Edge
Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2024
- Messages
- 22
I left the Front Range of Colorado last weekend with the intention of hiking Lower Grand Gulch from the Government Trailhead to the San Juan, then over to Slickhorn and out Slickhorn 1 for an approximately 55 mile loop.
Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and the night before I was to drop in Cedar Mesa got snow and a forecast for an unstable pattern. The thought of negotiating snow covered slickrock alone on an unknown trail seemed unwise, so I shifted plans to fit in several alternate day hikes that covered a wide array of terrain.
Yesterday I left Hanksville and drove up past Goblin Valley and parked at the Little Wildhorse trailhead. There were no clouds in sight and the radar showed any potential precipitation far away, so I walked the additional mile to the Ding and Dang Trail; there was one vehicle already there, and I would soon pass the two occupants in the main wash. They were planning on starting with Ding, opposite of my plans.
I had done my research ahead of time, had plenty of experience, and had left word of my plans with family. Reports on line suggested that the hike should take 4ish hours round trip from these signs.
Having a rock climbing background, I opted to go light, without a rope, and tackle the obstacles in Dang Canyon by going up, not down. I followed the left hand fork of the wash to where the canyon started to form.
Near the start of the canyon proper I began to see hints of water.
I was immediately faced with thigh deep water in the narrowest part of the slot.
The obstacles started out relatively small, but soon became increasingly tricky.
There were a few lengths of webbing left on some of the boulder problems, which I used cautiously to navigate the water polished walls with my approach shoes laden with snot-slick mud.
The fifth obstacle involved passing an overlapping lip of sandstone. I kept the webbing within reach, but didn’t use it.
Nasty fall potential with an awkward landing.
There were easier bits of stunning beauty, and more obstacles that involved climbing skills.
Near the top of Dang things began to level off.
Exiting the canyon to a nice view of Ding Dang Dome, which I personally wouldn’t call a ‘dome’.
The trail then heads cross country under the dome, heading for the next drainage of Ding Canyon.
Ding Dang Dome.
About to find the entrance to Ding.
Ding is supposed to be easier than Dang, and looked pretty fun.
Quickly I was confronted with long stretches of water to mid-thigh, and occasional route finding challenges to locate the safest way over small drops into the muddy water.
One of the easier bits where I could avoid the coffee colored pools.
My camera went into the pack to keep dry during the long, deep water in the narrowest part of the canyon, and came out again as the canyon began to open up.
I hiked the extra mile back to my truck, arriving 3 1/4 hours after I had left. From there I drove to Goblin Valley Visitor Center to get on their WiFi and tell my wife back in Colorado that I was out. It was here that I received a text from my daughter that if all went well then I would become a first time grandfather sometime around Christmas.
A pretty good day.
Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and the night before I was to drop in Cedar Mesa got snow and a forecast for an unstable pattern. The thought of negotiating snow covered slickrock alone on an unknown trail seemed unwise, so I shifted plans to fit in several alternate day hikes that covered a wide array of terrain.
Yesterday I left Hanksville and drove up past Goblin Valley and parked at the Little Wildhorse trailhead. There were no clouds in sight and the radar showed any potential precipitation far away, so I walked the additional mile to the Ding and Dang Trail; there was one vehicle already there, and I would soon pass the two occupants in the main wash. They were planning on starting with Ding, opposite of my plans.
I had done my research ahead of time, had plenty of experience, and had left word of my plans with family. Reports on line suggested that the hike should take 4ish hours round trip from these signs.
Having a rock climbing background, I opted to go light, without a rope, and tackle the obstacles in Dang Canyon by going up, not down. I followed the left hand fork of the wash to where the canyon started to form.
Near the start of the canyon proper I began to see hints of water.
I was immediately faced with thigh deep water in the narrowest part of the slot.
The obstacles started out relatively small, but soon became increasingly tricky.
There were a few lengths of webbing left on some of the boulder problems, which I used cautiously to navigate the water polished walls with my approach shoes laden with snot-slick mud.
The fifth obstacle involved passing an overlapping lip of sandstone. I kept the webbing within reach, but didn’t use it.
Nasty fall potential with an awkward landing.
There were easier bits of stunning beauty, and more obstacles that involved climbing skills.
Near the top of Dang things began to level off.
Exiting the canyon to a nice view of Ding Dang Dome, which I personally wouldn’t call a ‘dome’.
The trail then heads cross country under the dome, heading for the next drainage of Ding Canyon.
Ding Dang Dome.
About to find the entrance to Ding.
Ding is supposed to be easier than Dang, and looked pretty fun.
Quickly I was confronted with long stretches of water to mid-thigh, and occasional route finding challenges to locate the safest way over small drops into the muddy water.
One of the easier bits where I could avoid the coffee colored pools.
My camera went into the pack to keep dry during the long, deep water in the narrowest part of the canyon, and came out again as the canyon began to open up.
I hiked the extra mile back to my truck, arriving 3 1/4 hours after I had left. From there I drove to Goblin Valley Visitor Center to get on their WiFi and tell my wife back in Colorado that I was out. It was here that I received a text from my daughter that if all went well then I would become a first time grandfather sometime around Christmas.
A pretty good day.
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