House Rock Valley, September 24th The Amity Express dropped me off at the AZT Trailhead along Hwy 89 in the morning after an enjoyable evening catching up. Her friend Aaron made a fresh green salad and about a gallon of curry quinoa which was a real culinary treat! The day was quite enjoyable. Very easy and pleasant walking through ponderosa forests, which eventually transitioned to pinyon and juniper, and then finally to juniper and sage. Despite carrying 3 gallons of water, I kept a steady pace throughout the day. According to the maps and Slorides water notes, it is ~53 miles of dry hiking between Jacobs Lake and a spring near Park Wash. I plan to cover that distance in 2 days. Originally I had thought it would be ~70 miles of dry hiking, so 53 was a relief! Dropping into Government Meadow I was treated to my first views of the canyon country awaiting me. Like a layered cake, the red, then cream, then pink cliffs (Bryce Canyon NP) rose on the northern horizon. The trail from Government Meadow to the FS/BLM boundary was pretty obscure at times and covered with tumbleweed...it seems as if this where all tumbleweed tumble to. Once I reached the BLM land, the trail was much more distinct. At times the wind was quite strong today. Me and the wind do not always get along and I had hoped to reconcile our differences during this hike. I am glad to report that I only made positive associations with the 30 mph tailwind gusts, and no tantrums were thrown. A moment of atmospheric maturity for me... About midday I stopped to watch as 12 Ravens were playing in the air currents...twisting, corkscrewing, diving bombing each other and even flying upside down. Some may shout blasphemy at the idea of animal consciousness, but watching those Ravens it would be hard to argue that they were doing anything else other than just having a good time. Intentional fun, plain and simple. Other wildlife throughout the day included: jackrabbits, hawks, turkey vultures, and lizards. Other than Mr. Bovine, a pretty standard day for this country.
Shortly, I began my descent to House Rock Valley Road via a ridge of Larkspurn Canyon. Stretches of the descent were either burned, or stained a strange reddish-pink from the fire retardant dropped from planes, however the color did not seem out of place. I eventually dropped into the Stateline Trailhead along House Rock Valley Rd...a nice camp with interpretive signage, outhouse, and 4 campsites. Dick and Marge from Phoenix had arrived earlier and we had a pleasant conversation about the area and the Arizona Trail. They were also kind enough to share a few spoonfuls of dinner and a liter of water. All in all a long but pleasant day. I am excited to be back into Utah and am looking forward to the canyon country ahead. ~24 miles for the day Brian Into the White Cliffs, September 25th
In a few miles I crossed the House Rock Valley Road again and continued up Buckskin Gulch while watching an aerial dogfight between a Raven and Hawk. I am not sure who was the ultimate victor, but before the dueling birds disappeared over the canyon rim, it seemed the Raven had the upper hand. I stopped for lunch on a shady sandstone ledge and relaxed for an hour before hoisting my pack and continuing up canyon, where I saw a roadrunner bolt from the brush, cross the wash, and disappear. In a few hours I began to hear the zoom zoom of speeding traffic and shortly crossed HWY 89, followed it briefly eastward, and then turned left onto Kitchen Corral Rd which had been recently graded so the going was nice and smooth. SloRide had mentioned there was an old rancher living a few miles down the road and I was anxious to meet him and chat. I'd hope to meet some ranchers during this hike and hear their opinions about issues in the west. Sloride also mentioned he had offered them water which would be a bonus. Eventually the ranch appeared and I saw an old man sitting on the porch, drink inhand. Before opening the fence and heading onto his property I called out a `hello' and gave a wave in his direction. Apparently he did not notice me as he left the porch and went inside. Undeterred I opened the gate and walked up to his porch. When he came out we exchanged greetings and I met Chuck. Chuck was the caretaker for the corral and cabin and lived out here year round with his dog and horse since 1988. He drank water straight from the Spring a few miles up the road, and told me as long as I was, "...not a city slicker," I'd be fine drinking it straight from the source. Chuck had first come to S. Utah to do work on the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960's. During construction he met a fellow by the name of Johnson who needed ranching help. Chuck told him as soon as he retired he'd look him up. In 1988, he did and has been living rent free and helping out where he can. I asked him what he thought about the Grand Staircase Monument and he was 100% behind