Canyon de Chelly National Monument: A Sierra Club Outing

Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced d'SHAY) has been inhabited for over 5000 years, longer than anywhere else on the Colorado Plateau. The first people who left a major mark of their existence here were the Anasazi or Ancient Ones. Hundreds of locations in the canyon have rock art and ruins of the Anasazi or Navajo residents, and photos of some ruins, petroglyphs, and pictographs can be found here. The Hopi later spent summers in these canyons until the Navajo, or Dine, became permanent residents. The National Monument was established in 1931 to preserve the wealth of archeological ruins and thus preserve the history.



The Monument is actually comprised of two canyons -- Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly -- as well as numerous side canyons. Following the Treaty of 1869, these lands were returned to the Navajo and remain their homes to this day, so you can only hike or drive the canyons when accompanied by a licensed Navajo guide. Our guides were Daniel Stoley and his son, Donovan, and our 5 nights of camping in the canyon were on land owned by them and other Navajo families. Experiencing the canyons for an extended stay such as we did is best done with a group like Sierra Club which has the connections to arrange the myriad details of camping, eating, and touring under Navajo guide direction.

We began our six day trip (about 40 total miles) by hiking down Twin Trail into Canyon del Muerto, where for 2 days we hiked to various ruins and rock art locations, including Antelope House Ruins, Standing Cow Ruins, and Ledge Ruins. A special treat was a half-mile walk after supper on night two to Catherine's house, where she showed us how she carded and spun wool from her own sheep using hand spindles, then how she dyed the wool different colors from various plants or rocks, and finally how she created magnificent Navajo rugs on her loom.




The next day we climbed back up to the mesa via the Yei Bi Chei Trail which required hiking up 600 feet in elevation gain on slickrock, sometimes with the aid of foot holds and hand holds chiseled out of the rock, and occasionally with low railings or cables to hold onto. Here are a couple shots of our somewhat treacherous climb up (click to enlarge)...








After a trip across the mesa, we looked down into the awesome Canyon de Chelly seen here...



... into which we then descended 800 feet in elevation via the aptly named Crack in the Wall Trail, a steep climb to the canyon floor on boulders and more slickrock, while avoiding the poison oak and poison ivy growing there.



These climbs were real adventures and were definitely highlights of the trip, but they are certainly not for the acrophobic. Another strenuous climb was up to Window Arch, about 400 feet in elevation gain, but again, the view was well worth the strenuous exercise...





Our final night, we were entertained by National Park Service Ranger William Yazzie, who sang songs of the Navajo, Hopi, and Apache, accompanied by his own playing on drums and flute. He also taught us several dances which we practiced around the fire, and all the while he wove into his presentation the historical and cultural significance of the music.



As with all Sierra Club outings, everyone takes turns preparing meals. A special treat this week was a demonstration by Cheryl, a Canyon de Chelly resident, on how to prepare the dough and make Navajo tacos on fry bread. Here she shows us how to shape the dough for frying...



They were delicious -- another highlight of the trip!


Hikes to White House Ruins and the Spider Rock came the next 2 days, sometimes on the sand road and sometimes on trails up on the hillside to avoid walking through water in the numerous crossings of the de Chelly Wash, usually a dry wash but wet from the rain several days earlier.




It is open range, so small herds of horses and cows occasionally watched us hike past, and a very energetic dog "adopted" our group and put in many miles with us the last 2 days, including our climb up Window Arch and our final 700 feet elevation gain climb out of the canyon on White Sands Trail.

Here's the entire group:


(L to r) Front row: Rich, Barry, Dallas,
Middle row: Daniel (guide), Gayle, Randie, Linda, Ellen, Shannon, Donovan (guide)
Back row: Martha, Mike, Greg, Mary, Mel, TJ (our leader), Janet, Chris, Chuck
Not pictured: Andy (co-leader)

At first I was a bit put-off by the "in-holdings" -- all the privately held land within the national monument -- but after meeting the Navajo people, hearing their stories, seeing their love of the land, and learning of their culture, I am pleased that they were able to negotiate to have these canyons returned to them 140 years ago, and I am equally pleased that we outsiders are permitted to visit their beautiful canyons and learn of their history. They are closely connected to the landscape and it is their tsegi ((SAY-ih) -- their spiritual home as well as their physical home. Maintaining balance with Mother Earth is key to harmonious living, and though the Navajo are now a bi-cultural society living in America, they continue to lean on their traditions. I highly recommend that all come to visit and learn here.

