Bill
.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2012
- Messages
- 991
Two weeks ago my wife and I committed to hiking Llewellyn on a rare trip together without the kids. I had the cords loaded on my GPS for about 3 years but for some reason or another we always ended up passing it up for something else in the area. We drove down to Escalante, hiked lower Brimstone, set up camp, and watched the sunset over Lake Powell from the cliffs above the infamous Hole in the Rock.
Hole in the Rock by Summit42, on Flickr
The next morning we packed up camp and drove down the road to park at the Davis Gulch TH. We put on our daypacks and hiked up the slickrock bench to the old cattle trail that runs south along the fifty mile bench cliffs for about an hour until we hit the water trough and fence that mark the south fork of Llewellyn Gulch. The wash looks anything but promising for the first half mile but soon its wall to wall sandstone with a series of drops lowering us deeper into the canyon. The first 3 drops are the most difficult but they all look much more intimidating from above. We packed a short rope and hook just in case but only used it once to lower the packs. The third drop, a 15' awkward chimney, did have a fair amount of mud at the bottom but soon after was an exit on the south side so it could be easily bypassed if we decided to return the same way. Immediately after the third drop the slot picks it up a dozen notches and the morning light bouncing off the smooth walls a provided very surreal and unique feel compared to other escalante slots.
Llewellyn Glow by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Slot by Summit42, on Flickr
April in Lewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Details by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Cracks in Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Corner Pocket in Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
Avoiding water in Llewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
We worked our way down down passing a dozen or so relatively simple down climbs and avoiding the occasional mud puddle. We almost passed both the middle and north fork confluences without even noticing and ran into one unavoidable muddy pool that was about thigh deep just before the flowing water started. Once we reached the wider section of the canyon we walked downstream trying to avoid the tamarisk and found an excellent lunch spot under a large undercut. After we ate I turned on my GPS and realized we had already passed all of the northern our exits so we backtracked a bit up canyon to the easternmost route that I had marked. From the canyon floor it looked a bit sketchy with no footprints or cairns as we walked up the sandy hill but up close you could see that the lower ledge traverse was pretty simple and full of good hand holds. The next move to the rim was only about 12' and the rock was fairly chossy but no hand line was required. Soon we were walking up the final slickrock dunes looking back down on the canyon.
Exiting Llewellyn Gulch, by Summit42, on Flickr
We took the path of least resistance and went north until we hit the Hole in the Rock Road and walked it back to our car at Davis about 5.5 hours after we started out. We moved pretty quick but I would love to go back some day and explore all three upper forks here in the near future.
View larger map.
Featured image for home page:
Hole in the Rock by Summit42, on Flickr
The next morning we packed up camp and drove down the road to park at the Davis Gulch TH. We put on our daypacks and hiked up the slickrock bench to the old cattle trail that runs south along the fifty mile bench cliffs for about an hour until we hit the water trough and fence that mark the south fork of Llewellyn Gulch. The wash looks anything but promising for the first half mile but soon its wall to wall sandstone with a series of drops lowering us deeper into the canyon. The first 3 drops are the most difficult but they all look much more intimidating from above. We packed a short rope and hook just in case but only used it once to lower the packs. The third drop, a 15' awkward chimney, did have a fair amount of mud at the bottom but soon after was an exit on the south side so it could be easily bypassed if we decided to return the same way. Immediately after the third drop the slot picks it up a dozen notches and the morning light bouncing off the smooth walls a provided very surreal and unique feel compared to other escalante slots.
Llewellyn Glow by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Slot by Summit42, on Flickr
April in Lewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Details by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Cracks in Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Corner Pocket in Llewellyn by Summit42, on Flickr
Llewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
Avoiding water in Llewellyn Gulch by Summit42, on Flickr
We worked our way down down passing a dozen or so relatively simple down climbs and avoiding the occasional mud puddle. We almost passed both the middle and north fork confluences without even noticing and ran into one unavoidable muddy pool that was about thigh deep just before the flowing water started. Once we reached the wider section of the canyon we walked downstream trying to avoid the tamarisk and found an excellent lunch spot under a large undercut. After we ate I turned on my GPS and realized we had already passed all of the northern our exits so we backtracked a bit up canyon to the easternmost route that I had marked. From the canyon floor it looked a bit sketchy with no footprints or cairns as we walked up the sandy hill but up close you could see that the lower ledge traverse was pretty simple and full of good hand holds. The next move to the rim was only about 12' and the rock was fairly chossy but no hand line was required. Soon we were walking up the final slickrock dunes looking back down on the canyon.
Exiting Llewellyn Gulch, by Summit42, on Flickr
We took the path of least resistance and went north until we hit the Hole in the Rock Road and walked it back to our car at Davis about 5.5 hours after we started out. We moved pretty quick but I would love to go back some day and explore all three upper forks here in the near future.
View larger map.
Featured image for home page:
