FIRE

 

 

From Bryce we headed east on highway 12 towards Cannonville.  This stretch of highway 12 is nice, although the scenery doesn’t compare to the stretch northeast of Escalante.  In Cannonville we stopped at one of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Visitor Centers.  We got an update on road conditions, which was a little discouraging.  In general, the “good” dirt roads in southern Utah were deteriorating due to the dry conditions.  The roads were becoming sandy, which can be problematic if you don’t have 4 wheel drive (we didn’t).  Despite this, we picked up a free permit for a night of car camping off Hole in the Rock Road southeast of the town of Escalante.  Hole in the Rock Road leads 40+ miles to the “Hole in the Rock”, where early Mormon pioneers hoisted their wagons out of Glen Canyon after crossing the Colorado River, using little more than ropes and an excessive amount of determination.  We weren’t planning to visit the Hole in the Rock, as the last 7 or 8 miles of the road require 4wd at the best of times.  We were more interested in a quiet, remote camping experience with some hikes in the various slot canyons along the Escalante River drainage.

 

Specifically, I was excited about hiking to the Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon.  Getting there requires a long drive down Hole in the Rock Road and the primitive spur road out to the Egypt Trailhead.  From there, we’d hike down Fence Canyon to the Escalante River.  After fording the river, we’d hike up Neon Canyon to the Cathedral.  Afterwards I planned to explore some other slot canyons nearby that feature narrows, petroglyphs, and ancient Anasazi ruins.  The hike would be 10 miles, not counting any extra side trips I might add along the way.  Although there aren’t any formal trails, I didn’t anticipate any problems finding our way.  However, the heat was a concern.  The forecast indicated that temperatures would be well over 100 degrees.  We planned to get an early start, but we’d probably have to delay our return hike until later in the evening.

 

The ranger at the Visitor Center in Cannonville didn’t have specific information on the more obscure roads where we were heading.  He suggested that we stop at the Visitor Center in Escalante to get local information.

 

We drove on to Escalante and stopped at the Visitor Center.  The friendly, helpful ranger there was full of bad news.  She told me that the road out to Egypt was currently only passable to 4wd vehicles.  A sandy stretch had developed on a steep incline, and there was no way we’d be able to drive through it.  I considered parking and starting the hike from that point, but that plan would’ve added 5 miles to the round trip hike.  Given the extreme heat and the lack of shade in that area, it didn’t seem like a good idea.  Unfortunately I had to cancel one of the hikes I’d most looked forward to.  Again.

 

I told the ranger that I’d been trying to hike to the Golden Cathedral for years now, but for various reasons my plans have always been thwarted.  One year my rental car was inadequate.  Another year the road was in poor condition due to wet weather, and fording the river would’ve been dangerous.  This year the road was in poor condition due to dry weather.  Next time I’m renting a jeep.

 

The ranger was sympathetic.  She also mentioned that the Golden Cathedral is absolutely breathtaking and that I would have to visit it.  Some other time.  Thanks!

 

We walked back to the car, nearly wilting in the late afternoon heat.  Ugh.  Why did we leave Bryce?  I started the engine (and more importantly the air conditioner) but sat there unmoving, uncertain about what I wanted to do.  We had a permit to camp along Hole in the Rock Road, but my primary reason for going down there was no longer on the agenda.  Did we really want to spend a night down there in the desert sweltering?  Spontaneously I decided to head in a different direction.

 

From Escalante we headed north, towards Hells Backbone Road and the Dixie National Forest.  Hells Backbone Road was the original route connecting Escalante with the town of Boulder and points north and east.  It runs through the mountains, high above the desert badlands surrounding Escalante.  It’s a forested, high-elevation area, and I knew that there were several campgrounds up there.  I proposed spending a night up there to Christy, before returning to Escalante the next evening.  We had reservations for the campground at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park the following evening, at which point we could get back in line with our original trip plan.  This would also mean another recovery day, unless I came up with a hike to do up in the mountains.  Christy was all for anything involving cooler weather, so we pointed the car north.

 

I wasn’t entirely certain that I was on the right road until we started climbing into the forest outside of town.  This looked promising, and it was highly entertaining watching the number on the car’s thermometer drop.  It started out at 106 in town and before long it was down into the 90’s.  By the time we reached a turn marked for the Posey Lake Campground, it was in the low 80’s.  Clearly we’d made the right decision.