the designation and thought that most ranchers were as it undid a lot of bureaucracy that made things difficult to operate before. He only had 2 complaints about the designation: 1)tourists trying to drive cars (not trucks) down the road and inevitably getting stuck, and 2) increased ATV traffic. He went on to say he does not mind ATV's but has come to the conclusion that anyone that rides an ATV cannot read because they do not stay on the roads like the myriad of signs ask them to do. After Chuck offered me some water and we talked a bit more, I said my goodbyes and continued along Kitchen Corral Rd. Along the way I met a man and woman on horseback herding cattle and getting ready to move the cows to the winter range south of Buckskin Gulch. We talked for a spell and they echoed Chuck's opinions. I discovered that I was talking to Mr. Johnson, the man whose cattle outfit this was. Native born, he'd been ranching 110 sections of BLM lands since the 1950's. As I departed he mentioned upcoming water sources a few good campsites for the evening. I think it has been a major tactical error of the modern day environmental movement to alienate folks like these from the good fight for better air, water, and increased conservation. Many would scoff at the notion that a rancher would have any sense of conservation in their line of work, but in fact, in many cases I think most ranchers have a stronger sense of conservation than folks that consider themselves `green'... after all a ranchers livelihood is dependent on it. While we may recycle, donate to the Nature Conservancy, and participate in non-motorized recreation, (while driving SUV's to go do it) I think it could be argued that a rancher has developed a land ethic more complex than most. Certainly cattle can be bad news, and it does not seem fair to subsidize an entire industry, but it seems that both of our concerns could be addressed if we could recognize the common ground that exists and not just continue with our polarized arguments. Anyway, camp tonight is a on a hard ledge overlooking the road and wash. The gentle mooing of nearby bovines is making my eyes heavy, so I'd best sign off... ~24 miles Brian Bound for Bryce, September 26th Cool this morning! Despite my reluctance to leave my warm cocoon, I managed to get up and get hiking shortly after dawn.
The walking was quite nice despite following the tracks of a lone ATV up the wash. The white walls of No Man's Mesa and Deer Spring Point rose upward on both sides of the drainage. Interesting turrets and spires of stone would occasionally pop up, adding a whimsical tone to the morning. I cannot imagine hiking this wash after a storm. The clay would be such a burden to slip and slop around in, and would add pounds to each step. As is, the surface is much like a sidewalk. I am currently at the confluence of Park Wash and Bullrush Gorge, relaxing in the shade beneath a Pinyon Pine. The wind has picked up a bit, and although it is refreshingly cool, it is seems to be carrying a great deal of pollen as my nose is leaky and my eyes feel a little swollen. Basically an allergic mess, which is not contributing to an otherwise perfectly good day on the Hayduke.
After crossing the road, the views opened up slightly and the pink and orange cliffs of Bryce Canyon were visible in the distance. An aspect of long distance hiking that I enjoy tremendously is seeing something on the horizon that may be a few days away, and slowly making progress towards it...all the while the perspective changing slightly as you get closer. My first glimpse of these same cliffs was 2 days ago after dropping into Government Reservoir on the Kaibab Plateau. The remainder of the afternoon was spent following the meanders of upper Bullrush Gorge until reaching an ATV track that led me to Lower Podunk Rd and the Lower Podunk Trailhead to Bryce. A few miles further and I was greeted by the sweet water of Riggs Spring, where I decided to eat dinner and filter water before getting a few more trail miles in during the evening. Camp tonight is perched on a small saddle, the
surrounding cliffs aflame with the setting sun, and a rainbow
has formed on the eastern skyline. From this 8,000 ft vantage I can pretty much trace the route for the day, as I am looking down onto the tops of No Mans Mesa, Calf Pasture Plateau, and Deer Spring Point. Quite stunning. ~24 miles Brian Under the Rim Trail, September 27th Last night was a bit of a chore. Gusty winds, plenty of lightning, and the occasional rain shower made for a fitful rest. As such, since I was already awake, I headed out in the pre-dawn darkness, breakfast bowl in-hand and climbed slowly to ~1,100 ft to Rainbow Point. When I arrived a few hours later, the sun had risen and a few tourists where tourist-ing about. A cold, biting wind kept their visits short... a few oh's and ah's, a couple snapshots, and then back to the heater in the car.
