, we re-loaded everything into AJ’s trailer and set out for the Crystal Geyser put-in.  After “rigging to flip” and “dressing to swim,” onto the river we went. We were off to the Green River to finally start our paddling and canyoneering section. 

Our first day on the water was quite ambitious.  We launched at noon, planning to paddle 26.3 miles before dark.  After being blessed with beautiful weather all Semester (aside from the first day of our Moab layover), challenge struck when we paddled directly into a desert storm.  We continued into Labyrinth Canyon and into the cold rain and fierce wind.  We made our goal just before dark, and found a beautiful site to sleep just inside the mouth of Three Canyon.  Cold and shivering, we unloaded our boats and set up a cozy camp.  Our first day on expedition in the Southwest was a bit of a rude awakening.  Nevertheless, we changed into warm clothes, ate a delicious dinner, and headed to bed, grateful to be back in the field.

Morning came quickly, and dawn revealed massive canyon walls that we hadn’t been able to see the night before.  As the sun crept over the rim, it revealed bright, bold orange and red rock.  We spent the day exploring the main, north, and northeast forks of Three Canyon, hiking and bushwhacking, and experiencing the beauty of the canyons, our home for the next nine days.  Mid-way through the day, we decided to do some repelling to practice for our upcoming slot canyon attempt.  After some more exploring up canyon, we headed back to camp to enjoy a lovely dinner and evening meeting under incredibly clear stars.  Every so often you’d hear a gasp as someone spotted another shooting star.

The following day held more paddling, and oh boy, did we paddle.  The instructors decided that in order to provide the appropriate level of challenge we’d combine two days of paddling into one.  We woke up early and got on the water promptly.  After switching Leaders of the Day and paddling partners mid-day, we made the allotted 31 miles and were still able to set up camp before we were benighted.  (It’s never good to travel in the dark in an unfamiliar part of the desert.)

During evening meeting that night, it was revealed why we had combined two days of paddling: 24 hour solos were announced!  Some of us went to sleep that night dreading the morning, while others were extremely excited.  The next day we had a big breakfast all together, then Dave and Zoe brought each of us to a solo spots.  24 hours alone in Horseshoe Canyon without books, journals, watches or campfires.  Snacks were optional, and about half of the group chose to fast.  That night, each of us slept alone under the starry sky.

We all woke up and walked back to the group camp, where the instructors had prepared a big breakfast, including 60 hard boiled eggs.  We all had our own experiences, some good, others more challenging, but each student appreciated the opportunity to spend time alone in the desert.

The rest of the day was spent in two groups, hiking six miles further up the canyon.  At this point in the expedition, the instructors were trusting us to manage most of the day-to-day aspects of running a remote wilderness expedition.  One key aspect of this was implementing a Leader of the Day (LOD) structure. 

Each day two student LODs were responsible for navigation, time management, and group morale.  Everyone participated in map checks, but each LOD was the voice of their group.  The two groups met at camp, and we enjoyed sharing stories from our day over dinner.  Luckily, we had been able to follow the wash, which offered the path of least resistance up the canyon.  Tromping through a few inches of water was much easier than trying to bushwhack upstream through the thick willows which were all bent downstream after a recent flash flood.  We all had an awesome day taking in the natural wonders of the wilderness around us.

The next day we hiked another six miles up canyon in two groups, but this time we traveled independently, meeting Zoe and Dave at the next camp.  Travel and navigation were more difficult this time around.  We were often forced out of the wash and required to bushwhack.  There were also places where the canyon twisted and truck sized boulders had lodged in place, requiring us to scramble over them, at times passing packs and using various partner assist techniques. 

In order to prepare us for the day, Dave had taught three classes before we left camp: one on Decision Making Styles, another on Emergency Procedures, during which we learned how to use an InReach satellite communication device, and a class on Objective vs. Subjective Hazards in the desert.  We had also been practicing for several days using the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system, which would allow us to plot our exact position on the map in the event of an emergency.  

The first group got to camp just before dark.  As we set up camp, we began to worry that the second group had been benighted.  At this precise moment Cedar, Uli, and Dave had hiked about half a mile back down canyon to the nearest water source.  Unbeknownst to them, group two had accepted their fate, and had just started to set up camp around the bend.  Uli, Dave, and Ceder gave one long, loud “WHOOOOOP!” before returning up canyon to check for the presence of any group members in the immediate vicinity.  Group two called back enthusiastically, re-stuffed their packs, and then followed Dave back to the intended group camp for the night.  We celebrated as our group was reunited and once again shared stories from our most intense day yet.

