Buckskin Gulch

As we prepared for our trip to Utah earlier in the month, we were dismayed when the US government shut down all public services, including the National Parks.  This was as a result of some very childish political wrangling between the Republicans and the Democrats over government debt levels and spending on federally funded Medicare.  The Republicans were holding everyone hostage and not allowing the governing Democrats to increase the debt ceiling to allow the government to continue to operate.  Meanwhile the American citizens, investors worldwide, and tourists like us, were to pay the price.

Shortly before we left Canada it was announced that the government of the State of Utah was stepping in and providing funding to the US Federal government so that the National Parks in the state could continue to operate.  Obviously they recognized that tourism was a significant contributor to the local economy.  We were relieved to say the least.

One of the things that we wanted to do was to hike into a site called The Wave.  This is a restricted area in the Coyote Buttes, part of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.  This area is limited to 20 hikers per day, and a special permit is required for access.  Half of the daily permits are sold on line several months in advance, and we had missed the opportunity to reserve these.  The other half are allotted at the Bureau of Land Management Office, a day in advance.  This office was just a couple hundred yards from the house that we had rented, but despite the parks being open, the BLM office was closed due to the shutdown.

On day two of our trip we decided to check out the area around The Wave.  We were a little uncertain about what to do.  Since the parks were officially closed, perhaps we could just wander in...?  But we were a little reluctant to attempt this, mostly because there was so much uncertainty about everything.  The official word was that all the restricted areas in the area were closed, and there were signs posted to that effect.

We got up again before dawn, and headed out after breakfast.  We turned south off Highway 89 at the White House Rock Road, down to the Wire Pass Trailhead.  This is the start for the hike into The Wave.  It is also the trailhead for the slot canyons of Wire Pass, Buckskin Gulch, and further on for many miles into Paria Canyon.  These areas are not specifically restricted, but do require a day use fee and registration.  It was really unclear as to whether or not these areas were closed, but it appeared as though officially, they were.

We explored a little in the area along the road.  There was a cool old cattle corral, as well as an some outcrops with really interesting rock formations.  We made a couple photographs with the view cameras in this area.

 

We decided not to take a chance and try and sneak into The Wave.  Instead we drove back up the road a few miles to the Buckskin Gulch trailhead.  This trail follows Buckskin Wash for about three or four miles, eventually meeting up with Wire Pass, and later with the Paria River.  Initially the trail is right in the wash itself, and it meanders along, through some spectacular badlands.

A short time later the wash forces itself through a rather narrow gap between a pair of large outcrops of red sandstone.

After that the landscape changed a little and the sandstone became more striated and layered.  We stopped in a couple of spots along this section of the wash and made some more photographs.

The vegetation was obviously finishing up the season and most of the plants had gone to seed and were preparing for the dormant winter season.  One type of sage was blooming in spectacular yellow fashion and the few of these plants that were on display were attracting a host of bees and butterflies.  I managed to capture a shot of a Monarch butterfly feeding on one of these plants.

We never did get as far as the slot canyons but at one point came across a big dried out mud hole that was rather photogenic.  We spent some time here making a few photographs of the patterns in the cracked mud.

After this we turned back and followed the wash back out to where we had parked the truck.  By the time we got there, drove the 4 miles along the White House Rock Road back to Highway 89, and then all the way back to Kanab, it was after dark.  We repeated what would become our daily ritual.  Have something to eat, reload film holders and get to bed early so that we could start all over again the next day.