Category: Hiking

A Return Visit to Cathedral Wash

It’s been many years since I have visited Cathedral Wash — located near Lee’s Ferry, Arizona — and it was time to return. My last trip was so long ago that I was shooting with a film camera!

Cathedral Wash narrows into a sinuous slot with reflected light illuminating the walls.
Cathedral Wash narrows into a sinuous slot with reflected light illuminating the walls.
One of the many water holes encountered in the wash.
One of the many water holes encountered in the wash.

With perfect weather — warm temperatures, clear skies, and light winds — it was a good time to visit this short wash that leads down to the Colorado River. What we hadn’t thought about — but should have — was that the extremely rainy summer season might have left lots of water and mud in the wash. It had.

The very first water/mud hole we encountered could not be bypassed on the ledges above and we resorted to removing our shoes and socks and wading through the thigh deep water. We were concerned that there would be other water/mud holes and they might not be passable at all but it turned out this one — the first one — was the only problem. All others were easily bypassed.

Hiking along the benches above the canyon floor in Cathedral Wash.
Hiking along the benches above the canyon floor in Cathedral Wash.
Cathedral Wash turns out to be a great place for yoga!
Cathedral Wash turns out to be a great place for yoga!

Once back at the car we drove the short distance from the wash to the river. We were impressed with the tremendous amount of erosion that had occurred during the rainy season. Washes had been deeply scoured and many large boulders from the cliffs above had been washed down to the road. It was an ineresting lesson in how quickly geological change can actually occur.

Plants and critters seen along Wet Beaver Creek

On a recent hike up Wet Beaver Creek we were lucky to find many agave plants in bloom. This particular plant had an insect browsing upon it.

Agave plant in bloom.
Agave plant in bloom.

Farther upstream we were treated to some dazzling dragon flies.

Dragon fly.
Flame Skimmer dragon fly.

A great day. And we did some swimming, too!

Swimming through the narrows in Wet Beaver Creek.
Swimming through the narrows in Wet Beaver Creek.

 

 

A winter walk along West Fork Oak Creek

It’s been cold around these parts lately. How cold? Well, we’ve seen -24ºF in Bellemont, -19ºF in Tusayan, and -9ºF in Flagstaff. These are all northern Arizona communities that are used to the cold — but not for this many days in a row. This is the coldest 5-day period in Flagstaff in over three decades.

One of many icy crossings of West Fork Oak Creek.
One of many icy crossings of West Fork Oak Creek.

There are some benefits. With prolonged cold some of the streams in the canyons will freeze. With this in mind, we took a hike up West Fork Oak Creek. The trail was snow packed and icy. Wisely, we all had foot traction gear including instep crampons and microspikes.

An icy rock and log crossing of West Fork Oak Creek.
An icy rock and log crossing of West Fork Oak Creek.

The trail crosses the creek numerous times and the first few crossings were tricky but doable. That is, the logs and/or stepping stones were ice covered but sure footing could be found using care and caution.

Wall of ice in West Fork Oak Creek.
Wall of ice in West Fork Oak Creek.

One of stream crossings, though, stymied us. For whatever reasons, the water and ice level had increased substantially in this location so that all the stepping stones were well under water and ice. And the flow of water had become concentrated along one side of the channel so that the ice was eroded. After studying it for awhile, we reluctantly agreed that the risk of crashing through the ice was too great. We turned back.

Canyon wall reflections in icy West Fork Oak Creek (2007)
Canyon wall reflections in icy West Fork Oak Creek (2007).

In previous years we had easily moved through this crossing and many others farther upstream including the “subway” passage. We had hoped to make it this far and, possibly, even farther upstream. It wasn’t to be.

Frozen West Fork Oak Creek (2007).
Frozen West Fork Oak Creek (2007).
A deep pool crossing in the "subway" made easy with ice in West Fork Oak Creek (2007).
A deep pool crossing in the “subway” made easy with ice in West Fork Oak Creek (2007).

Still, it’s never a bad day when you are out hiking with no one else around except your friends in an environment not often experienced by most.

Edit: 01 Feb 2013 – fixed typos.

Buckskin Gulch sans water and mud

Three of us recently did a day hike in Buckskin Gulch. This is a well-known slot canyon on the Utah side of the Utah/Arizona border. The canyon is about 13 miles long making it one of the longest slot canyons in the southwest — and possibly the world.

A climbing move is required to bypass this boulder in Wire Pass -- a tributary of Buckskin Gulch. The pile of boulders at the bottom helps.
A climbing move is required to bypass this boulder in Wire Pass — a tributary of Buckskin Gulch. The pile of boulders at the bottom helps.

In normal years rainfall during the summer, fall, and winter leaves ankle- to knee-deep pools of cold water in the canyon. Hiking through here under these conditions is tricky since the pools are often scoured by the rushing water which may result in one side being deep and the other shallow as the sand or rocks build up. With muddy water it is impossible to see under the surface of the water and a walking pole is used to probe carefully before placing each step. A mis-step can result in going from knee-deep water to chest-deep water in one quick step!

Dry and sandy narrows through Buckskin Gulch.
Dry and sandy narrows through Buckskin Gulch.

Some years, however, the fall and winter months are dry and the canyon floor is dry in the spring. That was the case this year. After a wet fall, a dry winter and spring followed and this allowed the canyon floor to be water free — at least in the first few miles that we traveled.

Reflected light illuminates a far wall deep within Buckskin Gulch.
Reflected light illuminates a far wall deep within Buckskin Gulch.

The first time we did this hike (2004) it was dry and we mistakenly assumed this was normal. Returning to hike in 2005, 2006, and 2007, we were greeted each time with water. So it was a pleasant surprise to return after a few years absence and find it dry.

A narrow beam of light penetrates deep into the narrows of Buckskin Gulch and gently illuminates the side walls of the canyon.
A narrow beam of light penetrates deep into the narrows of Buckskin Gulch and gently illuminates the side walls of the canyon.

What was less pleasant was seeing how visitors to this amazing place have left graffiti along the canyon walls. There was no graffiti the first three times we visited and only one defacement the last time. This time there was graffiti in many locations in the first few miles of the canyon. It is truly saddening that people would do such a thing in a beautiful place.

Exquisitely textured walls found within Buckskin Gulch.
Exquisitely textured walls found within Buckskin Gulch.

Still, we had a great time walking a few miles down canyon, eating our lunch in the cool and quiet narrows of the slot, and enjoying our brief visit to this remarkable place.