NateGeesaman
Donkey
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 272
Apologies in advance for the absurd lengths these trip reports from this trip are bound to reach, but this was one of my longer trips, 8 days in all, and The Maze is one scenic mother so I had a hard time setting down my camera.
I was super excited for this trip and feeling the good energy of the area well in advance of my departure date. I spent a lot of time looking at maps and photos, re-reading trip reports, guide books, and Edward Abbey, packing and repacking my pack, reworking my menu, and exchanging e-mails with my travel companion.
I began this journey by leaving on a Sunday afternoon after work with hopes of getting a sunset and some star shots in Arches. I was not disappointed on either front.
I headed to the normally bustling Windows Area and ejoyed wandering along the trail looking for some good night shots. I wound up settling on the outstanding silhouette of Turret Arch as a good foreground subject.
After working a long hard day and then driving straight through to Moab from SLC, it was great to take it easy and soak in some of the readily available beauty in Arches, eat some good grub, and drink a few good beers. That night I slept in the back of my car in Tex's parking lot, our shuttle service to The Maze, since we had to be there at 7:30 A.M. and I was finishing up my Arches experience past midnight.
I met my companion Adam and his son the next morning at Tex's where we speedily acquainted ourselves and got all signed in and ready for the great ride down the Colorado River that lied ahead.
After about 2 hours, we reached the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers
Once we arrived to Spanish Bottom, it was time to begin the ascent up to The Dollhouse. It was hot and even though the trail was well maintained with "stairs" built in and a steady slow climb, it is never easy to climb up 1200+ feet with a pack on.
After the climb we took a long break in The Dollhouse and ate some lunch before we headed off towards Water Canyon. The dollhouse was really beautiful to experience for the first time and had amazing unique spires in all directions.
Beehive Arch was a great sight along the trail.
Along the trail as the tired legs started to kick in, we ran into this beautiful cave/slot that blew a steady stream of cold air and provided an ideal place to take an extended break in the heat of the afternoon. I was having fun trying to capture the changing light from different angles and crawling back as far as I could in the refrigerator like cavern.
As we pressed on the trail went through extremely scenic terrain and changed beautifully as it meandered along and revealed great character.
Adam looking for the start of the Confluence Overlook Loop that we were planning on doing the next day:
Once we arrived in Water Canyon we got a good look at the seep and then wandered a bit looking for a good spot to set up camp. Just as the long days exhaustion was reaching a crescendo we found a great spot in a mini alcove that provided good shade, places to sprawl out, scenic views, and good water close by. There was enough interesting opportunities for day hikes close by to keep us occupied the next day too, so we made this our camp for two nights.
After setting up camp, we got to filtering some water and then cooked up some dinner. I slowly ate dinner and had a drink of whiskey. I thought I would take a power nap while I waited for it to get dark and then set up some star shots. My 15 minute power nap turned into a pass out of the deepest kind. I awoke around 2 A.M. and tried to set up some star trails, but in my fumbling half asleep through setting it up I accidentally changed the timing and was only taking 1 photo every hour or so. My legs were feeling wobbly as hell while I was taking test shots and screaming at me to return to bed. I did get this nice one as the sliver of a moon rose to light the cliff.
I awoke feeling great the next day. My legs had regained their bearings after a good nights rest. We ate breakfast and got an early start so as to take advantage of the cooler part of the day. We decided to head down to the Confluence Overlook Loop and get a look at the rivers from above. Some of the stuff seen on the day before was well worth revisiting and I was happy to spend more time in this area.
When we made it to the overlook we enjoyed fantastic views in all directions. The National Geographic map did a poor job mapping out the trail of this loop, but it was fun meandering around the beautiful landscape for the points with the best views.
Adam Over Green by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Riverdance by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Adam well above the green by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Then we headed back to camp to recharge our batteries during the hottest hours of the day.
Adam Water Canyon by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
along the way we met Ranger Brad Donaldson of The Needles who was visiting The Maze. Nice dude.
IMG_4205 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
While Adam took a nap, I passed time by taking self shots in camp and wandering a bit up Water Canyon. I didn't bring along my camera up Water Canyon, but got some great shots from up above the upper reaches of Water Canyon that you will see in the next installment of this report.
Water Canyon Relaxing by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Relaxing cause its hot out.
Water Canyon Camp Chillin by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
This day I drank about 2 gallons of water because it was hot and we were close to great water. Here I found a spot to hang my water filter bag so it could slowly fill up to its 4 liter capacity.
Watering Up by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
After our afternoon break we headed down the short trail to the Green River. Lower Water Canyon was pretty, but Upper Water Canyon had great spires and striped walls with clean smooth texture that changed dramatically around each bend, while lower Water Canyon had some puddles, some cacti, and less attractive crumbly sandstone walls. In retrospect I would have preferred to wander up canyon.
Lower Water Canyon 2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Lower Water Canyon by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Lower Water Canyon 3 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Then it was back to camp for a nice big freeze dried dinner and some whiskey. This evening I was able to get the star trails shot I had attempted in a stupor the night before.
Water Canyon Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Once again I slept great and awoke feeling awesome! It is hard not to be pumped up by a morning view like this.
