piper01
Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2013
- Messages
- 182
Day 5
For once I woke up and broke down camp on Egypt Bench Road at a reasonable hour! I had a leisurely drive down Hole in the Rock Road and was the third vehicle to park at the Dry Fork slots trailhead.
I started the descent toward the wash.
And soon arrived at the wide Coyote Gulch.
I decided to explore Brimstone first and visit Peek-A-Boo and Spooky on the return hike. I hiked down Coyote Gulch, admiring the walls as they narrowed in one area. I found the large chokestone easy to climb down.
After about half an hour of walking, I arrived at the intersection with Brimstone Canyon.
I found some complex iron staining on one of the canyon walls.
Was somebody playing on the dune?
I also found these crazy faults.
Finally, the canyon walls started to narrow; I had arrived at the Brimstone slot. I left my pack in the shade of the canyon wall so I could more easily thread my way through the narrow twists and turns.
Brimstone was a dark place, which made it difficult to take good pictures in. I didn't encounter any challenging chokestones to surpass; the difficulty came from contorting my body to pass between the walls.
Suddenly I came to a beam of light shining on the slot floor...that was occupied by a snake. I assumed it was a pygmy rattlesnake and gave it as wide a berth as I could between the narrow walls, stemming high above it.
A minute or two later, the canyon walls opened up into a large chamber. I poked around a bit then carefully picked a spot to sit down and rest, making sure not to sit on a snake.
The canyon constricted back into a slot at the other end of the room but, rattled from seeing the snake, I opted not to try to wedge myself through. I carefully picked my way out of the slot and hiked back up Coyote Gulch. I decided to visit Spooky next so I wouldn't have to backtrack to Peek-A-Boo.
Spooky started out promising with this branch wedged high up between the walls.
But, except for this small natural bridge at the end, I found it disappointing in comparison to Brimstone. I didn't linger nearly as long in it or take as many pictures.
Arriving at the end of the slot, I discovered why most people do a loop hike with Peek-A-Boo first and ending with Spooky: a large chokestone that is much easier to go down than up. Thanks, gravity! Forgetting to take a picture, I packed my camera away and considered skipping the loop in favor of backtracking down the slot. After a few attempts though, I was able to heave my backpack up on the rock (where I could still retrieve it if I was unable to hoist myself up), then managed to wriggle my way up. I emerged, victorious, into a wide wash.
I followed a cairned route, intending to drop down into Peek-A-Boo.
And kept following the cairns, and following them, and following them, without pulling out my map. Somehow, I missed Spooky and ended up coming down the Dry Fork. It was a pretty route, just not one I had intended to take!
Somebody had enjoyed tossing rocks into a mud puddle. Splat!
The Dry Fork Narrrows
I debated going to see Peek-A-Boo, despite the fading light. My choice was cemented when a family with a young child came down the trail on the quest for P-a-B. I decided to leave it to them and returned to my vehicle.
Tonight I was leaving the Hole in the Rock Road and moving over to Spencer Flats Road. I stopped for a quick picture at the overlook on highway 12, then continued the short drive to the turnoff.
The sunset that night was the best one I saw all trip.
I ended up following it down the road in quest of a better view as the sky turned pink, purple, and orange, then slowly faded to black.
For once I woke up and broke down camp on Egypt Bench Road at a reasonable hour! I had a leisurely drive down Hole in the Rock Road and was the third vehicle to park at the Dry Fork slots trailhead.
I started the descent toward the wash.
And soon arrived at the wide Coyote Gulch.
I decided to explore Brimstone first and visit Peek-A-Boo and Spooky on the return hike. I hiked down Coyote Gulch, admiring the walls as they narrowed in one area. I found the large chokestone easy to climb down.
After about half an hour of walking, I arrived at the intersection with Brimstone Canyon.
I found some complex iron staining on one of the canyon walls.
Was somebody playing on the dune?
I also found these crazy faults.
Finally, the canyon walls started to narrow; I had arrived at the Brimstone slot. I left my pack in the shade of the canyon wall so I could more easily thread my way through the narrow twists and turns.
Brimstone was a dark place, which made it difficult to take good pictures in. I didn't encounter any challenging chokestones to surpass; the difficulty came from contorting my body to pass between the walls.
Suddenly I came to a beam of light shining on the slot floor...that was occupied by a snake. I assumed it was a pygmy rattlesnake and gave it as wide a berth as I could between the narrow walls, stemming high above it.
A minute or two later, the canyon walls opened up into a large chamber. I poked around a bit then carefully picked a spot to sit down and rest, making sure not to sit on a snake.
The canyon constricted back into a slot at the other end of the room but, rattled from seeing the snake, I opted not to try to wedge myself through. I carefully picked my way out of the slot and hiked back up Coyote Gulch. I decided to visit Spooky next so I wouldn't have to backtrack to Peek-A-Boo.
Spooky started out promising with this branch wedged high up between the walls.
But, except for this small natural bridge at the end, I found it disappointing in comparison to Brimstone. I didn't linger nearly as long in it or take as many pictures.
Arriving at the end of the slot, I discovered why most people do a loop hike with Peek-A-Boo first and ending with Spooky: a large chokestone that is much easier to go down than up. Thanks, gravity! Forgetting to take a picture, I packed my camera away and considered skipping the loop in favor of backtracking down the slot. After a few attempts though, I was able to heave my backpack up on the rock (where I could still retrieve it if I was unable to hoist myself up), then managed to wriggle my way up. I emerged, victorious, into a wide wash.
I followed a cairned route, intending to drop down into Peek-A-Boo.
And kept following the cairns, and following them, and following them, without pulling out my map. Somehow, I missed Spooky and ended up coming down the Dry Fork. It was a pretty route, just not one I had intended to take!
Somebody had enjoyed tossing rocks into a mud puddle. Splat!
The Dry Fork Narrrows
I debated going to see Peek-A-Boo, despite the fading light. My choice was cemented when a family with a young child came down the trail on the quest for P-a-B. I decided to leave it to them and returned to my vehicle.
Tonight I was leaving the Hole in the Rock Road and moving over to Spencer Flats Road. I stopped for a quick picture at the overlook on highway 12, then continued the short drive to the turnoff.
The sunset that night was the best one I saw all trip.
I ended up following it down the road in quest of a better view as the sky turned pink, purple, and orange, then slowly faded to black.
