Into Dark Canyon, October 21st I left Hite at 7 am in the darkness of the morning, walking along the centerline, not particularly motivated for the day to begin. ~2 miles of pavement led to my dirt road turnoff that I would follow ~10 miles to the TH for Dark Canyon. Sometimes I look forward to road walking but this morning was not one of those times. Despite being a crisp, blue skied morning I was a bit grumpy and my feet were making it known that they felt the same. I trudged along for a few hours... During a brief rest stop I noticed a viable xc alternative route. Jumping at the chance to get off of the road, I wandered off and had a nice 2 mile stretch of open desert before rejoining the road at Squaw and Papoose Rock. Unlike a lot of named rock formations, Squaw and Papoose Rock actually look exactly like its name. Turning off the road in 5 minutes I was at the signed TH for Dark Canyon. Despite being a Friday, there was only one car parked, but no fresh footprints. Excellent! Dark Canyon is pretty remote so I doubt it is ever really crowded, but the fewer the folks the better.
After an hour break on the rim I headed down the jumble of loose boulders that is known as the Sundance Trail. It was incredibly rough going, and was something I would have much preferred to be ascending. The descent did nothing to improve my mood. Nearly an hour later and ~.7 of a mile I reached the canyon bottom, sweaty and a little sore in the knees.
The canyon itself is quite beautiful despite its recent flash flooding. The flood has left everything with a thin layer of mud and the cascading waterfalls and pools are a rusty orange, instead of a blue-green. Regardless it is a very lovely place. Further up canyon the ruggedness relented a bit and the north side of the canyon walls were covered with mossy seeps. I filled a few liters from the strong seeps before continuing on to the mouth of Youngs Canyon which was my intended stopping point for the day, and ~7 miles from the base of the Sundance Trail.
I was greeted by a large, clear pool of water and another short wall to surmount. Hoisting my pack to the top of the wall, I followed and was happy to notice that things leveled out. Continuing up canyon for a spell, I came upon another large pool and a nice section of limestone ledges. A sloping pour off and cottonwood made the perfect backdrop for a great camp. Checking out the pool, I decided to get naked and go for a little swim. The water was the perfect temperature. It took a bit of convincing to dive in, but I felt incredibly refreshed and my grumpy mood lifted as I emerged from the pool --- seemingly re-energized and clear headed. Fantastic! Maybe after my Dirty Devil experience a few days ago, I have reconciled some of my hang ups about water. the night sky is quite striking this evening as the moon has not yet risen...already a few shooting stars. Although I enjoy solo hiking immensely, sometimes you come across a place, time, or feeling that you wish you could share with someone else. Tonight is one of those times and places, and I find myself thinking of friends and family. ~23 miles Brian Into Fable Valley, October 22nd Another hard day in Dark Canyon! I am certain I am a little fatigued after 2 weeks of hiking with no rest, but this place is rugged! After a peaceful night, I awoke and continued my way up Young's Canyon. As described in the Hayduke Guide, there are a number of pour-offs to `negotiate'. Obviously that term is open ended...did that mean I would be able to get around them easily, would they require a pack haul, or would I have to skirt them by climbing around? Many questions, all to be answered by mid-morning. Descending canyons with pour-offs is generally no big deal. You get to one and then realize that you need to go around. Hiking up canyon is a roll of the dice because as the canyon walls begin to narrow, you can anticipate a pour-off ahead, but you have no way of knowing its height or difficulty until you arrive. Even with the most detailed maps, it is impossible to tell of impending impossibility.
Eventually though I made it ~3 miles up canyon to the big, guidebook noted pour-off, and climbed up loose boulders to the canyon rim. Once there, I followed the plateau for about a mile and dropped back down into Young's Canyon. Many thousands of feet hiked to gain ~1.5 miles. Like I said, tough country. ~5 miles in ~4.5 hrs time. Just a bit further along I came to Horse Pasture Canyon, which I soon discovered had a few pour-offs to negotiate as well. Towards the top of the canyon I had a pleasant lunch and then continued to a full stock pond, jumped on a road for ~1/2 a mile and then headed due north xc into an arm of the Fable Valley Canyon system.
The nest ~4 miles were spent along a gentle contour above Gypsum Canyon until I reached the remote Fable Valley TH. Since the beginning of the year, only ~20 people had signed the register, starting with the Hayduke Founders on 4/12/05 during their thru-hike attempt. With sunset approaching and ~15 miles on the odometer for the
day, I headed down a series of dirt roads before turning off
into Beef Basin Wash. Nice to have a camp that is not in a canyon...the sunset lasts much longer up on the plateau country! All in all the day was wonderful. Certainly a tedious struggle at times, but one that I feel good about how it was managed. Looking forward to heading into Canyonlands National Park tomorrow and doing an alternative route I have planned. ~18 miles Brian Canyonlands National Park, October 23rd I awoke to a very cool morning and struggled a bit to get going... sometimes the coziness of a sleeping bag is difficult to abandon.
