Escalante, Utah

They said it was going to snow. It was going to snow on Saturday, on Saturday night, on Sunday, on Sunday night. Nobody felt much like camping. Of course, this is Escalante, so, in the event, it was sunny, sunny, sunny, and sunny. It was, on the other hand, quite cold. Cold enough that we welcomed a fire in the woodstove and a roof over our heads.

On Saturday morning we took a short walk in the Lower Box with Kelly and Martin. When we got back for lunch, Tom and Margy were in the neighborhood, so we fed them all some spaghetti sandwiches. Then I sent the five of them to Horse Canyon while Ellen and I had a nap.

Tom and Margy brought the fruit and wine for dinner and we sent Martin for the brats. Afterwards, Kelly brought out the Knights-of-the-Universe-World-Warlord-Domination board game. She and Martin let me win so that I wouldn't regret staying awake until nine pm.

In the morning, we all went down to Phipps Wash. It was probably snowing a little on Boulder Mountain, but it was bluebird on the Monument and there wasn't even any wind. It was a perfect morning for wandering around on the slickrock. We left Valerie and Ellen after a while and the five of us made a quick run down to the final dryfall above Phipps Wash proper. Tom's two fake legs (as Kelly calls them) were tired by then so just the four of us scrambled to the bottom. It is a beautiful spot and I always enjoy the trip down there.

At lunch, the seven of us killed a large pot of Valerie's chili . . . and then we sent everyone home . . . just in time for another nap.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/EscalanteUT

Gates of Lodore, Colorado

Mark started out calling me a rent-a-guide. This was generous. By the end, I think that even he realized I was simply a parasite: I relied on him to keep me safe on the river; I relied on his wife to feed me; and I relied on The Kid to do all the dirty work around camp.

Speaking of camp, our first one was at the take-in. It was not necessarily notable except for the swarms of mosquitos. I'd like to blame Mark and Kristi for those since their trip planning and execution was otherwise flawless, but I think Titi's explanation was best: They came with her from Minnesota.

After a couple of long hard days on the creek, softened only by a small ration of beer, wine, and gin, we made camp above Triplett. This is where the fear and loathing began. The roar of Triplett in our heads all night left us queasy (or was that the roar of half a dozen martinis and an after-dinner romp through Zimmy's psyche?). Then, after a nail biting run that almost sent me for a swim in Triplett's first pour-over we fetched up on the shore above Hells-Half-Mile. It was here that I was reminded of an important life lesson: You can always make things worse, but you can't often make things better.

We watched another group float through Hells and I realized that a lot of fancy maneuvering was completely ineffective and might send me over Lucifer backwards or upside-down. And so I thought, "To hell with it, I ain't going to try to pull in behind this or that pour-over or try to dodge this or that lateral, 'cause that will only make things worse. I am going to paddle straight down the tongue, straight into the pillow on the right side of Lucifer, and, if I have to swim, hopefully it won't be until after that." And, I didn't. Swim, that is. So, I think that means that I can paddle as good as Lannom (http://searching4whitewater.blogspot.com/).

As for sleeping, however, I will never match Mark. He claims to have slept soundly--after half a dozen mixed drinks by Ms. Mayhem--on a matrix of box elder roots approximately three inches in diameter. Oh, and did I mention that it was raining, which is why he was under the tree?

When we arrived at Jone's Hole for our last night, the rainy weather had set in for good. We could tell because Kristi set up the Moss (and because the dime sized hail was painful). While the light was beautiful, the storm put a bit of a damper on our dress-up party. Rich didn't find the child's-size grass skirt to be quite the thing for a September hail storm, and JR's boa couldn't stand up to the rain.

The rain at the put-out was worse yet. This is because I unwisely paddled Split Mountain and arrived at the ramp soaked to the bone. If it weren't for the warming effect of cleaning two groover boxes, I might have been hypothermic. Actually, Rich helped me with the groovers and it is a good thing he did: I think Kristi was feeding us glue all week . . . let's just say that it was a sticky job.

