All Day in Horseshoe Canyon

We made it out of the cooler weather and have come to the sunny skies of Green River, Utah. The main reason we pushed our traveling as hard as we did, was to arrive here in time to take a Ranger led hike into Horseshoe Canyon on Sunday.

The canyon is located in a remote area about 50 miles from town. We gauged about 31 miles of it are over dirt and gravel roads. Since the hike was to start at 9:00 am, we had to be up and on the road by 7:00. We heard it would take over an hour and a half to negotiate the 50 miles. We didn't do bad. We were on the road at 7:15.

The start of the way down.

I was a little Leary about this taking place at all. There were thunderstorms predicted for today along with 30 mph winds, gusting to 50. On our way we could see thunderstorm cells in most directions. Lightning was was flickering from the center of them and we would occasionally get a few drops of rain as we skirted them.

 One of 5 panel areas.

As we made our way, we could see the sky clearing in the direction we were driving. Once we were on the dirt road, our weather angst slowly dissipated. I just hoped it didn't rain while we we out there and turn this dusty, wash boarded road to impassible mud. In some of the sandier sections, I flipped on the 4 wheel drive just to be sure.

Part of the crowd of seven hikers on this guided tour.

The drive was beautiful. We drove through miles of lonely sage brushed fields. We drove by ancient stone mesas. They were laced with strata of different colored rock. Sometimes, this scenery reminds me of a Road Runner cartoon. Our road eventually forked with a sign pointing the way we were to drive. Another seven miles should do it.

 Every now and then we would come across a dinosaur track. They were framed by a circle of stones.

The entire hike is to be 7.5 miles, out and back. The first leg is an 800 foot descent to the floor of the canyon. From there, we walk in and along a dry wash to the various petroglyph and pictograph areas. The problem with a climb down of 800 feet at the start of an out and back hike, is that you have to climb the 800 feet back out of the canyon at the end of the hike. Oh boy, I can't wait!

 The Grand Gallery

Actually,The trip down and back up wasn't bad at all. The trail is on an old road built by the companies exploring for oil and uranium in the area, shortly after WWII. It is washed away in areas, but most of it is intact. At least enough intact to walk on.

We were allowed to climb closer to the paintings than we could on an unguided hike.

The weather cooperated and we had no rain. I was still worried because the clouds were looking so foreboding. The temps were cooler than the average for this time of year. But, it wasn't cold.

Cathy and I have developed an interest in the ancient people who lived in North America. We just can't seem to get enough of looking for the traces they've left behind. The people who passed through this area were nomads. They didn't live in, or build pueblos. The only traces of them are the art they left behind.

Our guide was a recently graduated geology student from California. He is spending this summer as an intern for the National Parks service. He provided some interesting information on the geologic history of the area. 

One thing is certain, the sand in the canyon floor was like a fine powder. It would find its way into your shoes through the mesh. It felt as if your shoes were shrinking around your feet. It was unbelievable how much sand found its way in.

Lunch.

The Grand Gallery was the farthest point in the hike. There we settled in for lunch. By now the wind was howling. There was sand in the air everywhere. We had to somehow cuddle or food during the wind gusts and wait for a calm period to take a bite.

Cathy and I set out on the return ahead of the rest of the party. We weren't sure about our ability to keep up, since this is one of the first long hikes we've been on in a while. We were in better shape than we thought. We were sore and tired by the time we got out of the canyon. But, we made it in good time, with no rain.

The wind was blowing much harder on the canyon rim. One good thing about the wind. It blew sand into the washboard bumps on the dirt road. It smoothed out the road! We got home by 5:30.