Trip Report - Salt Creek, May 1, 2014

[DAA]

I hope y’all want to see a bunch of pictures. Because this trip report is going to be mostly just a massive picture dump. With enough words mixed in to explain some of the pictures…

This trip actually started when the ball dropped on New Years Eve. The new NPS policy of only being able to apply for permits not more than 4 months in advance, combined with our desired start date of May 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and the NPS new online application system, meant I had my application all filled out and clicked “apply” at about 12:01am on Jan. 1[SUP]st[/SUP].

So, we got our permit for three nights in Salt Creek and the trip was a go!

Jared and I drove down in my Jeep and met Randy for dinner in Moab on Wed. afternoon. From there we convoyed to the Needles and left my Jeep at the Peekaboo gate where we would be coming out four days later.

Then we all hopped in Randy’s Jeep and made the drive up to Cathedral Butte, where the trail head is at. The sunset that evening was spectacular!

I hope Jared will add some of his pictures to this, from the whole trip. But especially moments like that sunset Wed. night. Neither me nor my little point and shoot camera that I used on this trip just wasn’t up to doing it any justice.

It was a cold windy night, followed by a very chilly morning, but finally, the day had arrived and we were on the trail!

First ruins along the way.

Kirk arch.

Kirk cabin.

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Trail junction to Big Pocket.

Site with some great BCS (Barrier Canyon Style) pictographs.

I was hoping to see a bear or two on this trip, but no such luck. We did see a lot of bear tracks and a ton of bear poop, just no bears. This pile of bear poop was in a most unusual place though. High, high up on the canyon wall in the same alcove as some ruins and the rock art above. There were piles and piles upon piles of bear poop on that ledge. Apparently old Smokey likes a view when he’s doing his back country business.

We really hit too many sites on this trip to even try and list them all. It was pretty much non stop cool stuff the whole trip. I’m not even going to try and show them all. Just some of the main points. And this set of ruins, known as “Big Ruins”, certainly qualifies as a main point from Day One of our trip.

Jared kicking it in our camp for the first trail night – SC1.

A bunny near camp.

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Day Two, lots of stuff, lots of pics…

Wedding Ring arch.

The famous “Squash Patch Ruin”. So called because there is a squash patch growing in front of it thought to have been planted by the Anasazi at least 700 years ago and still going on it’s own.

One of the highlights of the whole trip was the All American Man pictograph.

Along the trail.

The Four Faces and Two Faces panels.

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More from Day Two.

Camp for Night Two on the trail was at SC-3.

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Day Three on the trail.

Okay, time to inject a few words into the picture stream here… After reaching Angel Arch canyon and setting up camp early, Randy and I went out for a little reconnoiter to see what we could see. We saw… Quite a bit. But one of the things we found, was a rather extensive set of ruins up an unnamed side canyon. At first, the appeared to be inaccessible. There were some constructed stairs at the base of the cliff, constructed by the Anasazi centuries ago. But they ended at a spot where there must have been a ladder – because there was no way either Randy or I were making it any further up that cliff.

Well… Randy found a spot he thought he could get all the way up. But he wisely chickened out before the last pitch. I foolishly didn’t… And ended up on the ledge where the ruins were, which was super cool – they were the best ruins of the whole trip, bar none. But what wasn’t so cool, was the climb back down. Scared the chit right out of myself on that one. Made it down safe and sound though, so, no harm no foul I guess.

Randy at the spot he decided to go no further.

Later, from up top, the route I took up and had to take back down is right above where Randy is standing. Really doesn’t look too bad in the picture. Was pretty sketchy at the time though. Keep in mind, where Randy is sitting, is still a good fifteen feet off the ground.

But enough of that. More pics of the ruins.

Getting ready to come down…

Camp for Night Three on the trail was a little ways down from the mouth of Angel Arch Canyon, a camp commonly referred to as Angel Arch Camp.

There are some petroglyphs up on the big rock face visible above my tent.

More from camp.

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Day Four on the trail was the last day. We started the morning off by hiking three miles round trip to watch the sun come up at Angel Arch.

After visiting Angel Arch, we just packed up and started humping it down to the gate where my Jeep was parked. From camp to the gate was about twelve miles and we made it in five hours. Pretty good time, all things considered. We did take time to visit some cool stuff along the way, too.

How many fingers do you see?

Cat Head Dude.

Along the trail.

Peekaboo.

And, finally, 3.5 days and sixty miles hiked later, The End.

Fantastic trip! Loved every second of it. A great big Thank You to both Jared and Randy for being such splendid companions. It’s always a pleasant adventure when the three of us get together to do it up right like this.

Hope y’all aren’t too awful tired of all the pictures, but, if you are, you’re safe, cause that’s all folks!

- DAA

 

[OB1]

Awesome pictures as usual. Looks like the weather and trip was great. Thanks for the report.

 

[bryson]

Wow.

 

[Stephen]

Fantastic photo's as always.

 

[Kirk]

great photo's and report. Did you see anyone else in the canyon?

 

[sLcREX]

Great trip! Thanks for posting these. I am impressed with your hiking ability! I can't begin to imagine hiking 60 miles in my level of shape.

 

[Herzog]

Incredible... thanks for posting this!

 

[Kevin B.]

I luv me a DAA trip report.

 

[DAA]

Thanks guys!

great photo's and report. Did you see anyone else in the canyon?

We saw more people than I would have guessed. Two guys late on day 1. Same two guys plus two other groups on day 2. One of the same groups again on day 3.


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[moab_cj5]

Great report! Thanks for uploading all of that and sharing!

 

[DAA]

BTW... Is it just me, or does this guy kinda look like he got ran over by a KM2?

- DAA

 

[iceaxe]

Dave you really are not getting bad results out of that little point n shoot, not sure why I lugged so much camera 60 miles!

That sunset was a great way to start the trip.


A Nice Start by xjblue, on Flickr


Cathedral Sunset by xjblue, on Flickr

 

[DAA]

Thanks Jared!

Got my speaker put back in .

- DAA

 

[capt scotty]

WOW phenomenal trip, Thanks for sharing.

 

[mesha]

My wife read through this report and decided we must go there.

Thanks Dave