Lower Hackberry Canyon

Monday, June 3rd
Day Off #1

Two of our four workdays this week were short ones, 6 to 11 AM, but we were happy to see Monday arrive.  Our destination for today was Lower Hackberry Canyon in the southern part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

We'd tried to hike here in the winter of 2012 but found walking on the ice-covered creek too risky.  Even though today was hot and the wash is sandy, it was an easier (and safer) trek than our earlier attempt.

Cottonwood Road, 36 miles east of Kanab on Route 89, is in good condition though a bit bumpy or washboard-y in a few spots.  On foot, travel up-canyon was plodding because of deep sand and, as time passed, increasing heat and decreasing shade.  About a mile and half from the trailhead, a trickle of water--Hackberry Creek!--started coming toward us and grew in volume the further upstream we went.  We took off our shoes and splashed through the cool, ankle-deep water to the turn-around point, barbed wire strung across the creek from one wall of the canyon to the other. 

The creek hadn't flowed as far down-canyon as we hoped and all too soon we had to get re-shod and trudge through the soft sand again.  I was soon grateful for the shoes because we came upon a rattlesnake sunning on a flat rock in the dry creek-bed.  He was as surprised as we were, deftly disappearing between two rocks and warning us away with his rattling.

 

 

 

 

Reaching the trailhead about noon, we decided to postpone the short but demanding scramble  to Yellow Rock until we had our hiking poles and could get an earlier/cooler start.  Instead, we would 'do' the Paria Box since we had to pass the trailhead on the way back to Route 89.   When we got to the Paria River, we realized that the map and brief description we had were completely inadequate:  is the Box upstream or down?  how long is the hike?  how difficult is it? why isn't our insect spray protecting us from these voracious greenhead flies? 

Again we strategically revised our plans, delaying the Box until we had better information.  The brave BLM volunteer at the hot, dry, dusty, lonely Paria Contact Station recommended driving 5 miles on the Pareah Town Site Road (vs 12 miles on Cottonwood) and traveling through the Box from west to east.

By the time we returned to the RV, we were grateful some of our plans had to be rescheduled--Hackberry was enough for today!