April 5, 2012

Well I kicked my own butt again today. I woke up to overcast skies. All I could see was grey. It kind of scared me. The Escalante River carries a huge amount of water and the watershed is huge. The ground out here cant hold much water. It doesn’t take much rain to cause a flashflood in this beast of a canyon. Though in most places I could get to higher ground, I could be stranded for days if  the storm was large enough.
   I started hiking around 7 am, with the goal of making it to Coyote Gulch, some 25 + miles downriver. It was tough starting. There is no trail and the brush is super thick on both sides of the canyon. It was fun though. Reminded me of creek walking as a kid. I must have crossed the thigh deep river 50 times. It was deeper the further downriver I went. I stepped into some holes that were well over my waist.
   I ended up drinking the river water, never found any of the springs the guidebook speaks of.
  The Escalante River has some amazing beauty to it. I felt completely alone, like no one had ever been there, no footprints or garbage, just real wilderness. The cliffs on both sides of me were up to 2000 feet tall. I spotted a great blue heron, 3 beavers, a small snake, a frog, hundreds of lizards, and a rather large catfish that swam into my leg when I was crossing the river at one point. Beautiful, ruggedness. I was along the river up to about 5 miles before it pours into Lake Powell, which has covered many more miles of pristine canyons which were seen by few.
   I made it to Coyote Gulch around 6 pm. It is amazing. The water is crystal clear, and only a foot deep or less. There are huge green cottonwoods and many other green things growing. The sun started shining when I got in the gulch, it basically has everything, including people. I passed at least 5 groups camping along the first mile of the gulch. Most number of groups I have seen in one day so far. Its a good thing, as I need to find a ride to Escalante tomorrow.
   The river cleaned me up good. The slime on my feet is gone, now they are white and pale as ever. The grit in my fingernails is gone. All of my clothes are clean too. I look like a normal person, almost. The grease is still in my hair. But not bad for nearly 2 weeks without a shower. Town tomorrow.