Things in Slickhorn

Today we started down the third finger of Slickhorn in the snow.  We thought we might make it to the main wash, but the way was steep and very slippery.  Plus, there were distractions.  First, we stopped to look through a series of lithics and sherds that yielded this broken point (below).

Then, we walked the rim for a mile until VSO noticed a very nice glyph panel (below).  In between, we found a series of sites that once held more than a dozen granaries made of mud.  I was calling them "bee-hives," and most of them are gone now, but we found one that was intact and we also found the chunks of cement-like mud that held the others together.  Pretty soon it was time to turn around so that we could make it back to the pavement before dark.

Finding Things

We were finishing lunch in a little alcove out of the wind when VSO said, "I noticed a few lithics on that last bench, we should find a place to stop and look for artifacts."  Not ten seconds later she said, "Hey, look at this piece of corrugated."  We were, in fact, lunching in a mini-midden, a small pile of pre-historic kitchen tools.  Within a few minutes we had noticed four or five pieces of black and white that belonged to a single jar that the girls were able to partially reconstruct (above).

We got going again and scrambled up through a few more sections of West Lime Canyon, including a number of deep pools and chattering cascades (above).  VSO was running out of energy, but EDO wanted to climb to the rim.  I went back and forth between them until I had VSO turned around and headed down.  Then I went back to EDO and she said, "I think I found an elk."  Good Lord.  The grand-daddy elk of southern Utah (below).  This thing was a Boone and Crockett-style eight feet across.  It was more like goat country, but I guess elk can go anywhere.

In the Four Corners

It has become a solid tradition that we spend the week after Christmas in the four corners.  I'm pretty sure that it is the girls' favorite place, and I like it pretty well, too.  We drove down yesterday and stopped briefly for some late day sun at the mouth of the Dirty Devil:  Strong light and bright colors.  Today was a different story.  It rained all night and snowed until late afternoon, so the back-country was a mess of slush and mud.  We had to do something, so we slogged through a seven-mile round-tripper in Brushy Wash.  Nobody complained, but it probably won't make the guide book.

Good Ski Track

We definitely had a white Christmas in southern Utah.  After sleeping late and eating tower cake, we went up the canyon to the Boy Scout Camp.  The road is gated, so no one had been up it.  It made a perfect ski run.  The best thing is to have our local cross-country champ break trail, while I pack it behind her.  By the time VSO comes up, it is starting to be a pretty nice track.

Red Creek

We took it easy today with just 1,100 feet of vertical.  EDO drove us out to Red Creek Canyon and we climbed from the road to the ridge above Paragonah (pronounced "goon-ah").  The climb was hot, but the wind on the ridge was cold.  EDO put on her fleece and vest.  Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and my pictures were murky.

Even Steeper

For this one, EDO wanted to go straight up the wall of Parowan Canyon.  It required hands as well as feet.  In less than a mile we covered 1,300 vertical feet.  Arduous, but it came with good views.

Back to the Back-Country

I drove to Utah last weekend and, bam, jumped straight back into rough hiking.  EDO likes it steep.  At first, I wasn't sure my knees could take it.  But, after three days, they are feeling alright.

Drive All Day

The other day, EDO said to me, "Dad, all the songs we're writing are about driving or drinking."  I thought about it for a moment and realized it was true.  Because the two don't go together, let's stick with driving for now.  We'll have a drink later.  Listen here.

Wendel After the Rain

Last weekend it was snow; this weekend it was rain.  We got about two and a half inches (2.5 inches!) in 36 hours.  When it finally quit this afternoon, I went out to Wendel for a hike in the foothills of the Skedaddle Mountains.  On the way I noticed that most of the flats had turned to lakes—standing water everywhere.  I also noticed a vacant property in Wendel that I'll need to look up on Realtor.Com—looks like my kind of place.

California Tree; Utah Christmas

VSO has fond memories from high school of hunting for a Christmas tree in the Sierras after Thanksgiving.  This year, she didn't want to leave California without one.  So, on Friday, before she and EDO had to hit the road for Utah we went out to find a white fir.  We got distracted by this incense cedar (above) and almost took it:  It would have been the only incense cedar Christmas tree in Utah.  But, after looking around a little more, we settled on this little five-foot white fir that fit inside the bed of the truck (below).  The California tree is now decorating The Homestead.

Bad Day for Bad Weather

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is a major travel day, maybe the biggest travel day of the year.  At 420 Grand, it also turns out to be the day of the first major winter storm for 2019.  We are currently showing seven heavy sticky inches.  I would have stopped the girls—who were here for the holiday—from returning to The Homestead in this weather.  Fortunately, we took the forecast seriously and sent them yesterday. We lost a day together, but they made it safely, and without driving on snow-covered roads.