On the morning of October 18th we set off on our hike to The Wave. As had become our usual routine, we were up before dawn, had a quick breakfast at the house in Kanab, and hit the road. We drove out on Highway 89, turned off onto House Rock Valley Road, and soon found ourselves at the Wire Pass traihead. There were already a few other vehicles there. It was still early, and there was a chill in the air, with a hint of frost. We dressed in layers and set out on the trail. A short distance down the wash we branched off onto the trail to the North Coyote Buttes and The Wave. The trail quickly ascended as long hill and made its way up into an area of loose sand.
When we took the orientation at the BLM office in Kanab a couple of days prior, we were warned that this is a wilderness area and there is not really a marked trail. We were given a handout with some photographs of landmarks that we were to look for along the way. In places where there was loose sand it was fairly evident the route that previous hikers had taken, but once we got out onto the hard sandstone there was no path to follow. In previous years, before the handout was made available to hikers, about 20% of those that had a permit to hike to The Wave, couldn't find it. Even more got lost on the way out.
A few other hikers passed us on the way. We were travelling slowly due to our heavy camera gear. We made a little side trip on the way there and explored up into a small wash. There was a fascinating formation here called Lace Rock. We would have loved to hike up to it and photograph it, but there was just not enough time. We needed to push on to The Wave. As we neared The Wave we again found ourselves in some loose sand, which made for difficult hiking. The last little push to the formation was up a rather steep slope with some loose sand. By this time I was very hot, and all the layers that I had piled on had by now been removed. I found myself sweating profusely, even though it was not overly warm. The daytime high temperature peaked at around 20C, but the sun was quite intense against the southeast facing sandstone slope. Days later, when I got back home, I weighed the camera pack that I carried in on that hike. Not including the extra layers of clothing and my small water bottle it was a little over 45 Lbs. I had my camera, five lenses, meter, filters, cable release, loupe, dark cloth, 12 film holders, and a QuickLoad holder with some extra film packs. The last thing that I wanted to do was run out of film or not have the correct lens. But by the time the day was done, I was exhausted.
When we got near The Wave, a couple of the earlier hikers were already leaving and heading back out on the trail. I was puzzled at why they were in such a rush to leave. My first glimpse of the place was awe inspiring. It was most certainly a spectacular place that lived up to all the hype, though I was a little taken aback by how small it was. I had imagined it to be a much larger and more extensive formation.
We spent the rest of the morning here making photographs and really getting used to the place. Gradually the crowd began to thin out, and there were only a handful of people left. By early afternoon we pushed up into the rocks above The Wave and explored there for a while. We soon found ourselves alone as all of the other hikers had set out for the return hike back. During the afternoon hours a couple of other groups straggled out into the area, but by mid afternoon everyone was gone, and we had the place all to ourselves. Off to the right and up above The Wave is another formation known as The Second Wave. In between the two were some fascinating formations of hoodoos and exposed sandstone. Above the area was a large cliff with a big cleft, and adjacent to it a small arch. These were landmarks that we had aimed for as we hiked in to the area.
I understand that after rains, the basin of The Wave is sometimes full of water. On this day it was bone dry, though in an area above The Wave, two pools remained. The smaller of the two, visible in the background of this image, was full of fresh water shrimp. Some of these were quite large, as big as 1-1/2" long overall. When these pools dry out the eggs of these shrimp remain dessicated and eventually become re-hydrated and hatch with the next significant rains. These eggs are often sold in science kits and are also known as Triops.
By about 4:30 in the afternoon we finished up our photography and packed up our gear for the long hike out. We were all alone by this time, and really appreciated the solitude of this wonderful place. We came to understand why some people end up getting lost on the hike out. The landscape looks very different in late afternoon light, and with the reverse viewpoint going out. We stumbled along and eventually found our way back to the trailhead. By the time we got back to the truck the sun was beginning to set and the day was done. Rob had recorded the hiking route on his GPS and by the time we got back to the truck we had hiked 12km with an elevation gain of over 150m. We certainly would sleep well on this night.
