Start: Cow Tank on Vermillion Cliffs
Finish: Double Barrel Arch Trailhead
Daily Mileage: 25.0
Trip Mileage: 642.2
Elevation gain/loss: 2349/2103ft
I didn’t sleep well last night, and it wasn’t because of the coyotes howling and yipping in the not too far-off distance. At least it was a new moon, and there were a billion stars and the Milky Way above me. So, I saw many shooting stars, which I’ve seen every night that I’ve looked for them. I was ready to hit the trail as soon as it was light enough today.
After briefly following the 4×4 track I was on, I headed off for a cross-country stretch. This is one of my own alternates, and I was trying to join some things together. There is no way to use 4×4 tracks where I wanted to go, so cross-country was. I had to go a little over 5 miles straight line cross-country, but I had some prominent landmarks to use as bearings, so it was pretty easy to get a bearing with my compass and head across the desert plain. The cross-country didn’t actually turn out to be too hard. It all depends on the vegetation. There were not too many big plants, just some flowering dead weed stalks I had to push through from time to time.
As I got further downstream, the walls got enormous and very tall. That worried me a little bit since I knew that at some point, I would be climbing straight up them to Vermilion Cliffs. I would be exiting the canyon without any information on water for the next day and a half on the high plateau I was climbing to. I loaded up with eight liters of water. That was quite the load even on flat terrain, let alone a 2,100 foot climb.
Because the country went pretty well, and I made pretty good time. I had to stop to patch up a minor blister on a toe that had been sticking around for a couple of days. My adhesive dressing of Leukotape had slipped off, so I tried some new stuff which ended up working pretty well. I still had to empty a little bit of sand and pickers out of my shoes a couple of times, which was expected since I wasn’t wearing gaiters.
After the cross-country, I rejoined a 4×4 track which I would stick with for the rest of the day. However, I first took a side trip to White Pocket. This area is sort of like a mix between the Wave and Edmaier’s Secret. It’s got curving white flowing stone with brain-like patterns in it that was covering some more colorful yellow and red stone that swirled around each other. Really intricate and unique formations and well worth the side trip. I explored the area pretty thoroughly and took a bunch of pictures before taking a lunch break. I talked to one of the guides that takes people up to the area, and he offered water, so I grabbed some to buff up my supply and dumped the nasty pond water that I was carrying.
From there, it was 4×4 track for the rest of the day. This area is pretty sandy, and the 4×4 track alternates between good hard stone and loose sand that gives way with every step you take. The sand definitely sapped some energy from me in conjunction with the sun, which I was walking right towards for most of the day. Glad I had the extra water because I definitely made use of it.
After a few miles of walking, a Jeep came down the road I was on and stopped and offered me more water and apples, carrots, and blueberries. I accepted on all accounts and took the opportunity to chug some water to make room for them to give me some more. I was sure I had plenty of water, but my pack weight was reasonable, so I just wanted to take enough to be sure. Thanks, Rick and Aase!
I was definitely flagging towards the end of the day. I kept looking at my GPS to see how I was progressing and how much further I had to go to my goal for the day. I wanted to get far enough today that I would have a slightly shorter day tomorrow since I’m going into town tomorrow. I just kept on charging along down the sandy road, but I did take several breaks to sit in the shade to escape the sun. Eventually, my track joined up with a bigger road that was actually gravel, so it was easy going. I ended up camping at the Double Barrel Arch trailhead, which I will go see tomorrow in conjunction with a shortcut I’ll take to avoid some more big road walking.
I probably should have drunk some more water today, but for some reason, I just don’t feel too thirsty all the time. The temperature isn’t really that hot, probably in the low ’70s, but the full sun is another force to reckon with. Every day is full sun out here, so sometimes it’s a battle.
