Southwestern Burnup Tour - Buckskin Gulch Backpack Day 2 - September 2011

Return to alavigne.net home

NOTE: You have javascript disabled in your browser. This presentation will continue to function, but with only basic capabilities. In order to view this presentation will full capabilities, please enable javascript in your browser, then refresh this page.

[< Previous Page]

[page 1] [page 2] [page 3]

[Next Page >]

Mucky Pools

Sharp Bend

Dwarfed by Gargantuan Walls

Scalloped Walls

Toothpicks holding the walls

At about noon-time, we arrived at a wider section of canyon that contained a high but steeply sloping stretch of ground on the right. This was the spot that we turned around in 2008, during our failed attempt to backpack down Buckskin. The lateness of the day and sound of some rumbles of thunder forced to make an uncomfortable camp high atop this slope (link, scroll to bottom of page once you get there). Today's visit to this spot was, unlike that time, under clear skies and with much less stress.

courtesy AHyndman

Snack Break

Kyle Reorganizes

Another sharp turn

Given that we had passed our 2008 overnight campspot, everything downstream from here was new terrain for me. We continued to not encounter any water of consequence, and not even all that much mud. Buckskin was turning out to be quite dry on this trip. We wondered about the description of the canyon's conditions back at the Ranger station. It definitely needed an update.

Arn and Logjam

Kyle in Buckskin

Curves and Reflections

Five hours and ten kilometres into our hike down Buckskin Gulch from Wire Pass, we reached the sunny open spot that marks the so-called 'Middle Trail' exit/entrance point. Here, on the north wall of the canyon, is a rough scramble route that provides an access point into and out of the canyon. The access point leads up to West Clark Bench, high above to the north of Buckskin Gulch, where there is an infrequently used trailhead.

courtesy AHyndman

Middle Trail Exit Point

A wide spot

While the Middle Trail exit route looked interesting, our destination was with Lower Buckskin Gulch. So, on we hiked. The canyon quickly closed up again, and became, once again, deep and dark. In places it was almost cave-like, and you couldn't see even a strip of blue sky above.

Almost Subway-like

A Glowing Cave

A Perfect Slice

Towering Sandstone

Approaching Sunny Corner

Cave-like Passage

Sunny, Open Spot

Arn rounds a cave-like corner

Closeup of Dessication

We had an afternoon snack break at a wider spot in the canyon that had a lush patch of streamside vegetation (we started to notice a few such spots, actually, as we neared the Paria Confluence), then dived into another dark and claustrophobic section of canyon, some sections of which had a beautiful but eerie bluish tinge to the light.