Daily Miles: 25.3, Total Miles: 583.0 There are only a couple of ways to get off the Vermillion Cliffs. Both involve the Sand Hill Crack and neither one is very easy. Steep and rocky, faint trail at best and an occasional cairn. I had to back up a few times and look hard for a safer way. I picked up a better trail at the bottom that took me to an old ranch house at Jacobs Pool and then a…
Daily Miles: 25.5, Total Miles: 557.7 Summit bid! The remaining climb up to Bush Head and the Paria Plateau was even steeper than yesterday. Just tried to find the path of least resistance and kept reminding myself about three points of contact. Hiking poles were extra baggage at this point. A few false summits but finally cleared the last sandstone cliff band and this old man did another happy dance! Now a much more gentle climb to get to the…
Daily Miles: 12.2, Total Miles: 532.2 Slower going down the Paria River today but taking pics around every corner – just gorgeous. A narrower canyon meant having to wade in the river more rather than cross from bank to bank. I found a few springs not on the map before turning away from the Paria River. I then headed up out of the canyon on the challenging Bush Head Route. A route means no trail but maybe a few cairns….
Daily Miles: 18.1, Total Miles: 520.0 Every noise you make gets echoed down this canyon. I may even get embarrassed if someone else is camping here (but no one is). Wow, what a spectacular day! I hiked down Lower Buckskin Gulch for almost 12 miles to where it dumps into Paria Canyon. Much of the Gulch was a narrow slot canyon with varying degrees of light and varying amounts of silty water. The water situation was actually better than I’d…
Daily Miles: 12.3, Total Miles: 501.9 I had about a 5% chance to get a Wave permit and was not successful – oh well, I tried. A few people I met have reinforced that it may not be worth trying to sneak in. BLM has stepped up patrols and permit checks and then there’s the $1,000 fine and possible jail time. I walked across the street from the Visitors Center and started hitching. After about an hour, Lori, who I…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 489.6 I looked out the window this morning and it was raining although I think better weather is coming. The first order of business was to hike to the BLM Visitors Center and pick up my Paria Canyon – Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness permit for May 13-15. I had reserved these days months ago. This 80 some miles add-on will reconnect to the HDT (and AZT) near Jacobs Lake. The ranger asked if I had a…
Daily Miles: 19.7, Total Miles: 489.6 No rain last night! A fairly easy day walking for several miles down Park Wash before picking up a dirt road along the wash. This all dumped into Kitchen Corral Wash and road that took me all the way to Highway 89. I walked up the highway about a mile to a better hitching point where a car could actually pull over. I have no doubt drivers were wondering what I was doing in…
Daily Miles: 19.8, Total Miles: 469.9 Not a comfortable night with some of the heaviest rain I have had on all my hikes. My Zpacks solo plus tent has been OK in light rain and snow but this was beyond that. By morning, the bottom of my sleeping bag was soaked and even my feet were wet. I got away about 7:30am after giving it about an hour since the last rain. Showers started shortly thereafter but the sun was…
Daily Miles: 24.0, Total Miles: 450.1 I departed Tropic at 5:30am wanting to get a head start on the weather I knew was coming. The sun was just coming up when I reached the Bryce Canyon NP boundary. I didn’t need a backcountry permit so saved a few miles not having to stop at the Visitors Center. That meant I needed to make enough miles today to cross over to the Grand View Trail to camp just outside the park…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 426.1 A day of rest and it just happens to be Sunday. Stayed off my feet for the most part – easy to do because there’s not much here in Tropic. I looked at my next leg through Bryce Canyon. The trails I had planned through the southern part of the park are closed so I will have to detour to the Grand View Trail. I had a nice dinner at Showdown. Live music and…
