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DAY 1:
We had been looking forward to this backpacking/touring trip for months. Dick made the difficult decision to stay home as our departure date approached to insure that his back would continue to improve after several months of recovery from painful sciatica. I decided to go with our original plan, flying out of Albany, NY to Phoenix on the morning of September 16. Our good friend and Arizona resident Lani met me at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport shortly after noon. We headed north to Flagstaff and took a break for lunch at one of Lani’s favorite Mexican restaurants, “Kachina,” before continuing our drive northeast to the town of Tuba City. We arrived in town after dark and discovered that the two major motels were already booked. After searching the back streets of Tuba City for a short while, we found the Greyhills Inn, a hostel recommended to us by one of the motel employees in the center of town. The Greyhills Inn is attached to a residential high school for students from the surrounding Navaho Reservation. Buses also bring day students to the school. Our floor consisted of rooms surrounding a public bathroom – like college dorm living.
The next morning we left the Inn just as buses pulled up and students arrived for classes.
DAY 2:
We arrived at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station in southeastern Utah around noon. One of the rangers assured us that the trail was well marked and the first four miles had been repaired by volunteers earlier this summer. We asked many questions about the availability of water since this area has had very little rain accumulation this season. Based on the narratives of previous hikers, she outlined some possible water sources, but we still weren’t convinced that we should trust this information, so each of us brought along 5 quarts of water to weigh down our packs.
We took advantage of the four-mile trek to Junction Ruins to get used to carrying heavier backpacks again. I estimate my pack weight with those 5 quarts of water to be around 31#. I carried dehydrated meals in a new 1.75# Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack – big savings in weight!
Our first introduction to ancient Puebloan (previously known as Anasazi) ruins at Junction Ruins was awe-inspiring. We camped on higher ground with views of the cliff ruins. As soon as we set up my tarptent and a make-shift tarp for our gear, the thunder clouds and sprinkles of rain stopped. We enjoyed a clear, cool night.
Day 3:
This day began warm and sunny. We spent a good deal of time at a more accessible archeological site called Turkey Pen Ruin. We felt so privileged to be able to walk in the steps of the ancients who lived, worked and died here at various times from 200-1200 A.D.
See this link for more information about the people of the Grand Gulch area: http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/grand_gulch.htm
We continued our walk past a natural landmark called Stimper Arch, and walked part way up a side canyon called Todie Canyon to look for a reported spring – no luck, so we backtracked to the Grand Gulch/Todie Canyon junction and promptly lost the trail. Lots of bushwhacking resulted but we eventually found our way to another natural landmark called “Pour-Off.” This area is composed of large boulders, a drop-off to a lower flat rocky area (which would create a spectacular waterfall if there were any water) and several muddy pools where we filtered water. Lani spent more time cleaning out the filter than filtering water into our nalgenes and bladders.
Before setting up camp, we dropped our packs and continued down the trail for 1.5 miles to a spectacular site called Split Level Ruin. Along the way we pass another mud pool which, under other circumstances might be called a spring. “Split Level” refers to a 2-story structure which is largely intact. Everything is as it was thousands of years ago when a community thrived here. As in the other sites, we walked among shards of pottery, corn cobs, animal bones and other artifacts partially buried in the fine red sand. We returned to our “Pour-Off” campsite and made the decision to return to the Kane Gulch Ranger Station the next day rather than continue to the Bullet Canyon TH, 12 more miles down the trail. We missed some of the more well-known archeological sites but our concern for the lack of water won out. We need to come back and hike this other section of the trail another year. Good excuse to go back! We spent a pleasant night on an open, flat rock above the “Pour-Off.”
Day 4:
We decided to get an early start and have breakfast on the trail later in the morning since we had a 9-mile walk out. We found ourselves back in Todie Canyon when we took another wrong turn, but quickly backtracked and resumed our walk from a now- familiar intersection on the correct route. We met the first humans we had seen since the start of our adventure 2 days ago - a group of six backpackers. It was fun to chat and compare notes. We passed Stimper Arch once more, but this time from the opposite side. Around midday, the heat and a large cottonwood tree helped us make the decision to stop for an extended lunch break. I also took a much-needed nap while Lani explored some side trails. When we passed Junction Ruins as our walk resumed, we knew we only had 4 miles left, but, once again, the threat of thunder and rain intervened. Shortly after climbing back up the mesa, we both noticed a flat, rocky “bench” protected by a sandstone overhang. In an instant we both made the decision to camp out one more night. Pitching my tarptent was a bit of a challenge on the rock but we managed to secure the tent ropes with large rocks. Once again the weather improved dramatically and we slept, somewhat fitfully, all night.
