Scary Gulches etc...

That come with appropriately fearful names. They are Peek-a-boo and Spooky. Two short slot canyons that took me by surprise. I've heard about these Bad Boys but I knew next to nothing about them. I wasn't even sure where they were along the Hole-in-the-Rock road. I sort of fell into them. 

I've been in tight canyons before like Little Wild Horse north of here. That canyon was Alaskan sized compared to these two. I slithered through sideways praying there would be no obese people literally stuck in front of me. I regretted eating the ice cream bar the night before. I called ahead to make sure no one was coming my way. There wasn't enough room to turn around in. The sandstone walls were intimately close. So intimate, I thought I would light up a cigarette when the wrestling match was over. It was wild and not for the claustrophobic. 

I'm now making my way east through Canyon Country. Tonight I'm rough camping with Barley the Van along Deer Creek on the Burr Trail Road. The stream should be called Mosquito Creek. It's not even dark and the loathsome insects chased me inside. I'll leave early tomorrow before they get caffeinated and hungry. I've donated enough blood already. 

From the bony photo, you can see it didn't take long for me to start living off the land. Those "Slow Elk" are so easy to hunt. Jerry from Kanab taught me well.

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.ae/2015/04/being-polite-and-smile.html

Final photo: Spring is in the air! I'm sure I heard the male frog ask the she frog, "Where have you been all my life?" It was an Animal Planet moment. 

Enjoy! (That goes for you hackers in the Ukraine, China and the UAR too!)

Why Box-Death Hollow?

For the name of a Wilderness Area? Well fans, (all twenty of you including hackers) I'm glad you asked. 

Death Hollow scored the scary moniker for all the livestock who plunged to their untimely demises while attempting to cross this sharply angled canyon. In other words, it's crazy steep. There's no mention of any salvage operations for the pulverized burgers or mutton. I guess the fresh protein was a treat for the local cougar. 

I chose the much mellower Box Canyon for today's wanderings. This big view canyon was formed by Pine Creek's constant liquid flow. I even saw fish in the waterway.  In fact, the only other creatures I sighted in 4.5 hours was a few frisky squirrels, some flittering birds and a scattering of lizards. There were no other humans around in this part of Utah. Now, that's a wilderness experience!

I'm kind of falling in love with the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Isn't there anyone out there who might be interested in a fall backpack trip here? You hackers are invited too! The autumn colors would be beyond awesome. Probably bordering on tubular, Dude. 

The slot canyons are calling...

While growing up...

In the Bronx, our early American history lessons were geographically eastern based. It was all about the Original Thirteen Colonies strung out along the Atlantic Ocean side. 

It wasn't until I made the great leap west in 1978, did I begin to realize there was heaps of White Folk history on the other side of this continent. The only difference was the White Folk spoke Spanish instead of English. 

In 1776, (isn't that year significant in U.S. History?) Fathers Dominguez and Escalante left Santa Fe, New Mexico in an attempt to find a route to the Catholic missions in Monterey, California. They endured hunger, cold, thirst and other hardships while traversing a harsh landscape. They were the first Non-Natives to see a significant part of the Colorado Plateau country. They left behind a few names of the rivers they crossed: the Dolores, the San Miguel and the Mancos. Their brave efforts failed to gain them the prize they sought. They returned to Santa Fe to a less than warm welcome. They were looked upon as losers.

So, it's a little ironic that the one River they didn't ford or even see is named after Father Escalante. Kudos to Almon Thompson who mapped and named the river in 1872. This humble river (only 90 miles long) was the last waterway of its size to be discovered in the Lower 48. Thanks Almon for not being a suck-up and naming the river after your boss - John Wesley Powell. 

I forded the Escalante River today over and over. I have photos to prove it too. Please don't look at me as a failure for not making it to Monterey. 

There is so much to see in the 1.9 million acre Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. I'll be doing some exploring in the days to come. Anyone interested in backpacking here this fall?

In the final photo, a few knockoffs of Casey Nocket left their sign in a beautiful alcove. Shame on them. http://jeffsambur.blogspot.ae/2014/11/the-case-against-casey-nocket.html

Be nice out there. 

Jeff

BTW. The W,W Jew blog just scored its 15,000th page view. So what, if many of those hits came from Eastern European hackers! Maybe they read my stuff in between sniffing around for my password. 

Why can't we all just get along?