After a few snapshots, a bathroom break, and a trash dumping, I headed back down to the Under the Rim Trail, eager to see the landscape from below. The Under the Rim trail is a fantastic route along the eastern boundary of Bryce. Although there are a few climbs/descents, it pleasantly contours below the cliffbands dipping in and out of the forest (Ponderosa, White Fir, Aspen, Mtn Mahogany, etc) and crossing pastel-colored drainages during its ~23 mile course from Rainbow to Bryce Point. I am currently stopped at Natural Arch Campsite for my midday break, beneath mixed skies -- sometimes scorching, sometimes a cool rain -- and between the hourly thumping of helicopter tours overhead. I left the Hayduke Trail about a 1/2 mile back, as it leaves the park and descends to Willis Creek via a ~9 road walk. My route will take me the length of the Under the Rim Trail, before climbing up to Bryce Point, and then dropping back below the rim and heading into the town of Tropic, UT for my re-supply. From Tropic, I'll have a paved/dirt road walk before returning to the Hayduke at Willis Creek. The rest of the afternoon was all around pleasant. More pink/orange cliffs, contouring trail, and a few quick-passing squalls to keep me guessing about the weather.
Despite passing a number of impressive Ponderosa stands during the day, I am leaned against a truly lovely specimen as I write. It seems after rain, Ponderosa exude a fragrant toffee smell which I find quite nice. This particular tree is so fragrant that I cannot smell myself which is always a welcome relief at the end of the day. ~24 miles Brian Tropical Tropic, September 28th Cruised into Tropic, UT for my resupply after a last great ~6 miles in Bryce Canyon National Park.
I managed to hike through this section early in the morning and thus had the trail mostly to myself --- no mules, only one helicopter, and a handful of tourists. Nice for my mental state as well as for photography. After descending and looping around to Bryce Creek, I headed out the drainage towards Tropic which I found ~3 miles down a dirt road, got my box, and settled in at the Bryce Inn as I'll be taking a rest day here tomorrow. ~9 miles Brian
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Eventually
I climbed out of a wash and crested a small knoll where I was
able to look east. In the foreground, the red, orange, and cream
colored whipped swirls of Coyote Buttes, and the Paria Plateau
stretching beyond towards Navajo Mountain standing alone on the
eastern horizon.
Awoke
this morning and headed ~2.5 miles north along House Rock Valley
Road before swinging into Coyote Wash. Shortly the wash narrowed
significantly, to about the width of my shoulders, and snaked
its way through Wire Pass. A very nice section of narrows made
even better by the rising sun illuminating the upper walls and
casting a golden light into the canyon. After another short section
of narrows and a few chockstone drops, the canyon broadened as
Buckskin Gulch joined it from the north. I turned up Buckskin
Canyon and after a section of muddy, shallow pooled narrows, hiked
into the broad upper canyon. 
This
section of Buckskin was ringed by towers, domes, and a colorful
variety of stratified sandstone shapes. The wash meandered about,
but the footing was very solid and made the walking easy.
A
few miles of road walking led me past a faded petroglyph panel
and then to the hardpan of Park Wash which I would follow for
~9.5 miles to Bullrush Gorge. 
After
lunch I headed up Bullrush Gorge which turned out to be a very
delightful canyon. Cool, lush, and interesting for most of its
length. Along the way I noticed a few good sized junks of petrified
wood, as well as these crazy spheres of conglomerate. The maple
in the gorge were beginning to turn and their deep red was a pleasant
contrast to the green fir, oak and juniper.
The
views from Rainbow Point were absolutely stunning --- the best
of the trip thus far. Tushar Mtns, Aquarius Plateau, Table Cliffs,
the Paria Drainage, Henry Mtns, and Navajo Mtn all visible. The
views of Bryce Canyon were also quite striking...the colored limestone
cliffs of the Paunsaugunt Plateau snaking northward, alit by the
sun. 
I
am camped tonight along the North Fork of Yellow Creek which surprisingly
has flowing water. Along the walk up this drainage, I spotted
a few River Birch which I had not yet seen. Great tree. One of
my favorites.
After
leaving my camp (another lightning and wind filled evening) I
climbed up to Bryce Point, passing The Hat Shop --- impossibly
thin columns of crumbly limestone supporting a large boulder on
the top of each. 
From
Bryce Point the views north were pleasant enough, but I was anxious
to descend into the basin along the Peek-a-boo Loop Trail to get
a first hand view of the hoodoos, arches, and spires that line
the rim. This section of Bryce is what most postcards capture,
and is certainly more intriguing (in the small-picture sense)
than the southern end of the Park. 
The
trail itself winds precipitously downward, switchbacking amongst
the most improbable sculpted and balanced rocks. Mixed in the
with the menagerie of colorful rock are Ponderosa, Fir, and Oak.
Quite simply a very stunning landscape.
