free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
When trying to sift through the 600 or so photos that were taken on this trip, I found it very difficult to just pick a few. With this walk, the photos need not show you the way...the way is not hard to follow. No, for this walk the photos are proof of the unbelievable beauty that I would surely fail to describe with words. Hence part 1 and part 2. Please excuse my over indulgence.
We had a long weekend for Independence Day so another good long hike in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was just what Gale and I had in mind. Since the first and last legs of this journey were to be in slot canyons we checked the weather and were pleased to see that there was little chance of rain. But not so happy to see the temps...very hot!
We had never done these canyons before and with 16 miles ahead of us in the deserts of Utah we came prepared with our packs loaded to the brim with 4 gallons of water/gatorade, lunch, a bit of rope and webbing, loads of sunscreen, and all of our other usual survival essentials. Over-prepared is the way we usually roll.
In all seriousness though, hiking in these very remote deserts and slot canyons can be very dangerous and should not be attempted without being properly prepared and educated about the area.
Our hike begins at the Bull Valley Gorge trail head and ends at the Willis Creek Trail head, about 2 miles up the road. This last 2 miles is spent walking the dirt road back to your vehicle. We decided to park the truck at the end and get the very exposed and hot road walk out of the way in the wee hours of the morning instead of walking straight into the evening sun. (very glad we did this) After an hour long ride from my dads place where we were staying, we were parked and walking by 6 am.
This hike is made up of 3 legs. For part 1 of this report i will cover only the first leg.
First leg, Bull Valley Gorge (approx 6 miles). This is a deep, dimly lit, narrow slot canyon with striated walls of Navajo Sandstone, often less than six feet wide. A few hundred feet into the canyon is a dry fall of about 10 feet. It's not too hard to scramble down but a short piece of rope to lower packs and to help less sure footed individuals would come in handy here. We didn't have any trouble and our ropes were not needed. Pools of water can make for some tricky obstacles as well, and the corresponding clay mud makes it a little difficult to plant a foot surely. There are about three or four somewhat tricky points to down-climb, but again, none of the rope or webbing that we brought was necessary.
![BullValley_2.jpg]()
- The entrance to Bull Valley Gorge
![BullValley_3.jpg]()
- First down-climb
About a half mile in, 100 foot walls open to about 30 feet wide above. Here is where we saw the infamous pickup truck. In 1954 a truck full of 3 hunters slid off the west side of the bridge and dropped into the narrow canyon. About half way down the truck wedged itself against the walls of the narrow slot. Sadly, all three men were killed. Their remains were removed from the wreckage, but the truck was wedged so tightly that it is still there today.
![BullValley_13.jpg]()
- Look carefully for the wedged truck...
We continued hiking and rock hopping our way down the canyon. So much to see and way too much to put into words! Simply magnificent!
The peace and serenity of these desert hikes compares to nothing. Dozens of birds singing, trickling water and your own thoughts are the only sounds to be heard. Peace and serenity...leaves me in awe every time.
![BullValley_22.jpg]()
- cool sunburst in the rock!
![BullValley_25.jpg]()
- Getting very hot now...
![BullValley_26.jpg]()
- Every bit of shade helps...
After a few miles the canyon widens and begins to snake it's way down the rest of the way until we reached the confluence with Sheep Creek.
To be continued...See part 2 for more Escalante fun!!! 