 

We found a great site in the campground.  It was completely isolated from the other campsites, and someone had left several bundles of firewood behind.  We set up camp under an impressive canopy of ponderosa pine before I returned to the kiosk at the campground entrance.  Along the way I passed the smoldering remains of a car that had apparently caught fire earlier that afternoon.  I was a little disappointed that we’d missed the carbeque, but then again, we didn’t have any marshmallows anyway.

 

I met the campground host while I was paying for the site.  He was the talkative type despite missing all of his front teeth. I could include most of his life story here if I were inclined to.  He was a former truck driver from Missoula, Montana; and I mentioned how much I liked that town, even though most of western Montana had been on fire when I’d first visited there.  I could tell he was the no-nonsense type – he didn’t care for any sort of foolishness in his campground, like spontaneously combusting automobiles (apparently he’d put an end to the carbeque himself with a fire extinguisher).  At some point our chat began to feel more like an interview, but I guess I passed the test since he eventually allowed me to return to my campsite.

 

Somewhere in the vast array of maps, guides, and other information I’d brought I stumbled upon a mention of a trail to the Posey Lake Lookout.  It was only a short hike, but it sounded like the perfect evening leg-stretcher.  Our morning hike in Bryce had been enough for Christy, so she elected to stay behind.  I grabbed some water, a snack, and my camera and went searching for the trail.

 

I walked all the way back down to the kiosk near the lake only to discover that the trail actually started near our campsite.  By the time I returned I’d been hiking 15 minutes but hadn’t gone anywhere.  Fortunately I kept a better pace on the rest of the hike.  I climbed a heavily wooded hillside, passing under a lovely dark canopy of ponderosa pine and aspen.  The campground host had mentioned that there had been numerous bear sightings in the area recently, and I nearly jumped when I spooked a mule deer.  A bit later I spotted several bucks watching me from their hiding place on the ridge above.

 

I reached the Posey Lake Lookout after 30 or 40 minutes of hiking.  The lookout isn’t on a summit, but it does offer a sweeping view of the forests surrounding Posey Lake and the canyon country beyond.  Colorful, rugged canyons twisted away into the distance, the view only limited by the haze from the heat rising from the desert.  Still, the mighty Henry Mountains east of Capitol Reef National Park were clearly visible.

 

The hillside surrounding the lookout was covered with scattered Aspens and Indian Paintbrush in bloom.  I was attempting to photograph both when I felt a sharp burning sensation on my right ankle.  I glanced down and swatted a red ant.  I was lining up my next photo when I felt another bite.  I smacked another ant, and was about to straighten up when movement grabbed my attention.  I looked down again and saw about a dozen ants lined up on the cuff of my right boot.  Clearly they were preparing to attack, but they were waiting for reinforcements.  The movement that caught my eye was a small army of fire ants surrounding my boot.  I was literally standing in a nest of the little devils.

 

I freaked out a little.  I started violently swatting and running at the same time.  I returned to where I’d dropped my pack before stopping to make sure I’d gotten all of the ants off my boot and leg.  I was just beginning to regain my composure when I noticed several more ants nearby, and one crawling on my pack.  A bit more swatting and stomping ensued, but it was no use.  The entire hillside was literally crawling with them.

 

I made sure there weren’t any others on or in my pack before starting my retreat.  The hike back was uneventful, and Christy was getting dinner ready when I returned to camp.  We had contemplated swimming in the lake earlier, but upon closer inspection we noticed that the marshy lake was swarming with insects.  Instead, we decided to enjoy our first (and ultimately only) campfire of the trip.  Due to the exceptionally dry conditions and rampant wildfires, most of the places we visited had banned campfires.  Posey Lake was a rare exception, and since someone had left several bundles of wood, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity.  It was nice relaxing around the campfire, and we took the opportunity to reflect on the trip thus far.  We’d enjoyed some fantastic hikes, but there was still more to come.  For the next day, I suggested a scenic drive encompassing Hells Backbone, highway 12 over Boulder Mountain, Capitol Reef National Park, the remote Bullfrog – Notom Road, and the now paved Barr Trail.  After that, I planned an easy, scenic hike to Calf Creek Falls to finish out the first week of our trip.  Then it would be on to the Grand Canyon.



Continue reading about our trip as we drive over Hell's Backbone and Boulder Mountain and through Capitol Reef National Park.



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