We drove through Hanksville, passed through Capital Reed National Park, then turned left at Torrey and climbed through the Dixie National Forest. The highest point is 9,600 feet high amid the largest aspen forest I have ever seen. We dropped into the town of Boulder, Utah, where we stopped at a good coffee place. From there we drove along one of the more stupendous roads in the Mountain Time Zone.
Highway 12 from Boulder to Escalante climbs atop a mass of sandstone and cruises along a narrow spine that falls off a thousand feet on both sides. There are few guard rails. We stopped and took photos in a couple of places.
We drove through the town of Escalante to the headquarters of the Escalante/Grand Staircase National Monument, hereafter the Monument, where we asked for a permit to camp in Fence Canyon. The ranger on duty informed us that the Escalante River, which we had planned to cross multiple times every day, was running waist high. Hmmmm--not a good idea.
We checked a guidebook and decided instead to hike down Harris Wash, an 11-mile hike down a beautiful canyon to the banks of the Escalante River. Permit in hand, we drove back through town, arranged to park a minivan, consolidated gear and people into three four-wheel-drive vehicles, and turned right onto the Hole in the Rock Road.
Our first destination was three wonderful slot canyons: Dry Fork Coyote, Spooky, and Peek-A-Boo. We took day packs with water, lunch, and a first aid kit and set off. Two of the boys had been here before, and they led the way. One of my guidebooks says "This is a strenuous hike that is suitable only for those in excellent condition. Those on the stout side cannot make it through the incredibly tight narrows. This slot is not suitable for claustrophobes, novice slot canyoneers, youngsters, or youth groups."
Our guys ran down the trail.
Our first slot was Dry Fork Coyote, which is a good introduction to slots. We came to a place where the water was a foot deep, and our crew pushed right through, splashing the water and emerging on the other end and kept going.
We came back through Dry Fork Coyote, then had lunch. Then it was off to Spooky, which is my all-time most favorite slot. It is really narrow--only a foot wide in places--and you have to climb up in a couple of sections.
The boys loved it, running ahead of the adults and shouting to each other as they came upon various obstacles.
We came out the top of Spooky, rested a bit, and then climbed a dune to find Peek-A-Boo.
Peek-A-Boo is a lot shorter than Spooky, but had rooms with up a foot of water in them.
It ended about 15 feet over a pool of water. We helped each other climb down, negotiating some Moki steps carved into the rock, and climbed back to the cars. We drove 15 minutes, crossing the Hole in the Rock Road and finding a campsite on the way to Batty Caves Pass. Decades ago, two eccentric brothers carved rooms in the sandstone and lived there for years. Some of their furniture is still there.
One of the leaders hid behind a door in one of the rooms in hopes of giving the boys a surprise, but they were too smart for us. One of them got suspicious and said "Where are all the adults?" We couldn't pull anything on these guys.
This campsite had no off-roaders, and the only noise we could hear was the wind and passing aircraft.
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