Day 5:
“Did you hear the sounds of traffic last night?” Lani and I agreed that the sounds did indeed remind us of large trucks whizzing by on the interstate. A couple who passed us on the trail soon after we began this morning’s walk, assured us that we were 20 minutes away from the Ranger Station. They were correct.
We chatted with the rangers, changed out of our boots, and drove to Natural Bridges National Monument – we paused along the loop drive to take photos at the overlooks. Blanding, Utah was our next stop. We purchased a shower at a RV park, ate lunch (I might add ravenously) at a local restaurant, and spent the afternoon investigating Edge of Cedars State Park Museum and Ruins.
I took pics of the “Mexican hat” rock formation for which the town of Mexican Hat is named. We found ourselves at a primitive campground in Monument Valley in time to eat dinner and take some sunset photos of the rock formations and 3 dogs herding a cow back to somewhere else – maybe a nearby ranch. The dogs, however, settled in with us. They begged for food which didn’t work, so they snuggled up to the side of our tent for the night. The high winds and fine red sand made for fitful sleep – again.
Day 6:
I woke up early, was greeted by the dogs, and set up a make-shift tripod (actually my suitcase) to take some sunrise shots. Today we started driving south, stopping at other ruins sites: Box Canyon Lonaki, Citidel and Wupatki Ruins. We drove through Flagstaff, Sedona, and camped in Cottonwood at Dead Horse Point State Park. The showers were devine!
Day 7:
One last day before return to our respective regular lives and one last ruins fix: Along the road to Phoenix we stopped at Tuzigoot National Monument where the Sinagua built a thriving agricultural community in about AD 1000; a US Forest Preserve site where we saw an ancient solar calendar indicate the September 22 Equinox; Montezuma Well which is actually a small lake and the site of an ancient Puebloan community; Montezuma Castle National Monument – an amazing “castle” in a cliff; and the nearby site of an ancient Pit House. We managed to drive into Phoenix during rush hour (s) and discovered that frontage roads were a viable alternative to taking the expressway. We stayed in a luxurious (but not too expensive) hotel. The shower was well worth the price!
Day 8:
Some sort of economic crisis and heavy early-morning rush-hour (s) traffic and accidents and reroutes and inadequate airport signage on surface streets and, despite all of the challenges, arriving in time to make the flight back to Albany via Boston – even flying standby. Ah – return to civilization! Can’t wait for our next adventure into the wilderness.
We had been looking forward to this backpacking/touring trip for months. Dick made the difficult decision to stay home as our departure date approached to insure that his back would continue to improve after several months of recovery from painful sciatica. I decided to go with our original plan, flying out of Albany, NY to Phoenix on the morning of September 16. Our good friend and Arizona resident Lani met me at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport shortly after noon. We headed north to Flagstaff and took a break for lunch at one of Lani’s favorite Mexican restaurants, “Kachina,” before continuing our drive northeast to the town of Tuba City. We arrived in town after dark and discovered that the two major motels were already booked. After searching the back streets of Tuba City for a short while, we found the Greyhills Inn, a hostel recommended to us by one of the motel employees in the center of town. The Greyhills Inn is attached to a residential high school for students from the surrounding Navaho Reservation. Buses also bring day students to the school. Our floor consisted of rooms surrounding a public bathroom – like college dorm living.
The next morning we left the Inn just as buses pulled up and students arrived for classes.
DAY 2:
We arrived at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station in southeastern Utah around noon. One of the rangers assured us that the trail was well marked and the first four miles had been repaired by volunteers earlier this summer. We asked many questions about the availability of water since this area has had very little rain accumulation this season. Based on the narratives of previous hikers, she outlined some possible water sources, but we still weren’t convinced that we should trust this information, so each of us brought along 5 quarts of water to weigh down our packs.
We took advantage of the four-mile trek to Junction Ruins to get used to carrying heavier backpacks again. I estimate my pack weight with those 5 quarts of water to be around 31#. I carried dehydrated meals in a new 1.75# Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack – big savings in weight!
Our first introduction to ancient Puebloan (previously known as Anasazi) ruins at Junction Ruins was awe-inspiring. We camped on higher ground with views of the cliff ruins. As soon as we set up my tarptent and a make-shift tarp for our gear, the thunder clouds and sprinkles of rain stopped. We enjoyed a clear, cool night.
Day 3:
This day began warm and sunny. We spent a good deal of time at a more accessible archeological site called Turkey Pen Ruin. We felt so privileged to be able to walk in the steps of the ancients who lived, worked and died here at various times from 200-1200 A.D.
