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this was our desert trip last fall | part two : the water |

2.22.2013









































































































day two of our trip was quite adventurous, keeping us on our toes and our minds alert.
ceej had been down this canyon fifteen years ago...
come to find out this canyon went through drastic changes after a flash flood
swept through here just a few years back.

when ceej went through the canyon fifteen years ago there was no poison ivy
and no pools of water to swim through. guess what?
we had poison ivy to avoid, and to our surprise pools to swim through.

we woke early in the morning to get a good start as we had eight miles
to hike through the river (which takes much longer than you'd think)
and a four hour drive home. we put our we-can-do-it attitudes to the front.

the sun takes a while to reach the depths of the canyon, and so we
were hiking in the cool shade for most of the morning.
which is why when the canyon kept getting more and more narrow
we got more and more nervous that we could have to swim.
i was too cold to enjoy a swim, and did not want to spend the rest
of the hike in a soggy condition.

but it came. the pool. we were going to have to swim.
so andrea and i started stripping down to our underwear in hopes
we would have something dry to put on after the swim.
we were ready. no problem.

ceej went first. we watched him take every step as the water
slowly crept higher up his body: his thighs...his belly...his chest...

and then, to our great delight, the water went no further.
he made it through the water without a swim thanks to a
sandbar that none of us were able to see beforehand.

phew.

so we laughed with relief, and kept moving. lots of ground still to cover.

this canyon, despite all of its unknowns, is one of the most beautiful places
i have ever been.
and we had it all to ourselves. not once did we run into any other hikers
or backpackers in this canyon.
if you're looking for an escape from the world, this is it.
and, as the desert usually is, it's magic.
if you've been, you know what i'm talking about.
if you haven't been, you're always welcome to come out for a visit.

come.





{p.s. so what happened with the poison ivy? i thought i escaped its cruelty. boy, was i wrong. two weeks later the horrible itchy rash broke out on my leg. then as we boarded a plane to hawaii the rash slowly, but furiously, spread to my entire body. worst. plane. ride. ever. nothing could assuage the itch. i spent most of the trip in hawaii trying to stay in the cool ocean water as long as possible, wearing alcohol-drenched bandages wrapped around my arms, soaking in a kiddy pool with baking soda, fighting off itching fits at dinner, taking three-four cold showers throughout the night to try to get some sleep. it was miserable. i think the worst way to die would be by itchiness. stay far, far away from poison ivy. See photos here and here. any pity is welcome. p.p.s ceej got it too, but not nearly as bad. turns out i'm hyper-allergic. lucky me.}


7 comments:

Jill said...

Those photographs of the canyon look amazing. The photographs of your poison ivy look horrendous! As someone who's had a small poison ivy outbreak, I don't know how you survived without itching yourself away. I also didn't know it could take that long to appear. I hope you were able to enjoy Hawaii despite the itching!

RetreatingAndAdvancing said...

A breathtaking canyon! This really makes me looking forward to hikint in spring..
And phewww, your rash looked horrible :(

Jeannie said...

Ohh my gosh, yes you deserved all, any pity!! The desert trip looks wondrous. Your photos, as always, are such a treat to feast my eyes on :)

Kris10 said...

You will have to tell me exactly where this is! I just got a new backpack and I'm itching (ahem...sorry) to go on a beautiful trip. Also, I want to join you for one of your into the woods one of these days :)

blues said...

aaaawesome place

kylie said...

this is the narrows, right? i did it once and LOVED it. it was magical. but kinda frightening when i had to swim haha.

Ann Marie said...

Kylie,

It's not the narrows--though they are gorgeous too. This was a little "secret" canyon of ours in Escalante.