The Ancient Ones

My final post from A Grand Adventure that ends with some final messages from The Ancient Ones.

I awoke at 6:30 to see if there would be a nice sunrise, but found clear skies and a temperature in the low 20’s. Back to the warmth of my sleeping bag. I must have been worn out by the prior days adventure, as it would be 10:30 before I arose from my warm cocoon.

I got up slowly and made some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast and contemplated how I wanted to fill the day. I decided it was time to explore what appeared to be slot canyons nearby camp. And sure enough, it was a whole maze of slots, all interconnected. I explored them for a couple of hours, but found most had deep pockets of water which I had no desire to enter.

In one of the slots, I found fairly fresh prints of what looked to be a very large cat. Probably a Mountain Lion (Cougar) with a young cub. The thought of this made me quite nervous as I continued on through the twisting and turning slot. Wondering if I would find myself face to face with a really pissed off large predatory cat. In such close quarters, there would be no escape. It would be hand to paw combat with nothing more than a pocket knife to defend myself. The thought of this possibility had me turning around and looking for a place to climb out.

It was now early afternoon, and it was about as warm as it was going to get. So I took advantage of this and did a bit of bathing. Always good to feel fresh and clean when on an extended adventure like this.

After drying off and a bite to eat, I went off to explore the Land Of The Lost higher up on Circle Cliffs above camp. It was definitely the wierdest terrain that I have ever hiked. It would have been great to talk to a geologist and find out what the story is to that bizarre earth. Much of the pink soil seemed to be hollow, probably from erosion. I ran into more of those large cat tracks…that thing must live up here somewhere close by.

I came upon a large hole in the pink dune and couldn’t help but think that it was the lions den! Due to the terrain, it was impossible to bypass without going right next to the entrance. I proceeded by as quietly as possible with my heart pounding out of my chest, but no sign of the large feline…whew!

Then came the freaky mushroom hoodoos. These creepy purplish things with white caps that seemed to have just oozed their way out of some bad LSD trip. Just beyond, next to some kind of giant shark fin, I found the best preserved petrified wood that I have ever seen. Whole trees 50 feet long, without branches…transformed into stone…suspended on top of this purple ooze. What on earth!…or am I still on earth? It’s like going into a Jurassic dream of Steven Spielberg’s, expecting to see a Velociraptor come waking out from behind the giant shark fin!

I wanted to explore further back into this prehistoric canyon, but the sun was getting low and I wanted to be back down before dark. Maybe another time.

The following day turned out to be my last day of the adventure. I ended up driving out to the Horseshoe Canyon trailhead. A remote detached section of Canyonlands National Park in the northwest corner.

Arriving at the trailhead at 2:30 in the afternoon, I had about 5 hours of daylight left. The sign at the trailhead stated that the round trip time needed was 6 hours to visit The Great Gallery. One of the largest collections of pictographs gathered in one place. Well…I’ll just have to shave some time off that, now won’t I?

I hastily gabbed my backpack and camera gear, making sure I had enough water and began my near run down the trail into the canyon. I would need to cut at least an hour off that estimated time.

I reached The Great Gallery at 4:30…just under two hours one way…okay, I’ll have enough time. There was one couple there when I arrived, a husband and wife from Portland, OR. We sat together, ate and contemplated the messages from The Ancient Ones. After eating, they left and I proceeded to document the ancient artwork. After a few shots, my battery died and to my surprise I had not brought a spare. I found that if I removed the battery from the camera for a couple of minutes and then put it back in, I could pop off a couple more shots. I repeated this process several times and then gathered my belongings for the run back out of the canyon before dark.

Reaching the car shortly before dusk, I prepared myself for the five hour drive back up to the Salt Lake area and home.

It had been an epic adventure and one that I would never forget. From Druid Arch and The Needles, the Anasazi ruins of Cedar Mesa, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the slot canyons of Grand Staicaise/Escsalante National Monument to end up here at Horseshoe Canyon.

I hope you have enjoyed the trip at least a fraction of how much I have.

And what’s next?…well we’ll just have to wait and see…