Once Alta closes for the season and Snowbird remains the only game in town, my desire to ski quickly wanes and the desert starts calling me. This past weekend, though -- the first since Alta Closing Day -- there were numerous issues to consider. For one, it rained all week at low elevation and snowed heavily in the mountains. Friend Tcope and I wanted to get out, and the dogs certainly deserved it after a long winter cooped up indoors, but even the weekend weather looked questionable and the desert roads were certainly wet and muddy in spots. All of that new snow meant that the skiing conditions were likely to be good, too. Eventually, however, Tcope convinced me to turn my truck south and we headed out first thing on Saturday morning.
He wanted to return to a site on Cliff Dweller Flat, just north of Hyde Draw and south of I-70. That part of the Swell would be new to me, so I readily agreed. Here's a dynamic Google map to help the reader along -- our camp and hike are all jammed together in the lower collection of icons (zoom in to separate), and the San Rafael Bridge area is noted at the top to include the location of the final part of our trip.
[iframe]https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1nkiW8IXmkWjkmaNNQimYv4hz9sI[/iframe]
We exited I-70 and backtracked eastward along the Buckhorn Wash Road for about a mile or so before passing beneath I-70 heading southward through mostly dry road, the occasional mud bog and scattering cattle. We set the parking brake at the very southern tip of Cliff Dweller Flat and pitched camp on the edge of the plateau with 270 degrees of stunning views stretching from the La Sal Mountains east of Moab to the southeast, to the Henry Mountains south of Hanksville to our southwest.
Zoe runs around the site as we set up camp.
It was mostly cloudy and breezy, with very cool temperatures in the 50s and some scattered showers in the area, but Tcope nevertheless launched his DJI Phantom 3 drone for some aerial stills and video, flying as far as one mile from camp to where Hyde Draw empties into Eardley Canyon.
An aerial view of our camp. (photo: Tcope)
Another aerial view of our camp.
An aerial view of the intersection of Hyde Draw and Eardley Canyon, looking south.
Once camp was set we grabbed water and trekking poles (and rain gear!), scrambled down the plateau and crossed the flats to enter Hyde Draw. We were cognizant of the weather, and Hyde Draw remains rather shallow with numerous opportunities to climb to the rim so we weren't too concerned about the flash flood potential. The dogs looked for any opportunity to swim in the disgusting stagnant pools of water polluted by the dung left behind by the wild burros that inhabit the area. We made it to within around 200 yards of Eardley Canyon, but looking at the last few pourovers ahead we deemed it prudent to turn around there.
Maggie watches Zoe swim in one of the pools in Hyde Draw. Notice the wild burro dung to the right of Maggie.
Zoe follows Tcope around a prominent bend in Hyde Draw.
Several large pools in lower Hyde Draw.
Zoe and Maggie at our turn-around point in Hyde Draw.
Admin and Zoe head back up Hyde Draw. (photo: Tcope)
Back at camp, the wind increased in intensity as the temperature dropped with the late afternoon sun. I took down the truck canopy as it was going to nothing but flap in the breeze all night. We cooked dinner (mine was Caesar salad, NY Strip steak and mac 'n cheese, while Tcope opted for burgers), but it wasn't long thereafter that we gave up on the weather. Tcope retired to his tent, while I retreated to my truck with the girls at the late hour of 8:15 p.m. I stayed up for a few hours before retiring for the night. I was grateful for the Mr. Heater ventless catalytic propane heater to fire up to take the chill off. I can only imagine how cold it was for Tcope.
A shameless father/daughter selfie.
The view from our camp.
A rare sighting of the reclusive Tcope sect of the Taliban.
A room with a view.
My savior Mr. Heater.
The dogs slept through the night, but by 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning my face was getting licked to wake me up and let them out. I bundled up and made some coffee -- the skies had cleared overnight but the wind continued unabated and the temperatures were in the 30s. It wasn't long after breaking camp, however, that the wind finally backed off, allowing Tcope to have his drone follow us across Cliff Dweller Flat.
Crossing Cliff Dweller Flat. According to my topo map that long straight stretch in the background was at one time a landing strip for small aircraft likely associated with oil exploration.
Returning to I-70, we opted to forego the highway and U.S. 6 to Price in favor of continuing north on dirt via the Buckhorn Wash Road to the San Rafael Bridge, where we let the dogs roam as Tcope shot more aerial footage.
Looking upstream along the San Rafael River.
The San Rafael Bridges -- old and new -- with Assembly Hall Peak in the background.
With still more time to kill, upon reaching Huntington we decided to take in some new scenery for both of us and continue northwestward across the Fairview Skyline via SR-31. Crossing the pass at 9,800 feet, a couple of kite skiers carving the deep snowpack was a sharp contrast to the desert vistas we'd enjoyed for the previous 48 hours.
But when I got home it was time to clean up.
Time for a wash?
