The last of 2007: Utah’s Canyons – December 26 to 31

Quite a shock to the system: last week 35 °C, this week 35 °F. My wonderful plans to enjoy a few more days in the warm desert sun were spoiled by unseasonably cold weather in the canyons of the Southwest. For the first few days temps never climbed over 2 °C, with a low of -6 °C, by the last day the mercury reached a balmy 8 °C. Compare this to the pleasant 35 °C in Mexico!



We did some exceptional exploring and good hikes in Zion and Escalante-Staircase Parks. One of my favorites in Zion is the exposed chain-protected scramble to Angels Landing. I felt renewed amazement about the bravado my parents showed when we did this hike together in 1993. Once on top, there was loud wing flapping. No, it wasn’t an angel that had landed, but a gigantic bird of prey. From the sheer size of it, its tame demeanor and the number 75 on its wing we concluded that it was a condor, one of the birds being re-introduced into the southwest desert. Just as the last daylight faded away we reached the car and retreated to a motel in Hurricane, UT. We had brought the tent with us but when it came down to actually using it, we consistently wimped out and opted for motels; a sure sign of ageing.


Angle's Landing - the route to the top is on the the steep ridge on the right.


Condor # 75


Next mornings highlight was a glimpse of a cougar disappearing into a steep ravine in the Kolob area of Zion Park. Our first slot canyon exploration in Sand Canyon, just north of the Kolob area, entailed stomping through foot-deep snow for a couple of hours.




After this rather winterly hike we decided to seek out lower elevation, and hopefully warmer temperatures near Kanab, UT and Page, AZ. On the way we checked out Pipe-Spring National Monument, were Mormons had settled at a permanent spring in 1851 and shortly thereafter turned the surrounding grassland into sagebrush desert by over-grazing, much to the devastation of the members of the Paiute Indian tribe who were the original inhabitants of the area. We moved on to check out the slot canyons of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.



We also visited Glen Canyon Dam which was constructed from 1956 to 1963. It took another 14 years to fill Lake Powell and drown thousands of slot canyons, cliffs and arches of Glen Canyon. But ever since lake levels have almost continually dropped. A white “bath tub ring” stain on the red canyon walls, bears witness to the shortcomings of human endeavors (or more technical the lower than predicted inflows while outflows for power generation and consumption were kept the same). The exceptional rain event we experienced in October 2006 on our Cataract Canyon trip on the Colorado River upstream from Lake Powell (report in preparation) raised water levels by 6 feet in the 300 km long lake.



On our way back through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument we visited the Toadstools, hoodoos capped with a large flat stone, and the old town site of Pareah with its fantastic striped cliffs.





The last day was spent hiking Zion’s East Rim Trail over 10 miles from the Eastern park entrance to Weeping Rock. While the first half of the hike was nice but not too scenic, dropping into the main Zion Canyon on the other side was quite spectacular. Hitch hiking back to our car was fast and easy.

Back in Vancover, BC

From shorts and T shirt to snow in less than 24 hrs! Quite the shock for the system. At least the sun is out - and we enjoy this during a short snowshoe hike on Mt Seymour, December 24.

Mexico, Huasteca, San Luis Potosi – December 16 to 23

Micos Put-in

Looking for sunshine in the wet and cold winter months? Want to paddle some warm water and run fun waterfalls? Check out some Mexican culture far away from tourists? Enjoy great hospitality and authentic Mexican food? Don’t want to worry about shuttling logistics or about convincing an airline attendant to check in your boat as skis? Make your way to the Huasteca region in San Luis Potosi and let Leland and Andria of Brushy Mountain Publishing and the Huasteca Secreta (HS) staff take care of the details! This was our first all-arranged paddling trip and it has set rather high standards and expectations for future ones.



Huasteca Secreta at Salto El Meco


Our Room with a View


USV - The Ultimate Shuttle Vehicle

To my great disappointment I was not able to paddle due to a shoulder injury, but the culture tour Juan and Jimena from HS arranged especially for me made up for it. Lucky Pete got to eat the cake and keep it too… He paddled all the rivers and joined me for artsy explorations.

Day 1 - Ojo Frio
I didn’t paddle, but according to Pete this is a very fun run with tons (about one hundred as Pete said) of ledges, small falls and boofs. It’s in the middle of sugar cane fields and very small Mexican villages. The Ojo Frois is actually a tributary of the Rio Gallinas (see Tamul Falls, day 4).






Day 2 - Micos Section of Rio Valles
200+ ft/mile run consisting of the 7 super fun waterfalls. Beautiful drops over travertine rock terraces. Waterfalls as paddler-friendly as they can get: simple approaches and big and calm landing pools. Best of all, there was some action for me, too! The falls can be jumped and the pools swum. Lucky coincidence: just as our group put in, a local family jumped of the first falls, among them, two girls aged 10 or 12. I found the practical demonstration much more convincing than Juani’s and Leland’s assurance that this is a common local activity. Juani displays great paddling skills – this is his third river run ever. Or is it a sign how friendly the falls are? At the takeout, every paddlers dream: the bar is set up, dinner served right at the take-out and the HS staff loads up all the boats!


