Kanab Hiking Cheat Sheet - cuz I'm just not that lucky!

Hiking is one of my passions, and hiking slot canyons is definitely high on my list.  For spring break my friend Mark and I hit the trails near Kanab, Utah.  Most people go to the famous hike "the Wave."  Ever since Microsoft put it as a screensaver it is so popular that the BLM limits entry to just a handful of lucky people who win a lottery system.  As someone who has never won anything in a drawing - EVER - I figured my chances were slim to none.  I was right on that account - 4 days straight with no luck.  But, knowing my lack of luck we had planned other opportunities.  My favorites are below.

Wire Pass/Buckskin Gulch
This is by far one of the most spectacular slot canyons.  It is touted to be the longest slot canyon in the world.  It is about an hour east of Kanab.  A few years back I hiked Wire Pass and at the confluence of Buckskin Gulch I turned left (Slots - and I'm not talkin' bout Vegas).  This year I turned right and this is a much better option with more crevices twisting and turning through tight and tiny passages.  There are times of the year where wading through water is required but with no rain for the past week we walked about 2.5 miles past the confluence with no wading required.

We started at Wire Pass, awe-inspiring with the height of the walls, the tightness and the twists of rock.  Within a few feet of entry there is a large 12-15' drop.  Many people bring ropes to shimmy down.  That's the hard way.  Actually, just at the entrance of the slot canyon there is a small goat trail on the right side which allows you to rock scramble around.  This is an easy scramble and you are back into the slot in only 10 minutes.  It is way worth the scramble to not have to carry rope with you!  The other thing I like about this little bypass is that you get to see into one area of the slot canyon from above.

View into Wire Pass

With such narrow passage ways it is quite cold in the slot but about every half mile or so there are some bigger openings where sun filters down to the bottom and you can warm up.  I love this hike!

I hope I'm skinny enough to fit!

I'm glad I wasn't around when that logged jammed up there - high water!

After a long hike my favorite restaurant to refuel in Kanab is Escobar's.  Just be warned...it isn't open on Saturday or Tuesday of all weird days to be closed!

Paria History
There are a couple of short hikes in the Paria area which are fun and have some pretty cool sights.  Right off of 89 are the Toadstools.  The fun part about these hoodoos is you can walk right up and around them without being on a guided pathway.  Except for the electrical poles and freeway sounds you feel like you are in the wild (okay, not really). 

Next is a small hike to the Nautilus.  After walking up a dry riverbed for about a mile you come to this crazy rock formation that is in the shape of a nautilus.  Apparently the top fell down a few years back but it still interesting and bigger than you think as you walk through it. 

Swirly Whirly! (Thanks to Mark for the pict on the left)

Finally, the painted hills create a unique backdrop to some pioneer ruins.  Many of the painted hills can be seen right from the dirt road.  This is what I would advise.  Mark and I decided to be adventurous and trek over to get a closer look.  This wasn't a very good decision it turns out.  Let's just say that its a good thing that I know how to get out of a sink hole...the rest of the hike was a little squishy and muddy for some reason!? 

 

 

Coral Pink Sand Dunes
The sand dunes allow you to feel like your in a desert...wait...you are in a desert!  It is a few miles of large dunes as high as 100 feet high.  I brought a sled and some folks had snowboards, just make sure to wax them so you actually slide.  I didn't slide.

Red Canyon - Peek A Boo Slot
Timing couldn't have been better to hit Red Canyon, just a few miles north of Kanab.  This slot canyon requires you to hike (or drive if you can handle it) 3 miles through seriously deep sand to the mouth of the slot canyon.  By the time we got to the mouth of the canyon the sun was just at the perfect angle to filter down into the canyon and create some amazing colors.  The slot isn't very long and it isn't nearly as deep as Wire Pass but that allows the sun to beam in a give you the rich red coloration southern Utah is famous for.