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Slideshow of Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly Ruins and rock art photos

Poem "Spirits of Canyon de Chelly"


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Glen Canyon Dam

The final stop on our 400 mile journey today was Glen Canyon Dam, near Page, Arizona. The dam is 710 feet tall, only 6 feet shorter than the more famous Hoover Dam, and it is 350 feet thick at its foundation and 25 feet thick at the top. Lake Powell is the name of the impounded water, honoring John Wesley Powell, the explorer who first traversed the Green and Colorado (then called Grand) Rivers starting in 1869. The lake extends for over 150 miles and has covered over 90 side canyons in addition to Glen Canyon.



The bridge carrying traffic over the river is also a marvel, soaring 700 feet above the river and with a roadway measuring 30 feet wide and 1271 feet long.


Tomorrow we meet our Sierra Club group and begin our 6 day backpack trip in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Photos and comments will be posted next weekend after the trip ends.

Lees ferry

Located near the famed Vermilion Cliffs...



... is Lees Ferry, named for John Doyle Lee, the Mormon settler who established and ran the ferry across the Colorado River from 1873 to 1927, thus making possible the colonization of Arizona. It s now famous as the starting point for all raft trips through the Grand Canyon, and this photo shows some private rafts being rigged for the journey...



Below is the river, and though the cliffs seem to tower above the water here, they will grow to over 5000 feet before the rafters' journey is over at Lake Mead.



Here is Ellen, dwarfed by this balancing rock (click to enlarge photo)...

Grand Canyon-- North Rim

Today we were within 45 miles of the North Rim, so we made a detour to visit it because 1) Ellen has never been there, and 2) anytime I'm that close to the Grand Canyon (or Yellowstone, for that matter) I am drawn to them.



This is the fourth time for me at the North Rim, but only the third time by vehicle, because in 1989 we backpacked from the South Rim to the North Rim and back, hiking about 90 miles in 9 days, including side hikes. Ever since my first visit, when all we did was peer over the edge, I've been drawn back, and vistas such as these demonstrate why.



All we had time for today was to tour the Lodge area and hike out to Bright Angel Point, seen here...



... but it was wonderful to renew my acquaintance with this beloved place, even for so brief a reunion. If you've been here, you can probably identify with my feelings. If you haven't been here, I highly recommend that you come. Even though its name, Grand Canyon, is based on the name of the river at the bottom (originally called the Grand River, but later renamed the Colorado River) it is indeed a Grand Canyon and it bequeaths a Grand Experience to all who visit.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park celebrates its 100th birthday next year. Many of its mountains and formations possess religious names, including its name, Zion, or place of sanctuary, which came from a Mormon. But it was a Methodist minister who proposed many of the names, most of which remain in use.





Most people see the valley from the valley itself, but I have backpacked the West Rim trail down into the valley and that was a very special experience. Here's a post and photos of that trip.

We hiked the 2 mile Riverside Trail which takes you to the Narrows, but we didn't have the proper footwear, so we didn't hike up the narrow canyon, wading through the Virgin River this trip, but a few years later, I did hike the river -- wonderful experience!

 
We also hiked up to Weeping Rock, and then hiked to Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools. Below is the waterfall spilling over from one of the Middle Emerald Pools and creating the Lower Emerald Pool...



... and here is Ellen, deep in contemplation, at the extraordinarily beautiful Upper Emerald Pool.



We camped at South Campground and were visited by a family of 3 mule deer seen in the background...



In 2000, Zion began mandatory shuttle bus usage to enter Zion Canyon. Buses arrive at the 8 stops every 6 to 8 minutes, so long waits are avoided. Though I feared it would be cumbersome not being able to drive to the various trail heads, it was pleasant to have no cars on the road and not having to hope you'll find parking slots at your intended stops. The GPS triggered commentary on the buses also provided interesting information during the trips.

Archaeoastronomy

... is a scientific term I had never heard of until Dr. Bryan Bates, a college instructor from Flagstaff, presented as our guest speaker at tonight’s Bryce Canyon National Park ranger program. A scientist by training, archaeoastronomy (or the "anthropology of astronomy") is his hobby. (He defined “hobby” as "a bug that gets in your wallet and never leaves.”)

His work is based on study and observations at 3 southwestern sites -- Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Wapatki. The early Ancestrial Puebloans (aka Anasazi or Ancient Ones) from these areas utilized science, namely astronomy, to know when to plant and harvest, and also served as a timetable for when to practice rites and celebrations.