I didn't arrive in Escalante until about 11:30p. I was tired, but it was a good tired. Another great week on the creek.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/GatesOfLodoreCO#

Pine Creek, Utah

On Saturday afternoon it rained hard. Ellen and I went up to look at Pine Creek. The creek was flashing, the wall of Antone Bench was a steady cascade, and there were plenty of places where debris was flowing over the road. We didn't get out of the Chev. On Monday, though, we went back. The creek was shallow, the weather warm, and we hiked upstream for a while. After a chocolate cookie snack, we hiked back down for dinner.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/PineCreekUT#

Escalante, Utah

On Wednesday, we experienced the first real rainstorm of 2008. And, in this country, when it rains like it rained on Wednesday, flash floods are the result. So, we went flood hunting. I would say that Alvey Wash, which is normally dry at this time of year, was running at about ten to fifteen thousand CFS. That is right, I said "thousand." It was a powerful flow. Plus, when Upper Valley Creek and Birch Creek got together, they made an impressive cascade at the turn-off to Main Canyon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/EscalanteUtah

Virgin River Canyon, Utah

First, it is worth noting that this is not an easy walk. This is a long, moderately difficult hike that should not be attempted without the proper attitude. Which I, of course, did not have. The only thing that saved me was that Jonathan brought me a professional walking stave and he, and Jenny, and Kelly, and Martin carried all my food and water. That allowed me to concentrate on putting one sore foot in front of the other and stiffling my cries.

Second, this is not a trip for solitude. Many, many people hike this canyon each day and the take-out is at Sinawava. (Valerie called it the back-door to Disneyworld.) Let's just say that one is less likely to be trampled at a Who concert. This is a very unpleasant feature of Zion National Park and summers there are to be avoided.

All that being said, this is one of the most beautiful trips I have ever done. The walls are soaring, the flora is verdant, the river is refreshing. The hiking is never boring. Around every corner is a sight more beautiful than the last. The six or eight miles from the mouth of Deep Creek down to Orderville Canyon are spectacular. This is a place that one must see to believe. If you get the opportunity, and you are modestly fit and not too whiny--at least no whinier than I am--you have got to do this hike.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/VirginRiverUtah

Escalante, Utah

We're selling our Escalante house. We've lived in Escalante for five years. And it is a great place to live. But we want to be closer to the four corners. So we have our eye on southern Colorado. In the meantime, we want to sell. The house is comfortable and it comes with five bedrooms--one of which we have used as an art studio. Dean Gledhill is helping us with the sale. A link to his website is attached.

http://www.toprealtyutah.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/HomeForSale

Barker Reservoir, Utah

For the Father's Day weekend, we went up to the Barkers. We camped in the Gates Group site and it was pretty warm when we set-up. A nap in the shade was comfortable, though. After burgers on the grill, we went to Upper Barker and put our feet in the water. Then we went back for a campfire and marshmallows. On Sunday morning we hiked around Lower Barker and put our feet in the creek. When we packed-up, it seemed hot. By the time we got back to town we knew why: It was 97 degrees. The long cool spring was over. And so was the quiet fire season. The Corn Creek Fire was putting a big column of smoke over Escalante.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/BarkerReservoirUT

Montpelier, Idaho

On Saturday we drove to Idaho. Idaho is not one of the four corners states. Idaho is not near Escalante. Idaho is not convenient. Idaho is, however, better than Montana. We wanted to see cousin Catherine and cousin Johanna. They live in Montana. We did not want to drive to Montana. So, we drove to Idaho and made Catherine and Johanna drive there, too.

We stayed in some cabins, swam in the pool, and enjoyed the swing set. I mean, we really enjoyed the swing set. On Sunday we drove over to Bear Lake and played in the water. Then we went for a hike in Home Canyon. But, what we liked the most was the pool (again) and the swing set.

We had to drive all the way back to Escalante on Monday. We had mosquito bites and memories of cousins to keep us company. Now we need to find Uncle Keith a job in the southern Rockies so Catherine and Johanna aren't so far away.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/MontpelierID

Mese Verde, Colorado

From Boulder Mountain one can practically see Mesa Verde. Well, not really, but, as the crow flies, it just ain't that far away. But, not being crows, the only way for us was to drive down to Hanksville, cross the river at Hite, go all the way north to Monticello, and then through Cortez. It was a long way. We went down on Saturday and stayed with Valerie in an historic hogan near the museum. We did a few short hikes on Sunday, but a trip into Cortez on Monday and another on Tuesday used up the rest of our time. This one was mostly about driving, I'm sorry to say.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/MesaVerdeCO

Cedar Wash, Utah

Mark and Kristi came down for wind season after the resort closed. They came to Escalante on the day that Valerie left for Mesa Verde. So, they knew that they would be cooking for themselves. And washing the dishes. Plus, Ellen wasn't feeling well, so Kristi got to practice medicine for free. All in all it was a good deal for the Orlemanns. We tried to go for a hike at Cedar Wash Arch, but Ellen wasn't up for it, so we sent them to Egypt. After a couple more days with the Monument gnats, they returned to town for showers. We let them buy us dinner, make us breakfast, vacuum the house, and cure the common cold. OK, I made up the part about vacuuming. But, really, Ellen was sick, and I ain't much of a house dad.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aorlemann/CedarWashUT