The next day was an optional 19 mile round trip hike to attempt a descent of High Spur slot canyon.  The majority of the group decided to give it a shot, while a few folks stayed back to rest, recuperate, and keep the home fires burning.  The slot team was up at 6:00AM and, after a breakfast of hot granola in the pitch black we were underway at first light, or about 7:30.  Hiking even further up Horseshoe Canyon, we encountered a few boot prints, and realized that we had crossed into Canyonlands National Park.  A few more miles brought us to the Great Gallery, an extensive collection of pictographs left behind by the indigenous inhabitants of the region over a thousand years ago.

We were able to follow a trail and then cairns over slick rock up and out of the canyon.  It was the first time in over a week that we had been above the rim.  The mesa top was a different world.  The sun bore down on us mercilessly, and we all retreated under hats, sunglasses, and the hoods of our Kroka sun shirts.  The environment was so intense that some folks put on sun gloves.  Once out of Horseshoe, there wasn’t a drop of water along our route for the next five miles to the entrance of High Spur.    

Scrambling down in the upper reaches of the slot canyon two hours later, we found a glorious patch of shade, ate lunch, and finished our last few sips of water.  After a few down climbs, we rappelled 30 ft and pulled the rope.  Now we were committed!  The only way out was down.  After an incredible “corkscrew section” we came to the final, free hanging, 70ft rappel.

We scurried out of High Spur, many of us now committed “canyon rats,” right as night was falling.  The way back was the same as the way we had come, so we had already previewed the terrain.  We still had nine miles to go, but our supply of snacks was holding up well.  We made the trip back by headlamp, stopping periodically to gaze up in awe at the thick blanket of stars.  Once we descended back into Horseshoe, we were able to treat a 10 liter bag of water.  After waiting the requisite 30 minutes, we sat in a circle in the sand and passed the water bag round and around.

We arrived back in camp right at midnight.  Everyone was beat, but all agreed that the adventure had been worth it. 

The next day was a rest day, which we used to prepare for our two day, one night independent student group expeditions back to the Green River.  The instructors split us into two teams: Team Kasha: Kaia, Cedar, Hazel, Sol, Cinder, and Sarah & Team Grits: Oscar, Savi, Gabe, Nalia, Cecily, and Uli

We used consensus, which is one of the decision making styles we had learned, to choose overall group leaders (Kaia and Oscar), and LODs (Hazel, Cedar, Savi, Uli). 

After each LOD created a detailed written travel plan that was checked by their team leader and then double checked by one of the instructors, we set off on our culminating journeys of the section.

After two days of down canyon travel we were proud to present ourselves healthy and happy to Zoe and Dave, and to report that there hadn’t been any interpersonal conflicts.  We were all so happy to see each other again.

Our final day in the canyons was spent paddling the remaining seven miles to the takeout at Mineral Bottom.  It was bittersweet saying goodbye to this enchanted landscape and the Green River.  I felt like we had just said goodbye to AJ at the put in, and here we were waving at him again as he pulled up with his canoe trailer. 

After driving some of Utah’s most remote, spectacular, and intimidating roads, we were reunited with our Kroka van in Moab.  Before hitting the road for Prescott we met up with Rebecca and Tess, and everyone took showers before cramming into the van for the eight hour drive.  Dinner that night was a special treat: burritos at a taco shop in Flagstaff.  After a beautiful nocturnal drive through Sedona, we arrived at White Spar Campground above Prescott for a four night layover.

We spent the first day of our layover at the beautiful Prescott Public Library, where climate control, shelter from the wind, and chairs and tables made it easy to finish all of the Book of Wisdom pages that we had in production.  After we had finished our academic work, we were surprised with a trip to a Thrift Store to augment our Halloween costumes.  After dinner back at camp, Zoe drove us to Mt. Vernon St., the best Trick-or-Treating around, and we went wild for an hour, gathering as much candy as possible in our homemade costumes.  The following day we toured Prescott College in the morning, and then spent the afternoon on Big Job work preparing for the next leg.  On the final day of the layover, we had an awesome natural history of the Southwest field study class with Prescott Professor David Gilligan.  Before we know it, we will be on the Arizona Trail, biking with Rebecca, Emma, and Gracie.

We are all still processing our time in the canyons of Utah, and still can’t quite believe that it was real.  While some of us are nervous, we are all super excited to get back on our bikes and travel over 260 miles.  Our group is stronger and closer than ever and can’t wait for our journey to continue.

Until the next…

Your scribe,

Kaia