We too often believe they were primitive and backward peoples, but archeologists have discovered structures perfectly aligned so the sun’s rays shine through specific windows on the 2 solstices (June 21 and December 21) and the 2 equinoxes (March 21 and September 21), which told them when to plant crops just prior to the annual monsoon rains, and when to harvest prior to the first frost.

Their structures also helped them plot the moon’s phases, even down to its 4 quarter-crossover movements (crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning.) Where the rays shined on petroglyphs behind the windows even tracked the variations of the moon over 18 year cycles, making their “calendars” even more accurate than ours.

And while our southwestern natives were doing this thousands of years ago, other early cultures did the same with Stonehenge in the UK, in Mexico’s Chichen Itza, at Giza in Egypt, and the Maya Palace of the Governor in Yucatan.

Mind-boggling!!!

Bryce Canyon National Park

... is NOT even a canyon. Canyons are formed by the erosive force of a moving river, but no river flows through Bryce. More on that later. If you've been to Byrce, you know firsthand the beauty of these unique geologic formations known as "hoodoos." Here are two views from the rim, looking into amphitheaters rife with hoodoos...








Bryce’s signature Hoodoos (a term derived from the West African word “voodoo”) have all been formed not by erosion, but by weathering -- the continual freezing/thawing cycle of water. Bryce experiences over 200 days of the freeze/thaw cycle annually, starting in early September. Ranger Kevin explained the canyon’s geological history and stated the walls are weathering away at the rate of 1 to 4 feet per century, heading inexorably toward the East Fork of the Sevier River, at which time that river's water will course through Bryce, finally making it a true canyon. But it will also quickly destroy all the fragile hoodoos, quite delicate structures. So you better hurry to visit this wondrous geologic marvel because they predict it will be gone in a mere 3 million years!

The hoodoos are best viewed from below the rim, so we hiked a long loop, taking in many angles and perspectives. This shot shows people far below after hiking down countless swithbacks on the Navajo Trail...



... and then the trail entered this slot canyon.



A connector trail then took us below the rim to the Queen's Garden section, shown below...

Green River Canoe Trip 2008 - part 3 of 3 -- Questions you've been wondering about.

In this post, I hope to answer those nitty-gritty questions you've been wondering about regarding a long river trip.

Question #1: How do you attend to the necessary bodily functions? Easy. Everyone urinates into the river. (If that grosses you out, consider if the thousands of users of the river instead went on the sand beaches and what a mess and smell that would create! The solution to river pollution is dilution!) Solid waste is much trickier a proposition, so all groups are required to rent and utilize a "groover" as seen below. The ziplock bag contains toilet paper (which can be inserted into the groover) as well as sanitizer after you are finished so no diseases are passed around. The groover is placed in a level area away from all viewers (but with views of the river and/or cliffs for personal contemplation during the process) and the paddle is placed upright in the sand, in view of the camp area. If the canoe paddle can be seen, it is the signal the groover is available. You then take it with you so it no longer is in view, thus insuring your privacy. For a poetic rendition of this explanation, click here.



Question #2: How does one bathe? Easy. In the river, using special bio-degradable soap, which is good for skin, hair (not that I have to worry about that!), and even dishes. Sure the water is a tad on the cool side, but on a 95 degree day, it feels great! And if you choose not to bathe, not to worry, because everyone else has a bit of a smell, too. Of course, the Green River is silt-laden, so all have a sand layer on the skin, and washing in the river doesn't remove that.



Question 3: Where do you take breaks, have lunch, and camp? Answer: On the sand beaches, of course. Each has its own personality and size, and you find one that suits you as you travel downriver. All also offer outstanding views in all directions, and some offer hiking possibilities, too.


Question 4: Do you always paddle and hike, or do you take rest breaks? Of course you take breaks, generally in the shade and near beautiful sites, as seen here as the group rests alongside an Anazasi ruin. (Pictured, l to r: Ellen, Pete, Mike, Joel, and John.)



Question 5: How do you get a photo of the entire group? Easy. When we were visiting Robber's Roost, a reputed hideaway for outlaws including Butch Cassidy (in the background of this photo), a crew of rangers was present beginning rehab work on the structure, and their leader agreed to take the photo. Here we all are:



Question #6: Who cooks meals? On our trip, it was our inimitable leader and friend, Greg Pflug. (No, he is not the wild man he appears to be in this photo -- at least, not always.) His meals are varied and delicious, and it is amazing what he can can concoct within the limited resources of little refrigeration.



Question #7: Where do you sleep? On the ground! That can be either in a tent or under the stars. In our case, we sleep in the tent, but without the rain fly covering us, thus allowing views of the magnificent starry skies through the netting. Yes, we use air mattresses. Yes, we put the rain fly on if the weather is threatening, which happened only 1 of the 8 nights.



Question #8: Can you have campfires on the river? (Or rather on the shore.) As long as there is no fire ban imposed by the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service on their respective portions of the river, yes you can, but the fire must be within a metal fire pan. And when your campfire is out, you must take the ashes and unburned material to the water, carefully dump it in, and pick out whatever floats and put it in your trash to be carried out. If it sinks, it can stay.



And finally, question 9: After paddling 120 miles downriver, how does one get back to your starting point -- in this case, Moab, Utah? Here's the answer: A jet boat comes to pick up the group, along with their 11 kayaks and canoes and all the gear needed to equip, feed, transport, and house 16 people for 9 days away from civilization:

... and it makes the trip going upriver 45 miles on the mighty Colorado, and does it at 25 mph, whizzing us through more of Canyonlands National Park's majestic towering cliffs. A truly wonderful end to the adventure! Thanks to Tex's Riverways, our outfitter and provider, which is celebratin its 50th anniversary this year. And thanks also to Greg of Adventures in Florida who put this trip together for us all.

Part 1 of Green River Posts

Part 2 of Green River posts

Green River Canoe Trip part 2 of 3 - Anasazi Ruins

Native ruins dot the trip down the Green River. You can see remnants of granaries high up on the cliff walls in a number of locations. The first place we stopped to see ruins was at Fort Bottom. The lowlands along the river are called "bottoms" and Fort Bottom was where they had lived 700 to 1500 years ago. No doubt they had trees and cultivated the lowlands which occupy a peninsula as the river makes a huge 180 degree turn here. For protection, they had constructed a "fort" atop the mesa, a place which gave them sweeping vantage over all approaches by land or water. My guess is they had lookouts posted up top at all times, and this round stone "fort" was constructed for defensive purposes. Lou is pictured here and gives the fort's size perspective...



At Turk's head we found the most extensive evidence of ancient life. The cliff wall in this photo has three dwellings -- notice the doorways located in the middle of the photo...



... and the next 2 shots show closeups...







Climbing higher takes you atop the mesa which is several football fields in size and is littered with flint rock. This was obviously their "factory" for fabricating tools and weapons, and broken-off pieces can be seen on the ground, and if you are lucky, you might even see some arrowheads or spear points. Since this is within Canyonlands National Park, enjoy but don't remove anything! The views are among the best along the river as seen here...



Finally, we found this ruin about partway up the cliff in Jasper Canyon...



Part 1 of Green River post

Part 3 of Green River post

Canoeing Utah's Green River - 2008 -- part 1 of 3

Here are highlights from our 9 day, 120 mile paddle down Utah's Green River. We put in at Crystal Geyser, just below the town of Green River. The cliffs are still quite low here as seen below...




... but quickly grow in height as we enter Labyrinth Canyon, named by the intrepid explorer, John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War major who made the first descent of the Green and Colorado (then called the Grand) Rivers. Note the height of the cliff wall in this photo using the canoe and kayak at the base for perspective...



The Green River has a mild current of 2 mph in September and temperatures range in the mid- 80s to mid-90s each day. The area only receives about 6 inches of precipitation annually, but our first night had rain and our 2nd day had strong 30 mph winds and some rain. Of course, the strong winds were upriver against us and created 2 foot waves which were heading into us, making for strenuous and tricky paddling that day, so we only covered 10 miles.

Sand and rock bars are created by the river, and when you run into them, you end up pulling your boat, as seen below, but fortunately this happens rarely after you learn to "read" the river bottom...



We did a number of hikes up the mesas and cliffs and reached some amazing overlooks. Here you see Chuck E., me, our leader Greg, and Lou, and far below is the Green River and our camp.




Another popular stopping point is Registry Rock, where for a hundred years travelers have noted their presence with pictures, initials, or names. We stopped, but didn't sign in. Click the photo and you can see some of the artwork on the rocks...



Ellen and I were often the lead boat which allowed us to see the reflected cliffs in the undisturbed water as seen here...




One of my goals this trip was to scale the saddle (low point) between the high cliffs at Bowknot Bend, as was done by Powell and also Colin Fletcher, another of my heroes. This is the place where the river travels 7 miles around a loop to return to within a few hundred yards of itself. Look carefully below and you'll see the river on both sides of the photo...





Here's an amazing aerial shot of oxbow shown above, The place we climbed is the lowest section where the two river segments are closest...

Part 2 of Green River posts

Part 3 of Green River posts