After filling up I backtracked to the exit drainage and climbed to a dirt road near the rim, which I followed shortly before heading xc through a nice sage flat for ~1 mile. Climbing to a rocky saddle, I made my way eastward dropping into an unnamed drainage before contouring along slickrock benches to a narrow gap between two colorful sandstone domes. I was searching for an access drainage into Butler Wash. Recognizing that I had turned a little prematurely, I was positioned one drainage west of the intended route. Not really seeing it as an issue, I descended the smaller drainage via a crumbly ramp and soon joined the intended route just down canyon.
Butler Wash is a pretty large drainage that meanders about and eventually makes its way into Canyonlands National Park. The Hayduke Trail follows it for ~17 miles...nearly its entire length. I'd decided to walk most of it, but leave the wash at a 4WD road to join up with a mis-mash of pieced together roads, hiking trails, and xc washes and re-join the Hayduke in Elephant Wash. I did this because I wanted to walk through `The Needles' of Canyonlands and not bypass the area by walking to the west. I also anticipated correctly that walking ~17 in a sandy wash would bore me to tears. Although no tears were actually shed, I was ecstatic to leave the wash and see beyond the sandy hills that limited the horizon.
Crossing the open meadow of The Devils Kitchen I came to a one way 4WD road, passing a few outhouses and picnic tables in the process. I followed the road and was quite surprised at it ruggedness...more of a 4WD obstacle course than a driveable road. I was glad it was a Sunday evening and I did not have to smell burning rubber or hear the grinding of gears within the narrow walls of the canyon that the road followed. Continuing down canyon I left the road at a wash and am camped between two massive boulders. It is a pleasant and quiet place, and a spot that convinced me to untie the shoes earlier than normal. ~18 miles Brian Canyonlands Needles Outpost, October 24rd
Strolled into Canyonlands Needle Outpost for my resupply pick-up just before noon today.
The mornings walk through Elephant Wash and then along the Confluence Overlook Trail was nice...good trail, great views, cool temps. I saw some folks at the TH this morning...the first folks since leaving Hite 3 days ago. A short road walk along SR 211 led me to Little Spring Canyon where I left the road and entered the wash. Following game trail and the wash bottom for a few minutes, I came to a confluence and exited the canyon onto the plateau.
I stocked up on a few treats for lunch and got a campsite and shower token for the evening. Looks like the new no-shower record stands at 17 days. Unfortunately no laundry, so my shower will feel refreshing until I have to put my stanky clothes back on. Anyway, I may take a rest day here tomorrow. Only ~64 miles to Moab and then ~26 through Arches National Park. I was surprised to hear and see images of the current batch of hurricanes.. ~11 miles Brian
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After
a overly cairned ~2.5 miles I was at the rim of the Canyon, staring
~1,700 ft down into its depths and being immediately reminded
of the Grand Canyon... just in general appearance, not its scale.
Limestone capped by sandstone and a healthy flow of water. 
I
headed up canyon, sometimes along the muddy shores, sometimes
along ledges of limestone, or sometimes contouring above on game
trails. However, where ever I was hiking it was very rugged and
physical -- certainly the most demanding terrain since the Grand
Canyon. Normally I do not mind such terrain, but today it felt
like a major burden.
The
mouth of Youngs Canyon is guarded by a ~20 ft waterfall. It looked
like the left hand side of the canyon wall could be traversed
on a thin ledge to get around the obstacle. I dropped my pack
and attempted the route with no problems. Other than one section
of noticeable exposure, it was not difficult. Retrieving my pack,
I delicately made my way across the ledges and across the exposed
gap of rock to gain access to the canyon.
I
wrongly made the assumption that the pour-offs (other than the
one specifically mentioned in the guidebook) could be tackled
head on, and thus spent a good portion of my morning walking up
to a pour-off, and then turning back down canyon to find a route
around. Sometimes these routes were cairned, other times they
were not. Although scenic, it was not the most efficient way to
make forward progress.
Although
not as steep as Young's, this canyon was also slow going, picking
my way through dense juniper, desert scrub, and yes, negotiating
a number of pour-offs. A few hours later I emerged at the confluence
with the main canyon of Fable Valley with more tears in my ever-deteriorating
shirt, but happy to find decent trail.
I
continued up Beef Basin Wash for a few miles before detouring
to Homewater Spring to fill up with water for the next 1.5 days.
As I did so, the sun finally made its appearance and began to
melt the light frost that covered the low-lying vegetation. 
The
canyon itself was quite nice, alternating between a sandy and
slickrock floor, and only 2 pour-offs to negotiate. The first
required me to lower my pack with rope and then down climb. The
second passes directly beneath Seldom Seen Bridge, (discovered
and named by the Hayduke Founders) which I managed to down climb
first and then hand-lower the pack to myself. A few miles later
I entered the main canyon of Butler Wash.
Upon
emerging from Butler Wash the entirety of the landscape became
visible --- colorful towers and domes rising skyward in every
direction. I enjoyed walking through the maze that the stone formations
created before linking into a stunning stretch of single track
trail which climbed to a thin gap between two red-spired ridges.
The descent into The Devil's Kitchen was along hand-hewn steps
of juniper log. 
Taking
a eastward bearing, I bee lined across Squaw Flat directly towards
the Outpost. Crossing a few washes, a dirt road, and a barbed
wire fence, I eventually came to the front porch and met Tracy
and Gary --- the proprietors of the Outpost for the last 10 years.