Water Canyon Sunrise by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
...part 2 still to come
here: http://backcountrypost.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-maze-may-2012-part-2.933/
Featured image for home page:
I was super excited for this trip and feeling the good energy of the area well in advance of my departure date. I spent a lot of time looking at maps and photos, re-reading trip reports, guide books, and Edward Abbey, packing and repacking my pack, reworking my menu, and exchanging e-mails with my travel companion.
I began this journey by leaving on a Sunday afternoon after work with hopes of getting a sunset and some star shots in Arches. I was not disappointed on either front.
I headed to the normally bustling Windows Area and ejoyed wandering along the trail looking for some good night shots. I wound up settling on the outstanding silhouette of Turret Arch as a good foreground subject.
After working a long hard day and then driving straight through to Moab from SLC, it was great to take it easy and soak in some of the readily available beauty in Arches, eat some good grub, and drink a few good beers. That night I slept in the back of my car in Tex's parking lot, our shuttle service to The Maze, since we had to be there at 7:30 A.M. and I was finishing up my Arches experience past midnight.
I met my companion Adam and his son the next morning at Tex's where we speedily acquainted ourselves and got all signed in and ready for the great ride down the Colorado River that lied ahead.
After about 2 hours, we reached the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers
Once we arrived to Spanish Bottom, it was time to begin the ascent up to The Dollhouse. It was hot and even though the trail was well maintained with "stairs" built in and a steady slow climb, it is never easy to climb up 1200+ feet with a pack on.
After the climb we took a long break in The Dollhouse and ate some lunch before we headed off towards Water Canyon. The dollhouse was really beautiful to experience for the first time and had amazing unique spires in all directions.
Beehive Arch was a great sight along the trail.
Along the trail as the tired legs started to kick in, we ran into this beautiful cave/slot that blew a steady stream of cold air and provided an ideal place to take an extended break in the heat of the afternoon. I was having fun trying to capture the changing light from different angles and crawling back as far as I could in the refrigerator like cavern.
As we pressed on the trail went through extremely scenic terrain and changed beautifully as it meandered along and revealed great character.
Adam looking for the start of the Confluence Overlook Loop that we were planning on doing the next day:
Once we arrived in Water Canyon we got a good look at the seep and then wandered a bit looking for a good spot to set up camp. Just as the long days exhaustion was reaching a crescendo we found a great spot in a mini alcove that provided good shade, places to sprawl out, scenic views, and good water close by. There was enough interesting opportunities for day hikes close by to keep us occupied the next day too, so we made this our camp for two nights.
After setting up camp, we got to filtering some water and then cooked up some dinner. I slowly ate dinner and had a drink of whiskey. I thought I would take a power nap while I waited for it to get dark and then set up some star shots. My 15 minute power nap turned into a pass out of the deepest kind. I awoke around 2 A.M. and tried to set up some star trails, but in my fumbling half asleep through setting it up I accidentally changed the timing and was only taking 1 photo every hour or so. My legs were feeling wobbly as hell while I was taking test shots and screaming at me to return to bed. I did get this nice one as the sliver of a moon rose to light the cliff.
I awoke feeling great the next day. My legs had regained their bearings after a good nights rest. We ate breakfast and got an early start so as to take advantage of the cooler part of the day. We decided to head down to the Confluence Overlook Loop and get a look at the rivers from above. Some of the stuff seen on the day before was well worth revisiting and I was happy to spend more time in this area.
When we made it to the overlook we enjoyed fantastic views in all directions. The National Geographic map did a poor job mapping out the trail of this loop, but it was fun meandering around the beautiful landscape for the points with the best views.
Adam Over Green by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Riverdance by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Adam well above the green by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Then we headed back to camp to recharge our batteries during the hottest hours of the day.
Adam Water Canyon by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
along the way we met Ranger Brad Donaldson of The Needles who was visiting The Maze. Nice dude.
IMG_4205 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
While Adam took a nap, I passed time by taking self shots in camp and wandering a bit up Water Canyon. I didn't bring along my camera up Water Canyon, but got some great shots from up above the upper reaches of Water Canyon that you will see in the next installment of this report.
Water Canyon Relaxing by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Relaxing cause its hot out.
Water Canyon Camp Chillin by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
This day I drank about 2 gallons of water because it was hot and we were close to great water. Here I found a spot to hang my water filter bag so it could slowly fill up to its 4 liter capacity.
Watering Up by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
After our afternoon break we headed down the short trail to the Green River. Lower Water Canyon was pretty, but Upper Water Canyon had great spires and striped walls with clean smooth texture that changed dramatically around each bend, while lower Water Canyon had some puddles, some cacti, and less attractive crumbly sandstone walls. In retrospect I would have preferred to wander up canyon.
Lower Water Canyon 2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Lower Water Canyon by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Lower Water Canyon 3 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Then it was back to camp for a nice big freeze dried dinner and some whiskey. This evening I was able to get the star trails shot I had attempted in a stupor the night before.
Water Canyon Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Once again I slept great and awoke feeling awesome! It is hard not to be pumped up by a morning view like this.
Water Canyon Sunrise by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
...part 2 still to come
here: http://backcountrypost.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-maze-may-2012-part-2.933/
Featured image for home page:
