| There and Back Again: Buckskin Marathon Trip Report |
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| There and Back Again: Buckskin Marathon   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Utah, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: May 25, 2008 Activities: Hiking Season: Spring | Page By: WasatchNut007 Created/Edited: May 28, 2008 / Jun 2, 2008 Object ID: 407410 Hits: 1203 Loading... Page Score: 89.11% - 16 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Back to Buckskin My friend Todd and I had been planning a return trip to Buckskin Gulch ever since our February trip ended in spectacular failure. A blown engine, wet forecast, delayed start, and roads of impenetrable red clay mud all conspired to send us home without that post trip high. A certain bitterness had lingered in the back of our minds since that fateful excursion, and we were determined to wipe it away with a grand "Wire Pass to the Paria confluence and back to Wire Pass" extravaganza. Initially we had determined to leave early Saturday and have the afternoon and evening to enjoy the surrounding area a bit before hammering out the 26 miles or so we had planned for Sunday. But, duty called, and both Todd and I were delayed playing lazer tag with 12 eight year olds for a birthday party our friend was throwing for his son. Todd and I took out our anxiety about leaving late by blasting away at the young jedi until they complained we weren't playing fair. After a scolding by the birthday boy, we settled down and let them fire away at us like good parental role models. It actually was a lot of fun, and after the obligatory cake and ice-cream, all youngsters were dropped off at home and Todd and I hit I-15 headed south.
Todd and I have been friends for 20 years, so the trip down seemed to take no time as we discussed the finer things of life: burgers at JCW’s, changing diapers, college football, mortgage payments, Coke vs Pepsi, what happened to Carlos Boozer in the playoffs, etc. After rolling down I-15 for a while, we took highway 20 over to 89 and headed south. It’s a beautiful stretch of road that I highly recommend. I saw a very interesting peak looking south from highway 20 (roughly 12 miles from the I-15 turnoff) I don't know the name of it, but I would love to climb it. It was fairly triangular in shape; at least 10K in elevation? If anyone knows what I’m referring to from that incredibly detailed description—please let me know. Anyway, tunes ranging from ACDC to Neil Diamond, and from to Jay Z to John Denver were blasting away, but as we made the turn onto House Rock Valley road we pulled over for a bit of a ceremony. You see, Todd and I have one guiding rule for all trips: When the pavement ends in southern Utah, U2 must be played at high amplified volume. Bono brought us home around 9:30 pm as we found a camping spot in the overflow of the Wire Pass trailhead area. We set up next to a friendly couple from Atlanta, Georgia. After chatting for a bit, Todd did the usual and went to bed early, while I watched the fire into the wee hours of the night.
A 26 mile day After a few hours sleep we arose, broke camp, gathered our kit, and threw down the breakfast of champions: muscle milk and oatmeal. Yum. I was being my normal fickle self….what shoes would be best? How much water? What size pack? Todd just stood there laughing at me, wondering when I would get geared up. After settling on good hiking boots, 200 oz, and medium, we were on the trail around 8:30 am, Todd leading the way. An interesting side note about Todd. I manage a health food store, and work out 6 days a week doing weights, cardio, and some yoga to try and stay in shape. Todd works out no days a week, skips breakfast, drinks 100 oz of Pepsi a day, eats junk, and never gets tired. Whether it is 5000 feet of elevation gain, or 15 miles through the San Rafael in 100 degree temps, he just doesn't seem fazed. Once an athlete, always an athlete I suppose. (That, or a tribute to genetics, either way it’s maddening).
It was perfect weather and the miles began to tick by. The initial trail follows a bit of a wash until you arrive at Wire Pass. I would describe Wire Pass as a mini slot canyon, a warm up for what you are about to experience. Wire Pass connects you to Buckskin Gulch and on you go. I really enjoyed the first few miles; the canyon seems to follow a pattern of wide open areas connected by narrow passages. Around 11 am what clouds there were lifted and it was turning out to be a beautiful day with blue skies. This canyon is amazing, but I'll include just a few pictures because the page on Buckskin tells the story well. We stopped around noon for a bit of lunch in one of the more open areas under the shade of some trees. Todd and I were both in good spirits and feeling great. Ok, so maybe I was a bit sore from bouncing down Olympus two days before we left, but so far the trip was going great. We hit the rock obstacle just after 1 pm. Todd grinned and I knew what was coming. He and I have this joke that originated while scrambling around in the San Rafael Swell. While climbing in the Swell, we had got to a pretty exposed part where a fall would have been serious. He drops his pack, takes a look, and jumps. He then turns around after safely making the landing and says, “I don’t know feller, I’m thinking you might have to roll a 20 to make that crossing.” (Those of you who know Dungeons and Dragons will understand this bit of mockery). So now, whenever we encounter anything above class 2, I am treated to his smiling face questioning my agility score. He once offered his, "plus 5 shoes of climbing." Anyway, I believe, “Feller, you might have to roll a 20” will haunt me for the rest of my life. Todd has an interesting picture of me navigating the ropes at this section of the canyon. I have chosen not to include it in this trip report for self-esteem reasons. At 2 pm we reached our goal of the Paria Canyon/Buckskin confluence. Here we ate a bit more, stretched out, and kicked back enjoying our journey. We had passed several groups on the way down and expected to have company soon. We started back for Wire Pass at 2:30 feeling great about the day.
All doneWe soon encountered one of the groups we passed on the way down. They asked if we had dropped something along the way we were going back for. We told them our plans of going back the way we came. They offered to give a ride from the White Horse trailhead back to Wire Pass if we wanted to go out Paria with them. We thanked them, but declined saying we wanted to see Buckskin from both sides. We had the morning light on the way down, and were looking forward to the evening light on the way back. We were finally in the canyon we had been thinking about for months and we wanted to maximize our time. Todd and I continued on, making fairly decent time, but at 5:30 pm we hit a bit of a wall. If I'm to be honest, I was pretty gassed. Not necessarily low energy, just a bunch of aches and pains setting in--twinging knee, sore feet, etc. Todd you ask? He admitted to, "being a little winded." We knew it was time to break out the secret weapon: Red Bull, large size can. The night before we suspected we might need a little help along the way at some point. At a grocery store in Kanab we reached for a couple cans of Redbull. I’ve only had the small ones before, but we noticed a larger size and decided to give it a shot. Now, I'm not a big believer in energy drinks. Normally, after buzz fades, you are left more fatigued, dehydrated, and mineral deficient than when you started, but at this point of our hike we needed a little help. I realized we had about 3 hours left, and I hoped the artificial energy would be enough to get me to the finish line...
Twenty minutes later, the magic silver cans had Todd and I singing songs and dancing through the red rock. I believe I belted out a particularly rousing version of Pete Yorn's "Burrito." The caffeine and B-12 did the job we hired it for and at 8:30 pm we reached the Wire Pass connection and made a left turn. We exited Wire Pass to the setting sun, talk about timing... What a day! What a canyon! Other than a few fat blisters and a serious caffiene induced headache, I was no worse for the effort.
Well, so much for my first trip report. We had such a great time I wanted to try and share it a bit. I’ve included some pictures with a few captions describing what was going on. I'm sure my formatting is a bit dodgy but thanks for checking it out, and any advice is appreciated!
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