So here is where things get interesting.
Highlight number two of my trip was supposed to be Coyote Gulch, a little slot canyon with two arches, a natural bridge, and a waterfall. I was planning to hike in, explore, spend the night, and then hike out the next morning. My, how my plans were WAY off!
To start off the day, I was in Bryce Canyon National Park. I wanted to photograph sunrise, which didn't happen until about 8 am - so already a bit of a late start, but no worries. I hit the road about 9 am and turned off on to the road to the trailhead about 10:30 am. It was a deeply washboarded dirt road that was roughly 40 miles to the trailhead - or was supposed to be. The turnoff from Hole in the Wall road to my trailhead was not marked, and that road was not on my GPS. I missed my turnoff and drove for maybe 20-30 minutes before I realized my mistake - so a solid hour lost, on tooth-rattling rough roads.
I finally found my turnoff, but within a quarter mile, realized that the van was not going to make it down this road. If I thought the washboards were rough on the "main" road, I was wrong! So I turned around and headed to Plan C, Hurricane Wash. Plan A was to hike in via the "sneaker route," which involved a 2-mile hike (maybe an hour) in to the canyon. Same trailhead, different trail (Plan B) was to hike to Crack in the Wall, maybe a 3-mile hike to get into the canyon. Plan C was a 6-mile hike to the main canyon (Coyote Gulch) and another 1-2 miles to get to the sneaker route entrance.
Since the detour and move to Plan C, I stopped about a quarter- to half-mile along the trail and questioned if I still wanted to do the hike. I did, I hadn't come all that way to not see Coyote Gulch. So onwards I trudged through the desert, following a dry wash that had seen some recent water events.
I eventually made it into the canyon and started hiking down stream. The water was cold, but not much more than ankle high. It was deep enough with frequent-enough river crossings that I decided to change into my river shoes, which I had worn for the Subway and Narrows hikes, in and out of the water.
I made it past Swiss Cheese Falls, when I noticed that my left shoe was broken. It was just a broken strap, but I was able to keep the shoe on easily, it was just rubbing a sore spot on one of my toes. Shortly after that, I passed Coyote Arch, and that is when my right shoe essentially disintegrated.
The photo below doesn't do it justice, but basically all of the straps on the right side of the right shoe just pulled away from the sole, I was completely unable to keep the shoe on and walk. I was at a decision point.
I could either set up camp right there (it would have been a beautiful place to spend the night) or hike back out. Time for some math: the water temps were probably mid-50's: cold, but not super cold. The air temps were in the low 60's, high 50's, so cool. If I hiked out now, those are the conditions I would face. If I waited until morning, the air temps would be closer to freezing. As for mileage, I was easily 8 miles in at this point, probably closer to 9. I had been hiking since just after noon, and it was 4:30 pm. The route in went through some thick areas that I had to have light to navigate - my headlamp wasn't going to cut it, and I had to hit the exits to the canyon and deep slot no later than 6:30. I'd have to hustle!
So I turned around and headed back to the van. I had to hike the first 1.5-2 miles barefoot. Don't feel sorry for me, it was 95% soft sand, both in and out of the river. It slowed me down, but only because deep sand will do that. I hit my cutoff points - if I didn't make certain landmarks (Coyote Gulch to Hurricane Wash turnout, wooded area in Hurricane Wash, deep slot in Hurricane Wash), I was prepared to set up camp and wait for sunlight, but thankfully didn't have to. I had everything I needed to be comfortable, but since this adventure had been filled with misfortune, I wanted to cut my losses.
I got back to the van about 8:30 pm. I dropped my backpack, cooked my dinner, and then went to sleep in the driver's seat - safe, warm, and well-fed. All in all, I hiked at least 16 miles, probably closer to 18, with the last 3-4 miles in total darkness (there was no moon that night - the stars were super bright, I could see the dust lanes in the Milky Way with my naked eyes), I had to keep checking my GPS to ensure I was still on the path to get to the van.
All in all, I feel like I re-certified Ranger School. In retrospect, it was quite the ranger-ific adventure, but I hope I don't have to repeat that again. I was sore for a couple of days!
Cheers,
Marc
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