That caked-on mud dried like concrete several inches thick, and my $33 spent at the self-serve car wash set a personal record.
Last night, Tcope edited a short video of our adventures and uploaded it to YouTube. He's not happy with the results, however, and plans to make a new one with more footage. I'll add that to this post once available.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcIXibabDCA[/video]
He wanted to return to a site on Cliff Dweller Flat, just north of Hyde Draw and south of I-70. That part of the Swell would be new to me, so I readily agreed. Here's a dynamic Google map to help the reader along -- our camp and hike are all jammed together in the lower collection of icons (zoom in to separate), and the San Rafael Bridge area is noted at the top to include the location of the final part of our trip.
[iframe]https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1nkiW8IXmkWjkmaNNQimYv4hz9sI[/iframe]
We exited I-70 and backtracked eastward along the Buckhorn Wash Road for about a mile or so before passing beneath I-70 heading southward through mostly dry road, the occasional mud bog and scattering cattle. We set the parking brake at the very southern tip of Cliff Dweller Flat and pitched camp on the edge of the plateau with 270 degrees of stunning views stretching from the La Sal Mountains east of Moab to the southeast, to the Henry Mountains south of Hanksville to our southwest.
Zoe runs around the site as we set up camp.
It was mostly cloudy and breezy, with very cool temperatures in the 50s and some scattered showers in the area, but Tcope nevertheless launched his DJI Phantom 3 drone for some aerial stills and video, flying as far as one mile from camp to where Hyde Draw empties into Eardley Canyon.
An aerial view of our camp. (photo: Tcope)
Another aerial view of our camp.
An aerial view of the intersection of Hyde Draw and Eardley Canyon, looking south.
Once camp was set we grabbed water and trekking poles (and rain gear!), scrambled down the plateau and crossed the flats to enter Hyde Draw. We were cognizant of the weather, and Hyde Draw remains rather shallow with numerous opportunities to climb to the rim so we weren't too concerned about the flash flood potential. The dogs looked for any opportunity to swim in the disgusting stagnant pools of water polluted by the dung left behind by the wild burros that inhabit the area. We made it to within around 200 yards of Eardley Canyon, but looking at the last few pourovers ahead we deemed it prudent to turn around there.
Maggie watches Zoe swim in one of the pools in Hyde Draw. Notice the wild burro dung to the right of Maggie.
Zoe follows Tcope around a prominent bend in Hyde Draw.
Several large pools in lower Hyde Draw.
Zoe and Maggie at our turn-around point in Hyde Draw.
Admin and Zoe head back up Hyde Draw. (photo: Tcope)
Back at camp, the wind increased in intensity as the temperature dropped with the late afternoon sun. I took down the truck canopy as it was going to nothing but flap in the breeze all night. We cooked dinner (mine was Caesar salad, NY Strip steak and mac 'n cheese, while Tcope opted for burgers), but it wasn't long thereafter that we gave up on the weather. Tcope retired to his tent, while I retreated to my truck with the girls at the late hour of 8:15 p.m. I stayed up for a few hours before retiring for the night. I was grateful for the Mr. Heater ventless catalytic propane heater to fire up to take the chill off. I can only imagine how cold it was for Tcope.
A shameless father/daughter selfie.
The view from our camp.
A rare sighting of the reclusive Tcope sect of the Taliban.
A room with a view.
My savior Mr. Heater.
The dogs slept through the night, but by 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning my face was getting licked to wake me up and let them out. I bundled up and made some coffee -- the skies had cleared overnight but the wind continued unabated and the temperatures were in the 30s. It wasn't long after breaking camp, however, that the wind finally backed off, allowing Tcope to have his drone follow us across Cliff Dweller Flat.
Crossing Cliff Dweller Flat. According to my topo map that long straight stretch in the background was at one time a landing strip for small aircraft likely associated with oil exploration.
Returning to I-70, we opted to forego the highway and U.S. 6 to Price in favor of continuing north on dirt via the Buckhorn Wash Road to the San Rafael Bridge, where we let the dogs roam as Tcope shot more aerial footage.
Looking upstream along the San Rafael River.
The San Rafael Bridges -- old and new -- with Assembly Hall Peak in the background.
With still more time to kill, upon reaching Huntington we decided to take in some new scenery for both of us and continue northwestward across the Fairview Skyline via SR-31. Crossing the pass at 9,800 feet, a couple of kite skiers carving the deep snowpack was a sharp contrast to the desert vistas we'd enjoyed for the previous 48 hours.
But when I got home it was time to clean up.
Time for a wash?
That caked-on mud dried like concrete several inches thick, and my $33 spent at the self-serve car wash set a personal record.
Last night, Tcope edited a short video of our adventures and uploaded it to YouTube. He's not happy with the results, however, and plans to make a new one with more footage. I'll add that to this post once available.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcIXibabDCA[/video]
