For those of you who have never been to Escalante, you are missing out on some of Utah's hidden treasures. And I mean really hidden. Driving through Escalante, it would appear to be desert. And it is. But is is what lies between the desert that makes this land unique. Water cuts through sand and creates beautiful canyons, that a person would miss simply by looking out across the desert. Some canyons down there, you can't even see until you within a few hundred feet.
Two weeks ago, Jess and I, and my friends John and Nate went camping down in Escalante. We hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone Canyons. Then we hiked 4 miles along Coyote Gulch. Then we ended our trip with a trip to Lower Calf Creek falls. The idea was to cool off, but it really wasn't that hot out. It was actually very mild for this time of year, and overcast most of the trip. No chance of rain though, so luckily we were safe in the canyons.
I had hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone a couple times before. There aren't terribly difficult, but they are very narrow canyons. Very typical of slot canyons. They all run almost parallel each other a couple miles apart. The bottom of Peek-a-boo had lots of water. We had to trudge through a lot of mud, and get around some tricky obstacles, but everyone was up to the task. Spooky was all dry and not too difficult, but it does get pretty narrow. Brimstone is the narrowest and darkest of the three. We only made it in maybe 50 feet before there was a ton of water. I waded through a ways, then convinced my friend John to come. The water was cold, dirty, and very slimy. But to me, it's no different than playing in the sandbox when I was a kid. This canyon narrows quite a bit and the water gets deeper. I have squeezed through before, but because the water level was so high, John and I decided to turn back after only another 50 to 100 feet. Still, I rather enjoyed the adventure.
Coyote Gulch is this oasis at the bottom of a canyon in the middle of the desert. Above the canyon, it is sand, sandstone, and more sand. There is plenty of cactus and sage brush to go around. Down below though, there are ferns, trees, grass, bushes, animals, springs, and waterfalls. It is very lush and beautiful. I had never been there before, and I can't wait to go back. There are also arches all around. We hiked most of the way through the stream, so we were all happy that we had our sandles. We swam in a couple pools and waded through waterfalls. It is an amazing canyon that extends very deep and very long. You could easily spend more than a day in Coyote Gulch.
Calf Creek falls is a 120 foot waterfall. The water is cold and after about 3 pm, it is shaded. John and I, after much convincing swam through the pool up to the falls. It was a rather cold experience. I was nervous about losing my wedding ring, which isn't usual when I swim, but I took it off and gave it to Jess to hold. After the swim, my brain was frozen and I had forgotten to get the ring back. We all started hiking back, and after about 1/2 mile, Jess froze and said, "Nate, do you have your ring?" I thought she might be joking, so I said no. Then she got really panicked. She had lost the ring. We hiked back to the falls looking down the whole time. She had put the ring on her little pinkie, and it had slipped off without her noticing. Jess was so worried. I didn't think it was the worst thing in the world and tried to calm her down in the event we couldn't find it, but she was determined to find it. We got back to the falls and went back to where we sat and had lunch. After searching around some, Jess found it in some weeds, near where she had reached down for her pack, and where the ring must have slipped off. The falls were beautiful, but losing the ring is a bit more memorable to me.
That was my last vacation before entering the world of the working man.
(I will upload photos shortly.)
Two weeks ago, Jess and I, and my friends John and Nate went camping down in Escalante. We hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone Canyons. Then we hiked 4 miles along Coyote Gulch. Then we ended our trip with a trip to Lower Calf Creek falls. The idea was to cool off, but it really wasn't that hot out. It was actually very mild for this time of year, and overcast most of the trip. No chance of rain though, so luckily we were safe in the canyons.
I had hiked Peek-a-boo, Spooky, and Brimstone a couple times before. There aren't terribly difficult, but they are very narrow canyons. Very typical of slot canyons. They all run almost parallel each other a couple miles apart. The bottom of Peek-a-boo had lots of water. We had to trudge through a lot of mud, and get around some tricky obstacles, but everyone was up to the task. Spooky was all dry and not too difficult, but it does get pretty narrow. Brimstone is the narrowest and darkest of the three. We only made it in maybe 50 feet before there was a ton of water. I waded through a ways, then convinced my friend John to come. The water was cold, dirty, and very slimy. But to me, it's no different than playing in the sandbox when I was a kid. This canyon narrows quite a bit and the water gets deeper. I have squeezed through before, but because the water level was so high, John and I decided to turn back after only another 50 to 100 feet. Still, I rather enjoyed the adventure.
Coyote Gulch is this oasis at the bottom of a canyon in the middle of the desert. Above the canyon, it is sand, sandstone, and more sand. There is plenty of cactus and sage brush to go around. Down below though, there are ferns, trees, grass, bushes, animals, springs, and waterfalls. It is very lush and beautiful. I had never been there before, and I can't wait to go back. There are also arches all around. We hiked most of the way through the stream, so we were all happy that we had our sandles. We swam in a couple pools and waded through waterfalls. It is an amazing canyon that extends very deep and very long. You could easily spend more than a day in Coyote Gulch.
Calf Creek falls is a 120 foot waterfall. The water is cold and after about 3 pm, it is shaded. John and I, after much convincing swam through the pool up to the falls. It was a rather cold experience. I was nervous about losing my wedding ring, which isn't usual when I swim, but I took it off and gave it to Jess to hold. After the swim, my brain was frozen and I had forgotten to get the ring back. We all started hiking back, and after about 1/2 mile, Jess froze and said, "Nate, do you have your ring?" I thought she might be joking, so I said no. Then she got really panicked. She had lost the ring. We hiked back to the falls looking down the whole time. She had put the ring on her little pinkie, and it had slipped off without her noticing. Jess was so worried. I didn't think it was the worst thing in the world and tried to calm her down in the event we couldn't find it, but she was determined to find it. We got back to the falls and went back to where we sat and had lunch. After searching around some, Jess found it in some weeds, near where she had reached down for her pack, and where the ring must have slipped off. The falls were beautiful, but losing the ring is a bit more memorable to me.
That was my last vacation before entering the world of the working man.
(I will upload photos shortly.)
Yo, great post. I'm sad that Q and I didn't make it down there. I think we would love it. At least I would, Q's more of a city girl... her idea of roughing it is no room service after 11pm! (jk). How's the garden? do a blog post with Pics sometime.
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