See this link for more information about the people of the Grand Gulch area: http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/grand_gulch.htm
We continued our walk past a natural landmark called Stimper Arch, and walked part way up a side canyon called Todie Canyon to look for a reported spring – no luck, so we backtracked to the Grand Gulch/Todie Canyon junction and promptly lost the trail. Lots of bushwhacking resulted but we eventually found our way to another natural landmark called “Pour-Off.” This area is composed of large boulders, a drop-off to a lower flat rocky area (which would create a spectacular waterfall if there were any water) and several muddy pools where we filtered water. Lani spent more time cleaning out the filter than filtering water into our nalgenes and bladders.
Before setting up camp, we dropped our packs and continued down the trail for 1.5 miles to a spectacular site called Split Level Ruin. Along the way we pass another mud pool which, under other circumstances might be called a spring. “Split Level” refers to a 2-story structure which is largely intact. Everything is as it was thousands of years ago when a community thrived here. As in the other sites, we walked among shards of pottery, corn cobs, animal bones and other artifacts partially buried in the fine red sand. We returned to our “Pour-Off” campsite and made the decision to return to the Kane Gulch Ranger Station the next day rather than continue to the Bullet Canyon TH, 12 more miles down the trail. We missed some of the more well-known archeological sites but our concern for the lack of water won out. We need to come back and hike this other section of the trail another year. Good excuse to go back! We spent a pleasant night on an open, flat rock above the “Pour-Off.”
Day 4:
We decided to get an early start and have breakfast on the trail later in the morning since we had a 9-mile walk out. We found ourselves back in Todie Canyon when we took another wrong turn, but quickly backtracked and resumed our walk from a now- familiar intersection on the correct route. We met the first humans we had seen since the start of our adventure 2 days ago - a group of six backpackers. It was fun to chat and compare notes. We passed Stimper Arch once more, but this time from the opposite side. Around midday, the heat and a large cottonwood tree helped us make the decision to stop for an extended lunch break. I also took a much-needed nap while Lani explored some side trails. When we passed Junction Ruins as our walk resumed, we knew we only had 4 miles left, but, once again, the threat of thunder and rain intervened. Shortly after climbing back up the mesa, we both noticed a flat, rocky “bench” protected by a sandstone overhang. In an instant we both made the decision to camp out one more night. Pitching my tarptent was a bit of a challenge on the rock but we managed to secure the tent ropes with large rocks. Once again the weather improved dramatically and we slept, somewhat fitfully, all night.
Day 5:
“Did you hear the sounds of traffic last night?” Lani and I agreed that the sounds did indeed remind us of large trucks whizzing by on the interstate. A couple who passed us on the trail soon after we began this morning’s walk, assured us that we were 20 minutes away from the Ranger Station. They were correct.
We chatted with the rangers, changed out of our boots, and drove to Natural Bridges National Monument – we paused along the loop drive to take photos at the overlooks. Blanding, Utah was our next stop. We purchased a shower at a RV park, ate lunch (I might add ravenously) at a local restaurant, and spent the afternoon investigating Edge of Cedars State Park Museum and Ruins.
I took pics of the “Mexican hat” rock formation for which the town of Mexican Hat is named. We found ourselves at a primitive campground in Monument Valley in time to eat dinner and take some sunset photos of the rock formations and 3 dogs herding a cow back to somewhere else – maybe a nearby ranch. The dogs, however, settled in with us. They begged for food which didn’t work, so they snuggled up to the side of our tent for the night. The high winds and fine red sand made for fitful sleep – again.
Day 6:
I woke up early, was greeted by the dogs, and set up a make-shift tripod (actually my suitcase) to take some sunrise shots. Today we started driving south, stopping at other ruins sites: Box Canyon Lonaki, Citidel and Wupatki Ruins. We drove through Flagstaff, Sedona, and camped in Cottonwood at Dead Horse Point State Park. The showers were devine!
Day 7:
One last day before return to our respective regular lives and one last ruins fix: Along the road to Phoenix we stopped at Tuzigoot National Monument where the Sinagua built a thriving agricultural community in about AD 1000; a US Forest Preserve site where we saw an ancient solar calendar indicate the September 22 Equinox; Montezuma Well which is actually a small lake and the site of an ancient Puebloan community; Montezuma Castle National Monument – an amazing “castle” in a cliff; and the nearby site of an ancient Pit House. We managed to drive into Phoenix during rush hour (s) and discovered that frontage roads were a viable alternative to taking the expressway. We stayed in a luxurious (but not too expensive) hotel. The shower was well worth the price!
Day 8:
Some sort of economic crisis and heavy early-morning rush-hour (s) traffic and accidents and reroutes and inadequate airport signage on surface streets and, despite all of the challenges, arriving in time to make the flight back to Albany via Boston – even flying standby. Ah – return to civilization! Can’t wait for our next adventure into the wilderness.
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