Falls #1: Leland showing how its done and Claudia taking a good look


Doing it without a kayak


Andria running #2


Juani sliding #3


Pete on #4


Matt running the tallest #5


Group below #6



Day 3 - Culture Tour
Pete and I are off on a culture tour with Jimena and Jorge, our driver. First stop were the newly excavated ruins of Tamtoc. No big pyramids like the ones in the Yucatan. But a number of nice sculptures, the largest calendar stone (depicting a ritual sacrifice that took place every 53 years) and a statue of the chief – foot to waist – in the buff.

The calendar stone

After driving another hour or so, we end up on a side road high in the limestone mountains. Jimena finds a little boy who leads us up through the forest to a 60 meter wide gaping hole of Sótano de las Huahuas, a 200 meter deep limestone pit cave. After the sun sets, birds (actually not swallows but swifts) start circling directly above us and make their kamikaze dive to their sleeping places deep in the cave. We sit directly under the flyway of tens of thousands of birds that rush by in waves with great noise and whooshing of their wings. The amazing spectacle lasts for about half an hour until dark. For unknown reason we left our headlamps in the car, but make good progress in the moonlight and with Jimena’s little keychain light.

Sótano de las Huahuas

We drive on to Xilitla our final destination of the day. During dinner at open windows we watch bustling night life in the town square. Here we also see a family of three Gringo tourists – the only ones we saw on this trip (except us).

Day 4 - Culture Tour continued
Before breakfast we go for a little stroll through Xilitla. It’s perched on top of a limestone ridge and makes the impression of an authentic Mexican city: narrow busy streets with merchants opening their stores, rows of colorful houses, shouting newspaper boys, laundry flapping in the wind, flowers and noisy birds.













On to the next cultural point: Las Pozas, the surrealistic architectural garden in the semi-tropical rainforest by Sir Edward James. James was a British patron of surrealistic artists and rather surrealist himself. We take an hour to wander through the enchanted forest and discover new fantastical creations around every corner.












For lunch we reunite with the others in the largest city of the area Cd. Valles. One of the river runners experienced unfortunate back problems on yesterdays El Salto run necessitating a hospital visit to check out the problem. But he rejoins us for our trip to the HS resort at Tamul falls. Here Rio Gallinas drops over hundred meters into the Santa Maria (which is called Tampaon further downstream). Everywhere one looks from the HS bungalow high on the ridge no signs of human activities, untouched forested mountains, and deep below the majestic falls. Sitting on the terrace with a Corona in hand and watching the falls darken in the disappearing sunlight we are probably the only witnesses to this spectacle.







Day 5 - Back to the Micos
More dropping and jumping of waterfalls. A funny episode: three paddlers show up with first generation playboats (RPM, Supersport). The somewhat nervous woman boater asks her trip leader how to run the falls: “Just paddle over the falls and lean back.”, he replies. After watching our group running the falls, she turns to him and said, “But they’re all leaning forward!?” The leader replies, “Hmmph, you will have to ask Leland about that”, and of he goes, penciling in old-school-style with arms and paddle high over his head. Bar and snacks at the take-out. Fantastic dinner at a terrace at the lip of the Salto des Mecos falls above the resort.


Matt, Lisa, John, Juani, Ricardo, Kemper and Karen styling Micos #4


Day 6 – El Salto section of Rio Valles
The group paddles the El Salto for the second time, Pete’s first run. He reports three more exciting drops: El Nemo, a smaller one that ends in a mandatory boof over a hole, La Luminosa, and El Salto. The most scenic drop is the Aquarium.


Andria and Leland at El Nemo


Dooley showing us how to fly a canoe


Kemper taking a look at the Aquarium

Not being able to follow the group on the river, I join Juani senior, Juani junior and Jimena checking out the (dry) falls just upstream of the put-in. We run into a wedding photo shoot and the falls begin to flow! Nice surprise. I also get some good shots of Juani and Jimena jumping of a cliff – higher than any of the Micos drops and into totally green water. The good-bye dinner takes place at the HS beach – excellent food as every evening surrounded by candles and with music all night.

A few general observations:
Food is just amazing - don’t expect to loose weight. Be prepared to be waited on hand and foot (although this may change once HS are in regular operation). Huasteca roads are bad and driving takes for ever, come with patience. If you are on your own, a basic knowledge of Spanish is necessary to travel in this area.

Larches and Snow in Manning Park, October 14

Did a day trip up Frosty Mtn. (2406m). It’s a 7 hrs round trip; half of the trail was on snow already. After 7 or 8 km one gets into open larch groves. Larch needles change into a vibrant yellow before they drop in fall. Larches are the only trees that can grow at this elevation, but very slowly only.



A tree with a trunk of 40 cm diameter may be 2000 years old – supposedly the oldest trees in BC. They are more common in the Rockies; Manning Park is the western end of their range.



From the summit excellent views of countless snow-covered pointy Cascade peaks.