We were also lucky enough to run into a really nice local who gave us a ride back in her jeep (Thanks Denise).  The 15 minute better than Disneyland ride vs. 120 minutes of hiking in the hot sand made our day!

My friend Mark taking some pictures - yes, this is the true color!

 

No, we didn't hike the wave but it wasn't for lack of trying.  In the end, these other options provided beautiful hikes which I'm sure I'll do again while I wait to find my luck.

You can view these and additional pictures in my Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase.

 

An Uphill Battle: Avalanche Peak

As a kid I was jealous that my brother went on a hike to summit Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone National Park.  I was too young to go at the time and by the time I was old enough the park system had stopped doing ranger led hikes.  I always looked across Yellowstone Lake at that peak wondering what the view was like from up there and thinking it was the one that got away.  Well...not so anymore!

This summer for the 100th anniversary the NPS brought back a lot of their guided hikes so I took advantage and hiked to the top of Avalanche Peak.  Located on the eastern border, Avalanche Peak is one of the highest peaks of the park at 10,568 feet and is rated as the toughest hikes in the park rising 2100 feet in just over 2 miles. And I'll say this - there aren't a lot of switchbacks!

We started the hike on a beautiful morning with a group of 8 people...with only 2 of them being from the US. I felt a little out-numbered! When in large groups you tend to move much slower than if you were on your own but this group did a decent job of walking at this high elevation.  We made it to the summit in about 2.5 hours and then descended in 1.5 hours.  The first half of the hike is in a lush wooded area with wildflowers and a stream.  You have to watch where you walk though as it is loose gravel on top of a dusty trail.  The last half of the walk is in sharp contrast to this as it is on shale above the tree line. 

 

Along the way we saw marmot and deer! 

The best reward however was the spectacular vista of the greater Yellowstone region.  It was breathtaking (in more than one way!) and I don't have to wonder what the view was like anymore.  It's definitely a great hike which I would recommend to people.

 

You can view these and additional pictures in my Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase.

Cruisin' 80's Style - just not the music style: an Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

I love 80's music.  That and 90's are "my music".  But this type of cruising-80's style is cruising with 80 year olds (well, almost 80 year olds) on the inside passage of Alaska.  It was a trip filled with spectacular scenery and some fun adventures.   The Norwegian Pearl had some great timing of stops and plenty of food as indicated by the extra weight I'm now carrying.  Aack!

My favorite adventure was taking a helicopter ride in Juneau and getting the chance to walk around on the Mendenhall Glacier.  Not only did we walk around and learn about glaciers but I got to both drink water straight from the glacier (now that is the definition of ice cold) and also get a glacial facial (using glacial silt).  That facial was certainly colder than my Dead Sea facial! 

We also took a tour up to the Yukon Territory in Canada from Skagway.  This drive had a ton of mountains, waterfalls, lakes and even a bear!  That was a fun surprise. 

I took advantage of having my cousin's son living in Skagway to go on a hike to Dewey Lake.  It was fun to see some family, meet his adorable new wife, and get some much needed exercise.

Glacier Bay was the highlight and with the sun breaking out the glacial covered mountains were spectacular.  Throw in some whales, sea lions, sea otters and bald eagles and it was certainly a majestic experience.  We even saw some caving on the glaciers and I happened to be lucky enough to have the camera pointed right at it when it happened. 

We hit Ketchikan which was actually my favorite little town we stopped in. It has more of a feeling of the native Pacific Northwest Indians and actual town than the other cities we stopped at.  Using a free local bus we hit the local Heritage Totem park which has the oldest totems of the region!  There was no need to go clear out to Saxman village and was definitely a cheaper option. Creek Street was a fun street to walk down and then finally we hit the lumberjack show.

For our last port, we stopped at Victoria Gardens.  My mom loves flowers (I do too) and especially roses.  It was a perfect evening with sun to cap off the tour of the gardens.

It was my first cruise and I'm going to say that I had a great time and would definitely cruise again - maybe even 80's style.

You can view additional pictures in my Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase.