AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Underway on Government Trail | First Backpack #1
Part of the First Time Backpacking: Into Grand Gluch (Apr 2025) trip.

"I want to do something epic for @mini.turbodb's spring break," @mrs.turbodb mentioned to me a few weeks ago.

At the time, I think we were on our way home from a day of skiing, and I jokingly suggested that we could take @mini.turbodb on her first ever backpacking trip, through the Grand Gulch. After all, I'd recently created a goal around hiking the length of this amazing gash on the Earth's surface.

Anyone who has followed along for a while will likely recall that I don't like carrying weight on my shoulders. In fact, I have a collection of variously-sized fanny packs that keep the weight on my hips for exactly that reason. Certainly, @mrs.turbodb knows this well, and I assumed that my joke would land as I intended, and that we'd end up discussing other options.

Plus, given that we had no backpacks, no sleeping bags, no sleeping pads - and didn't even own a ground tent - I was shocked when my joke suddenly became "the perfect plan."

"Character building," "a life experience," "something she's never done," and "something she'll remember forever," were all reasons that this was a fantastic opportunity.

"She doesn't like camping," "water is going to be extremely scarce - to the point we might go to bed thirsty," "we have no gear at all," and "even if she looks back and appreciates it when she's 30, we're all going to be miserable while we do it," I countered.

And so, it was settled. We were going.

- - -​

After acquiring a ton of new gear, booking plane tickets, and renting a car so we could shuttle between trailheads, the day finally came that our adventure would begin. We'd landed in Las Vegas the previous morning and driven nine hours to the Kane Gulch Ranger Station so we could check in with the BLM staff and then get an early start the next morning.

Who needs high clearance 4WD? A Nissan Versa can get you most of the way to the Government Trail parking area.​

Arriving at the trailhead just before 11:00am, the conversation as we donned our packs - the heaviest they'd be - was predictable: @mini.turbodb informed us that this most definitely qualified as torture, @mrs.turbodb assured her that it would be fun, and I did my best to stay out of the way. Regardless, we were all smiles and in good moods - how could we not be, with fresh legs and plenty of fresh water?

All decked out.​

It was immediately apparent that even as a first-timer, @mini.turbodb had way more style than her parents. (left) | The official start. (right)
​

The hike into Grand Gulch along Government Trail was deceptive. For three miles, the world stretched out in front of us, seemingly flat. Of course, as with any large canyon, the ground suddenly dropped away as we reached the rim, and it was fun to see @mini.turbodb reaching for her camera as the splendor caught her off guard.

Nothing to see here.​

Just kidding! Plenty to see here!​

The great thing about hiking in at Government Trail was that - in addition to the dramatic introduction to Grand Gulch - we also go to see our first ruin as we reached the rim of the canyon. There - perched high on the wall of Pollys Island - an old cliff dwelling was out of reach from all but our cameras. Still, it garnered plenty of attention before we started down the narrow path that would lead us to the wash we'd call home for the next five days.

Hidden in plain sight.​

But for the descent into the Gulch and the climb out at the end, most of the hike would be reasonably flat.​

A closer view.​

Halfway through our descent - as I snapped a few photos of the Pollys Island ruin - we encountered our only real near-disaster of the trip. Bending over to adjust her pants, one of the 1-liter bottles of water that @mini.turbodb was carrying fell out of the pocket of her backpack and onto the slickrock. About 10 feet from the edge, she watched as it rolled slowly toward the 60-foot plunge to the level below. "Grab it," exclaimed @mrs.turbodb, knowing that every liter of water we carried would be helpful in the days to come. Unfamiliar with the stability and balance of her pack, @Mini stumbled a bit as she reached down for the rolling bottle, realizing fractions of a second too late that the slickrock ledge sloped downwards more than she'd expected.

I'm not sure exactly how or why, but as soon as I'd seen the bottle hit the ground, I'd known how the situation was about to play out. Already in movement, I grabbed the kiddo as she stumbled toward the edge, pulling her back a fraction of a second before the bottle of water rolled over, out of her reach. Two seconds later, it exploded on the rocks below.

A close call, luckily resulting in only a bit of shock and a bruised ego. A good reminder that even seemingly trivial situations can quickly turn dangerous.

A few minutes later, we made it to Grand Gulch.​

By now, it was a little after noon. And - as any parent of an athletic teenager knows - that meant it was lunch time, lest said teenager "starve to death." So, we found a bit of shade provided by Pollys Island and busted out the PB&J that would be a delicious mid-day meal for the remainder of the week. And, with a large, reasonably clear pool of water nearby - and no idea when we'd find water next - we also broke out the First Need XL Elite water filter to refill and top off the containers of water that had survived the descent. Then, we headed upstream.

Even from the beginning, my favorite parts of the trail were those along vertical sandstone walls.​

In the wash, tree tunnels were the name of the game.​

Before long, we spotted our first little granary above the wash.​

Ruins are always fun to see, but it was especially fun to show some of the "little things" - like indentations where fingers pressed mud between rocks, and the stick "headers" that supported the opening - to the kiddo; this being the first ruin she'd seen.

We climbed up for a closer look.​

Soon - but not for long - we were back on the trail, discussion now about our next destination. The Big Man Panel would be the first rock art that we'd encounter along the way, and it had two things going for it: first, it was a named panel. We didn't realize at the time, but named panels and ruins were somehow "better" in the mind of the small one, and by day three we were naming everything. Second, it was an impressively large panel, with some x-rated - or maybe it's just PG-13 these days - elements on the "Man," and that was entertaining for the teen.

As we followed the trail to the Big Man Panel, spring was in the air.
Cushion Phlox (Phlox pulvinata). (left) | So-close-to-blooming Claret Cup Catus. (right)​

This peeling sandstone was really cool.​

Big Man Panel. (And Big Woman, too.)​

The Big Man Panel archaeological site contains three panels of pictographs and petroglyphs with more than 105 elements located on the vertical cliff and on two boulders in front.

Pictographs are designs painted onto the surface of rocks with natural materials. Petroglyphs are designs carved into the rock by pecking, incising, scratching and chiseling with flint or other stone chisels and hammers into the surface of the rock.

Big Man and Big Woman are the central elements of this 11-meter-long panel. Both figures have rounded heads with ghostly eyes and pigtail hair. Their shoulders are broad and square. Their torsos include outlining and detailing in white.

The female has a braided necklace and a braided skirt. The details of these elements are somewhat obscured by white chalking or painting. It is difficult to tell what is original pigment and what is not. The figure itself is painted in red and several hand prints are visible at the shoulder of her torso.

The male has no clothing, and his genitals are prominently displayed. His face is a darker red, giving the appearance of wearing a partial mask.

​

Larger than life.
​

Working from the left, there are a series of smaller, rectangular and trapezoidal anthropomorphic petroglyphs. A row of painted hand prints is located above these figures. The hand prints form two slight arcs, and in one is a faint anthropomorph in the general rectangular bodied style, only formed by thin red lines. Its head is lost beneath the hand prints.

Another much smaller figure done in the same linear red style is covered by a painted white zigzag to the left of the large female. To the right of the Big Man are two smaller figures painted in red, several zigzags, more geometrics, and another open-bodied anthropomorph. These figures are similar to the Glen Canyon Linear Style petroglyphs found in the San Juan region. In addition to the anthropomorphs, there are scattered geometric figures including zigzags, concentric circles, and figures that may be bags of some sort.

This site and other cultural sites of Grand Gulch continue to be visited by modern day Puebloan people for whom the sites have sacred spiritual value. Please be respectful.

BLM Info Sheet​

Learning the finer points of rock art photography.​

The reflected light was really nice while we were at Big Man.​

Silly tree, you're growing wrong.​

By now it was starting to get later in the afternoon, and we probably should have started looking for camp, but instead we pushed onward, hoping to get more miles behind us, giving us a better shot at completing the crazy journey we'd undertaken. And, over the next few hours, we'd establish a sort of rhythm that would persist through the remainder of the trip: hike a bit along the trail towards the next rock art or ruin waypoint I'd marked; let Dan search for said point of interest when we got close; slough off our packs and waste valuable daylight scampering up and down the slickrock to see ancient graffiti and tiny homes. It was awesome.

At first, I thought we'd missed this Kokopelli Man pictograph, but I gleefully spotted it as I made my second pass along this stretch of wash.​

Sometimes, even mother nature's rock art is breathtaking.​

A bloom! (Claret Cup)​

Inaccessibly high granaries.​

I wasn't sure how long @mini.turbodb would be interested in the rock art and ruins - and to some extent, she lost a bit of interest even on day one - but even so, she quickly picked up on the fact that the views from the alcoves where the Ancestral Puebloans spent much of their time were sometimes even more amazing than the history they left behind. This was an especially nice reminder for me, since I often find myself laser-focused on my goal, and forget to look around to enjoy the present-day experience.

Endless alcove windows.​

Three Yellow Men.​

Falling Man, Grand Gulch edition.​

Fading bullseye.​

Hands.​

Yellow Sheep.​

Surprisingly, we found most of the rock art and ruins that I'd marked. I'd compiled my points as accurately as I could, but knew that they were wildly approximate given that I'd tried to overlay old topo maps from the USGS and hand drawn maps from Kelsey's Non-Technical Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau on Google Earth in order to triangulate the positions.

Electric ceiling.​

I loved being able to see the interior construction of this wall, and explain it to @mini.turbodb.​

V's.​

Still, I knew that as we pushed our way generally northeast - the path actually meandered in all directions over the course of every mile - we were only seeing a fraction of what this wonderful place has to offer. Certainly, we passed many more panels and structures than we saw along the way.

Also, by this point it was only about 45 minutes before sunset and the ladies were ready to find camp. I'd suggested that we push onward - to Cow Trail Canyon, where we'd heard that there was water - so that we wouldn't need to worry about consuming our remaining water with dinner, knowing that we could refill everything in the morning for the next day's trek. @mrs.turbodb agreed that it seemed like a good idea, so the two of them pushed onward up the main trail as I zigzagged my way back and forth across the wash, hoping to miss as few ancestral sites as possible!

This big ruin was a nice discovery, and I really liked the water staining above it on the sandstone.​

Twenty-seven dots and a duck.​

Guys on a ledge.​

Pairs of prints.​

With less than a quarter mile to go, I wandered by the Birds and Hands panel alone, wondering if my companions had noticed it - located twenty feet above their heads - as they strolled through this bend in the wash in search of somewhere to spend the night. They hadn't, unfortunately, but they'd found an even cooler panel in Cow Trail Canyon when I met up with them a few minutes later, so it wasn't too big of a deal.

Beneath a glowing wall. (left) | Birds (top right) and Hands (bottom right) of the Birds and Hands Panel.
​

With daylight fading as I entered Cow Trail Canyon, I was greeted by a pair of packs. Knowing that a search for water was underway, I too sloughed off my ULA Ultra Circuit and - without even grabbing my camera - set off in pursuit. I'd find them a quarter mile further - still without water - having stumbled on a large rock art panel.

At this point - given that we'd seen scant water since entering Grand Gulch earlier in the day - I was starting to become a little concerned. I'd known this was a possibility and because of it, I'd refrained from drinking much of anything all afternoon. Still, the 4 liters of water I was carrying wasn't much in the overall scheme of things. While it might get us through dinner and breakfast, we needed to find more soon. So, after a quick look at the panel and a few cell phone photos, I continued up-canyon while the ladies headed back to the packs to find a spot to setup camp for the night.

First night's camp.​

The hikeable portion of Cow Trail Canyon - from the Grand Gulch side - isn't very long and ends at a 15-foot spillover requiring ropes, so mere minutes after splitting up I was relieved when I found an enormous pool of water below the spillover. The mouth of the canyon would be the perfect spot to camp, allowing us to admire the large rock art panel and gather water in the morning!

Soon, I too was back at camp, relating my discovery as we unfurled our sleeping bags and pulled sandy shoes off our tired feet. Dinner - of Chicken Pesto Pasta from Peak Refuel - was soon rehydrating as we discussed everything we'd seen, and our progress for the day.

And then, our bodies tired and bellies full, we slipped into our sleeping bags under a blanket of stars. We still had a long way to go, but we were doing it!

Slickrock under the stars.​

 

Left the Light On | First Backpack #2
Part of the First Time Backpacking: Into Grand Gulch (Apr 2025) trip.

I wasn't sure how comfortable @mini.turbodb would be under the stars and on slickrock, but with a few strategically placed rocks - which we all placed around our pads - to alert her to a getting-too-close-to-the-edge situation, she slept great. Better than either @mrs.turbodb or me, in fact!

We'd set an alarm for two minutes before sunrise, which was technically about 30 minutes later than we should have gotten going. The cool morning temperatures are much nicer to hike in, and we weren't yet familiar with how long it would take to filter our water. Regardless, we had a relatively easy morning around camp, our breakfast consisting of Quest Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Protein Bars. They were gross, but reasonably filling and didn't add much weight to our packs, so there was that. Plus, we hoped the other flavors we'd brought along would be better.

Gathering up cameras, our nearly empty water containers, and the First Need XL Elite water filter, we headed back up the canyon to the pool - Cow Tank - I'd found the night before. And of course, along the way, we stopped to check out the large rock panel my compatriots had discovered.

Less than half an hour after sunrise, the ancient canvas was already bathed in sunlight.​

An Orange Mallow gleamed in the morning rays.​

Cow Tank rock art.


Whitewashed.​

These swirled hands reminded me of the prints I'd seen at Shaw Arch.​

Procession of sheep.​

I'm not sure why, but I really liked the simplicity of these lines.​

One white man is not like the others.​

In a nearby cave, we found sharpening grooves. (top left) | Corn cobs and stone flakes. (bottom left) | And a grinding slick. (right)
​

After poking around for a bit in the warm sun - a luxury we'd later wish we'd skipped as the temperatures rose into the mid-70s °F through the afternoon - we pushed onward, reaching the pool of water I'd found the previous evening. Plenty of tracks - both human and otherwise - suggested that this was a frequently visited place as we set about readying the filter.

Thank goodness for filters, that water looks gross.​

I shouldn't have been surprised - the filter we were using came highly recommended by someone who'd declared himself "very picky about the water I drink" - but it was amazing to see how clear the water was as we poured it into our bottles. It tasted good too, which I can only assume is not what we'd have experienced if we were sampling it directly!

At any rate, the filter was reasonably quick, but even so, it took us a good twenty minutes to filter the 8 liters of water - hopefully enough to last us through the day - that would tide us over until we found our next pool. And then, we stuffed them in our packs and resumed our trek through Grand Gulch.

As we scrambled up to some rock art, we saw the nicest Claret Cup of the trip.​

I wish we'd been a little earlier to catch this panel in the shade, but it was a nice high white panel above the wash.​

Parade of birds.​

Having been in lower Grand Gulch only a few weeks earlier to hike Shangri-La and Water Canyon, it was remarkable how bright the foliage was as we continued along the trail. The Cottonwood trees - only just starting to bud on our last trip - were a now brilliant green as they cascaded down the canyon, offering us a nice respite from the sun's rays.

Gulch of green.​

Shady alcoves became favorite stretches of trail as we tried to beat the heat.

The ladies.​

Rim light.​

Cottonwood colony.​

We stopped for lunch somewhere around the mouth of Step Canyon. We hadn't run into any water since leaving Cow Tank, so we were glad to be carrying a full load, even if it meant heavier packs than we'd have otherwise preferred. As we had the day before, PB&J sandwiches were assembled and consumed in mere seconds, followed by four slices (each) of juicy mandarin orange - the only fresh food we'd eat for the day - that were savored slowly.

And, it was about this time - and certainly in this area - that I pushed a little way into Step Canyon in search of the Quail Panel. For some reason - though this is a relatively well-known panel - I'd gotten my waypoint from Wikipedia, and it was quickly obvious that it was wrong, and I had no idea where we should be looking. I suspected that it might be across the wash from our current location, but with a teenager who was seriously considering trying to jog the remaining 20 miles to the head of Kane Gulch in order to "get to a shower," I decided to abandon the search and leave the Quail Panel for a future foray through Step Canyon. Instead, we moved on to the next waypoint, only a few hundred feet in the "towards showers" direction.

Lone figure on a flake.​

Two guys and their snake.​

Multi-colored men. I really liked how the guy in the middle seems to be hunched over and walking. The guy on the right has a duck head.​

While the true meaning behind the duckhead man petroglyphs will likely never be fully understood, a few possible interpretations - based on the cultural and historical context of the Ancestral Puebloans who created them - are that the duckhead man represents a shaman who could transform into a bird and fly to other realms; that he is a symbol of water and fertility, since ducks are associated with rivers and lakes; or, that ducks were the form taken by Katsina (spirit beings) when travelling.

The white guys aren't the interesting ones. Initially, we didn't even notice the two camouflaged figures.​

I spotted Two-Story Ruin - which I didn't realize was anything more than a small granary from our current viewing angle - just as we turned away from photographing the camo-yellow, duckhead pictographs. On a high ledge, I hoped we could find a way up and that the ledge was wide enough to traverse once we were there. It turns out it was, but only for "me" rather than "we."

We all got to enjoy this overachieving Claret Cup, but only I continued on to the ruin.​

Rather unassuming from this side.​

Two-Story ruin from the other side.​

Rock art of Two-Story Ruin.
This guy looks like he's slide-stepping. (left) | Snake. (right)​

A close up of the protruding floor joists that supported the "upstairs." (Albeit with no actual stairs.) (left) | View out of the second story window. (right)
​

Not wanting to push on quite as long as we had the previous day, and having heard that there was crystal clear water near Green House Ruin, our discussion turned to one of whether we should camp near the mouth of Green House Canyon or keep going for another mile or two before settling in for the evening. Consumed in this conversation, neither @mrs nor @mini.turbodb noticed as a parade of twelve hikers approached us from the opposite direction.

Turns out, these were a group of 55-78-year-olds who were part of the Sierra Club. We'd run into a couple of their group just as we'd readied ourselves at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station, and @mrs.turbodb - always good remembering names - quickly reminded Kathy of our encounter. This went a long way to break the ice, and before long, we were all chatting about what we'd seen so far, water sources, and our plans for the rest of the week.

Unsurprisingly, all of us planned to go see the Green House Ruin, though when I asked the Sierra Club guide - a 74-year-young whippersnapper - if it was accessible, I was promptly given the side-eye and told "technically yes, but it depends on your tolerance of exposure."

I filed that away as "challenge accepted," and as the Sierra Clubbers filled their water bags straight from a murky pool of water that looked significantly worse than what we'd filtered at Cow Tank, and definitely not anything I'd describe as the crystal clear water we'd been told about, our party of three got a few minute head start toward the ruin.

No surprise how Green House Ruin got its name.​

At first glance, Green House looks inaccessible, but there's almost always a way, and before long I'd worked my way a little further along the base of the cliff and found a crack I could climb to the upper level. As I did, the Sierra Club group reached the lower viewpoint, and to a series of, "No way we can get up there," it was fun to hear someone spot me as I reached the ruin, and exclaim that "someone is up there!"

Knowing I wouldn't have the place to myself for long, I set about snapping a few photos.

Green House door.​

Green House view.​

Even more interesting than Green House itself - in my opinion at least - were a couple of granaries in the same alcove. Reasonably hard to reach, these still had their door slabs, always a fun find since they often seem to wander off as more folks visit.

Small granary.​

Larger granary.​

As I climbed back down, I got another side-eye from the Sierra Club leader - who was on his way up with the more adventurous senior citizens - and we chatted for a couple minutes about some of the rock art elsewhere in the gulch. As part of this, he assured me that the Quail Panel I'd missed was not at the mouth of Step Canyon, rather it was "up a good way," which made me feel a little better about not finding it earlier in the day.

By now it was nearing 6:00pm and @mini.turbodb had already headed back to the packs so she could sit down in the shade and rest. As I hooked up with @mrs.turbodb - who was chatting away with the more reasonable seniors who'd not climbed to the ruin - I mentioned that in looking for the ruin access, I'd also found the crystal-clear spring water and that we should camp somewhere nearby so we could use it to fill up the following morning.

That worked for her - and we both knew it'd be music to the kiddo's ears - assuming we could find a suitable location, so as she relayed the plan, I set about looking for an access trail to a bit of slickrock I hoped would be flat enough for us to call home for the night.

As I scampered around the confluence of Green House Canyon and Grand Gulch, I hoped we'd be able to take advantage of the view for the next 12 hours!​

After a bit of poking around, I found a spot just above - and out of sight - of the sandy spot the Sierra Club group claimed as their own. Not only did it offer a few flat spots for us to lay out our bags, but it sported easy access up another couple levels of sandstone to our own personal ruin!

Secret ruin.​

Having found camp a couple hours earlier than the previous evening, we relaxed on the warm sandstone as the light changed around us and the large group below went about their business, completely unaware of our presence. Dinner for us was another Peak meal - Sweet Pork & Rice, one of our favorite - and all the water we could consume, knowing we'd have no problem refilling in the morning.

We hit the sack early - before it was even fully dark. Day two had been a doozy.​

As dusk settled in, someone in the group below called everyone together to begin their evening seminar. The topic - something about the Uranium found in these parts of Utah - surely chosen to put any eavesdroppers to sleep. It worked a charm, and soon - as I struggled to read a few pages on my Kindle - I heard snoring a few feet away on the sandstone.

Left the light on for ya.



.​

 

Hump Day | First Backpack #3
Part of the First Time Backpacking: Into Grand Gulch (Apr 2025) trip.

Despite dozing off easily, our second night on the trail wasn't as great as the first. With all the dusty, dry conditions, I woke up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose, and our proximity to water resulted in a few mosquito bites - on the face - for @mini.turbodb.

Still, we were all in reasonably good spirits when @mrs.turbodb's alarm went off, and soon, she and I were packing stuffing our backpacks - having informed the kiddo that she could stay warm in her bag - in preparation for the short walk to refill our water containers with crystal clear water from the Green House Spring.

Visiting Grand Gulch for a day hike requires a pass, and camping below the rim requires an overnight permit. Both are inexpensive and help to fund our public lands. They need our support more than ever.
For more information, check out BLM Utah Cedar Mesa Permits and Passes Information.

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Half an hour later we'd collected the child and were busy devouring our Quest Crispy Cookies and Creme protein bars - ultimately our favorite variant - just as the sun crested the horizon. The cool morning air was the perfect way to start the morning, and soon we were into a familiar routine.

Framed granary.​

Sticks and mud.​

We spotted this anthropomorph on the canyon wall through the trees.​

When we'd left the Kane Gulch Ranger Station - and as we'd checked the weather before we'd arrived - we were informed that there was a 30% chance of rain this afternoon. Though 30% wasn't high, the possibility of a cool cloud cover and a few minutes of refreshment seemed like a great thing to us, so we were excited to see clouds in the sky as we continued along our way.

In addition to moderating the temperatures, the gray clouds added a nice bit of drama to the surroundings without completely muting the colors.​

The bright green Cottonwoods were plentiful and made an already cheery morning even better.​

In addition to our let's-take-advantage-of-cooler-morning-temps start, we also took a few minutes - before we really got going and as @mini.turbodb downed her first Snickers bar of the day - to set an approximate target spot on the trail. Reaching this goal would help to ensure we weren't falling behind in our quest to exit Kane Gulch with enough time to catch our flight home.

We were shooting for 6.5 miles - plus side trips in search of rock art and ruins - on day 3.​

Our goal set, we pushed on. The going here was significantly easier than it had been during the first two days - largely because there were trails along the bank of the wash instead of trudging through the sandy bottom as we'd been forced to do between Government Trail and Green House Canyon - and we made good time as we pushed toward the mouth of Bullet Canyon. Above us, the clouds we'd welcomed just an hour earlier for the shade they provided gave way to what could only be deemed perfect weather.

Our earlier hopes of a refreshing afternoon shower were dashed as the clouds gave way to brilliant blue skies.​

As we reached Bullet Canyon, @mrs.turbodb and I did our best to bore the child - to death if you listen to her tell it - with our incessant parental blabbering about how this place was our introduction to Grand Gulch - when we'd day-hiked a 17-mile loop hike through Bullet and Shieks Canyon - several years earlier.

"Cool," she replied. "Do you think if we stop talking and keep walking, we can finish today?"

If you're not picky about sleeping on slickrock, there's a great camp site at the bottom of Bullet Canyon.​

Her comment was all in good fun - she was having a good time, even if she would never admit such a thing openly to her parents - we snacked on some trail mix as our shoulders enjoyed a few packless minutes in the shade of the Bullet Canyon campsite. Then, knowing that there were a few cool ruins up ahead, we loaded up and moved out.

Before long, Wall Ruin clung to the cliff above us, and it was time for a little climbing.

By the time you climb to Wall Ruin, it's hard to photograph, so the best photos are from banks of the wash below.​

A cool little ruin hidden behind a large slab of sandstone.​

Reaching the lower level of Wall Ruin is a bit of a scramble, but the upper levels require a 25-foot climb up a narrow crack between a slab of sandstone and the canyon wall where it was once attached. It's not overly difficult, but it keeps the riff-raff out.

The doorway on this ruin reminds me of the Horse Collar Ruins in Natural Bridges National Monument.​

White pictographs along the same ledge.​

The sun now out in full force, temperatures began to rise as the orange rock absorbed - and then radiated - the heat in our direction. It was getting on 11:00am, and we'd been going for a little more than three hours; it was time to keep an eye out for a spot to eat lunch.

Even with the heavy pack @mini.turbodb had no problem keeping up with - or ahead of - her ancient adults.​

A mostly-clear pothole of water, and some shade provided by the Cottonwoods here at the mouth of Sheiks Canyon was a perfect place for a noon-time lunch.​

Sandwiches, Snickers bars, and the ever-prized slices of mandarin orange - along with plenty of water - were on the menu once again, and once again they hit the spot. Then - while @mrs.turbodb rested in the shade for a few minutes - the kiddo and I broke out the First Need XL Elite water filter to replenish that which we'd consumed since leaving the Green House. While perhaps not entirely necessary, it allowed us to feel better about ending up "anywhere" later in the evening, knowing that we'd have plenty of water to hold us over until at least lunch the following day.

This thing was great, producing water just as good as the fantastic water we drink at home. 100% worth the extra size and weight compared to other filters.​

Recharged and back on the trail.​

Balanced rock.​

The grandest of gulch views.​

Shortly after lunch, we passed the mouth of Sheiks Canyon - marking the end of the short section of Grand Gulch we were familiar with - and a large, abandoned bend in the wash seemed like the perfect place for some ruins and rock art to hang out unassumingly on the sandstone wall. The only real problem here was that there was a bit of a climb - with no guaranteed payoff - so I shed my pack, grabbed my camera, and voiced - perhaps with a bit of hope - my intention to be back in 20 minutes.

Little did I know that I'd discover my favorite pictograph panel of the trip in that short time!

I couldn't get too close - I was perhaps 100 feet away due to the terrain - but this Ghostly Heads Panel was unusual and a great find!​

A little granary high on the cliff was inaccessible.​

These petroglyphs - with a dancing sheep and long timeline - were fun to puzzle over for a bit.​

The clouds we certainly cooperating today!​

Only a few minutes after my initial estimate, I returned with a big grin on my face and soon we were back on the trail as we circumnavigated the Thumb Pour Over. This was the only spot - over our entire five-day journey - where we'd lose the trail twice in close succession, in ways that were not immediately recoverable by returning to the wash. It was no big deal - beyond adding an extra half-mile to our day's total - but worth mentioning due to its irregularity. Soon enough though, we were back on the scent, our detour not entirely in vain as we'd spotted a just-out-of-reach ruin as we'd retraced our steps back to the main trail.

Now why would they call this thing a Thumb? ​

We were cliffed out on our first attempt at reaching this little granary.​

Hoping for redemption, we regrouped in the wash before deciding to split up - again - so I could bash my way through some bushes in order to make a second attempt on the elusive ruin. It would once again be a great decision, as I'd ultimately stumble on my second favorite pictograph panel and discover that the small granary we'd seen was only one of several!

Three granary convention.​

A well-used mano in its mortero.​

I loved the drama of The Watchman surrounded by hands. An unexpected surprise!​

Twin i's. Lower-case, obviously.​

A few other glyphs of The Watchman Panel. A peacock? (left) | With a heart? (top right) | I don't recall ever seeing a mud rainbow before. (bottom right)


I couldn't help snapping a second shot of this unusual guy as I departed the site.​

There wasn't much left of this tiny ruin that I spotted as I headed back to meet up with my hiking partners on the main trail.​

It turned out that I'd covered more ground than any of us had expected as I'd explored the sandstone wall that confined us to this meandering gash in the Earth's surface, so as I regained the trail along the bank of the wash, I whistled our family call - which was quickly returned by both women - and waited for them to catch up.

Not far behind.​

Afternoon light.​

A little after 4:00pm when we joined forces again, we were thrilled - though none of us more-so than @mini.turbodb - to find that we were less than half a mile from the target location we'd designated at the beginning of the day! This lit a fire under her feet like little else could and soon we were pushing toward the finish line, albeit an arbitrary one.

The push lasted about 500 feet, at which point I predictably declared that there was a ruin and a few pictographs we needed to check out. By this point, @mini.turbodb had mentioned in passing that she liked named sites "better," so seeing that the ruins were nestled into several nooks at varying levels in the alcove, I quickly named it Eight-Level Ruin.

Eight levels. That got her attention. It ended up being her favorite ruin of the trip!

Several of the structures appeared to be platforms on which ladders once stood, allowing access to the higher levels of the ruin.​

Learning an important angle for dramatic ruin photography.​

Looks like a couple habitations were demolished in favor of new construction.​

Rock art of Eight-Level Ruin.
Owl. (left) | Inverse hand. (top right) | Spear hunter. (bottom right)​

There was a nice collection of potsherds here as well.​

After poking around at Eight-Level for a while, it was high time to start looking for a bit of level slickrock to call home for the night. Unfortunately, after a good amount of searching - by both @mrs.turbodb and me - nothing - or at least nothing easily attainable with heavy packs strapped to our backs - presented itself. Luckily though, @mrs.turbodb found a reasonably flat grassy spot that would reduce the amount of dusty sand around camp, and ready to get off our feet, we decided it was worth a shot.

What it didn't have were any good places to setup the JetBoil stove, so before setting up for the night, we boiled water for our Peak Refuel packets on a large boulder in the wash. Tonight we were each going out on our own, with a trio of entrees. @mrs.turbodb would be eating Butternut Dal Bhat, the kiddo was sampling the Beef Pasta Marinara, and I was giving the Venison Country Casserole a shot.

They all hit the spot, but only the Butternut Dal Bhat was a favorite as compared to the Sweet Pork & Rice and Chicken Pesto Pasta.

Dinner view.​

When all you do is boil water, cleanup after dinner is trivial, and soon the trash and stove were stowed in our packs as we climbed the nearby bank to the grassy area that would allow our feet, shoulders, and hips to recover from the incessant torture we'd inflicted over the last 72 hours. Tonight though, we had a bit more work to do before crawling into our bags: with grassy terrain closer to the wash came a higher risk of mosquitoes, so it was time to break out the tent and give it a go.

We're supposed to fit three people in *that*?!​

Soon enough we were brushing our teeth and - to the best of our ability - trying to clean off our feet. To our surprise - and though we were all ready for a shower - the third day of our trip had been the most fun (and easiest) yet!

Better hang up the food tonight, it looks like Racoon Jr. might be in the area. This print was tiny - only about an inch wide!​

We had no idea as we dozed off to sleep - smushed together like sardines in a mosquito net - but those showers would come sooner than we expected. We were way ahead of schedule!

 

Are We There Yet? | First Backpack #4
Part of the First Time Backpacking: Into Grand Gulch (Apr 2025) trip.

Even before we'd pulled our sleeping bags out of the tent, I was distracted. Just outside an alcove behind the grassy area we'd called home, I'd stumbled upon some colorful spring flowers that were also waking up to a new day.

Indian Paintbrush. (left) | Evening Primrose (Oenothera). (center) | Utah Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis). (right)​

The difference between the three of us and the flowers was that the flowers hadn't been stuffed into an ultralight Marmot Superalloy 3P for the last 12 hours. Now, I shouldn't complain too much - the mosquito netting of the tent did its job fantastically and we were bite-free come morning - but the 3P(erson) sizing of the tent was optimistic at best. Of course, we knew this going in, but it's fun to complain every now and then.

A teenage look of joy after a night of trying to stay stick-straight and motionless.​

As had been the case on previous mornings, breakfast would be a new flavor - Lemon Cake - of Quest protein bar. Not as good as the Crispy Cookies and Creme, but our second-favorite overall, and a nice faux-fresh flavor of chalk to start the day.

After packing up our sleeping gear - which, for all our complaining about size, the Marmot tent was amazingly easy to pack - it was time to set off in search of water. We hadn't found any that we wanted to drink since lunch the previous day, but we'd heard of another clear, running spring about three miles further up the trail - in Todie Canyon - and figured we could refill there at lunch.

A welcome cloud cover as we got underway.​

Everything seemed even more brilliant under darker skies.​

We'd been getting an earlier start every day of the trip, and this day was no exception. Having left camp at 7:40am, it was the first point at which I realized we were way ahead of schedule. Maybe even a full day ahead. With three miles to Todie Canyon, then only a couple more to Junction Ruin at the mouth of Kane Gulch. From there, it was only three miles to the ranger station, which meant that we were - having covered 10-12 miles per day to this point - a mere 8 miles from "done."

We had to slow down. And we had to do it in a way that @mini.turbodb would be none the wiser. Which meant I couldn't tell @mrs.turbodb, either.

Luckily, the ruins - or at least, the ones I knew to look for - started in an alcove only a few hundred feet from our camp site. The first couple were just small, now-inaccessible granaries, but the reflected light on their water-stained alcoves added visual appeal as we stopped for a look with the binoculars.

Staying dry. Placement of the granary between the two water stains was no accident.​

Still structurally sound after more than 1,000 years.​

As the sun started to break through and reflect off the orange rock around us, it made for fantastic lighting conditions. Plus, the bottoms of the clouds picked up a purple tinge, which is always fun.​

We reached Split Level Ruins - one of the more extensive and well-known sites in Grand Gulch - just before 9:00am. Even from the main trail it was obvious that this was going to be an interesting place to look around, and even the kiddo was wondering aloud - as she rooted around for her camera - about what we'd find amongst the structures.

Split Level Ruins.​

The Split Level site is believed to have been occupied during the Pueblo II-Pueblo Period (900 -- 1300 AD). However, there are rock images and artifacts found at the site which indicate an earlier Basketmaker occupation. Archaeologists estimate the population of the Split Level Ruin during Pueblo times to be from 30 to 40 people.

Dating of occupation for the site was done in 1974 when several beams found within site structures were cored for dendrochronologicai (tree ring) dating. The oldest core sample dated hack to approximately 897 AD; while the latest core sample date was around 1255 AD. The dates are approximate because the outside rings of the beams were often weathered and difficult to discern but still gives us a framework to understand when the site was occupied.

Eighteen structures have been recorded by archaeologists on the main (lower) level, with six more structures in the inaccessible upper alcove

There are three kivas at the Split Level site, identified as partially underground structures that once had roofs made of log beams covered with willows, bark, and, finally, plastered with mud.

​

Failing wood-beam roof of one of the kivas.​

There is a structure thought to have acted as habitation rooms with a kiva just below and a small storage structure attached at the upper north end. On the east side of the rooms is a small structure containing some small rock slabs forming a three-sided box-like structure that may have been used for grinding corn.

Other smaller masonry structures at this site, which appear blackened by fire, were probably used as habitation rooms. The smaller structures with no fire-blackened walls, situated along the back wall of the site, were probably used to store crops.

It is thought that the inaccessible structures on the ledges above may have been built for defensive purposes. It is possible that during the prolonged drought of the late Pueblo Period, with poor crops and little food, intra-tribal or intra-family strife became a problem.

​

Inaccessible upper ruins.​

Some rock imagery can be found on the large slabs located east of the split-level structure and north of the trail. It includes shield-like figures, concentric circles, spirals, pawprints, handprints, bighorn sheep, and birds.

The archaeological sites of Grand Gulch have sacred spiritual value for the descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans: the Hopi, the Zuni, and the Rio Grande pueblos, and should be treated with care and visited with respect.

BLM Info Sign​

The great thing about Split Level Ruin was that there was a ton to see in addition to the mail Split Level structure. A series of granaries along the back wall with varied construction techniques, roof rafters - now exposed to the elements after whatever covering once kept the elements at bay was - on a couple of the rooms, and plenty of potsherds and corn cobs.

Back Room ruin.​

A look at the lower-level roof - or was it a walk-out deck for the upper-level - of Split Level Ruin.​

Evidence of daily life.​

It's always been about location, even the Ancestral Puebloan knew that!​

Hopefully the ruins remain long after this logbook is lost to history.​

Returning to our packs after a good 45 minutes of looking around - there were apparently some petroglyphs we never were able to find - it was time to figure out a solution to a problem I'd been having for the last few hours with my ULA Ultra Circuit pack. At just over 2 lbs., I loved how light it was - and it seemed to fit me well, putting most of the weight on my hips - but the weight reduction meant that there was very little padding in the shoulder straps, and they were starting to chaff on my "massive" trapezoids (neck muscles). Long term I'll probably look at adding some actual pads, but for now, some shouldersocks™ made for a quick trail-fix, and we were back on our way in no time.

I do not have massive traps; more likely, I just strangely shaped.​

Towering below Todie.​

As we rounded the last bend before reaching the mouth of Todie Canyon, we took a quick detour to check out a couple interesting ruins and a few pictographs nestled into an alcove. At the time, I thought we were visiting most of the sites - it seemed as though we were entering quite a few alcoves percentage-wise - but looking through trip reports from others now that we've returned, I think we probably saw less than half of what there is to see!

Twin ruins.​

Helping hands.​

@mrs.turbodb found these nicely patterned potsherds. (left) | Nearby, a mustard reached toward the sun. (right)
​

We entered Todie Canyon half an hour before lunch and with the lightest packs we'd carried all trip. Those light packs - we were down to our last 2L of water - wouldn't last long, since we planned to fill up in the running spring a half mile up canyon, but for the time being there was a little more spring in our step. Wandering up the canyon, we easily found the spring and I set about digging out a small pool. That task accomplished, we sought out some shade where to eat lunch, giving the silt and mud time to be carried off - settle out - while we ate lunch, allowing us to drop our filter into the cool, crystal-clear water.

I think this filter would clean even the murkiest of muck, but it felt good to start with already-pristine spring water.​

As was the case on every previous day, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - enjoyed in the shade of a Cottonwood - never tasted so good, and we savored our few slices of mandarin as we sucked down the last of the water, plenty more available once worked up the energy to pump it.

Eventually we were able to work up that energy, and as we were stowing the last of our water in the pockets of our packs, two women approached from Grand Gulch. As always, we were all excited to see each other, and quickly settled into the usual, "where are you coming from, where are you headed," and "what was the water like" topics that are all that really matter in a place like this. Turns out that they'd come in via our exit route - Kane Gulch - earlier the same morning, and were making it a loop by heading out Todie Canyon, all as a day hike.

The fact that we were within day-hike-distance of the Kane Gulch Ranger station was not lost on @mini.turbodb. Not more than a few seconds after our groups wished each other well - and with a big smile on her face - she boldly addressed the topic I'd been hesitant to mention for most of the morning:

"What are we waiting for?" she beamed, "Let's get going!"

"Don't worry," I reassured her, "We're way ahead of schedule I don't think there's any chance we won't be done tomorrow." Still, I reminded her, we had plenty to see between now and then, and surely she'd rather see it now than be forced to return for a second trip!

We thought this rock looked like a heart, and it had a cute little tree growing on the top as well!​

And this one looked like a hen sitting on her clutch!​

As morning turned to afternoon, the sun - once again - seemed to be gaining the upper hand in the sky, patches of blue spreading in all directions as the clouds disappeared into thin air. This made for some dramatic views as various stretches of the sandstone walls were alternately illuminated, and were a reminder of just how a bit of light can make all the difference.

Grand Gulch framing.​

The knowledge of how close we were to the end really did add a pep to the step of the kiddo, and suddenly it wasn't such a big deal to stop for a few minutes rock art and ruin sites anymore. The first of these - an alcove not too far away - I'd noted as Sheep on a Bike, which also helped to pique her interest.

Sheep on a Bike.​

I really liked the conglomeration of symbols on this nearby panel.


There were also some tall, vertical elements on these panels that I really liked.
Hands up! (left) | Tall grass. (right)​

Scorpion!​

One of the things about photographing ruins and rock art is that the biggest enemy to the entire situation is direct sunlight. Not only does the sunlight fade the art over time, but it creates all sorts of harsh shadows and making it difficult to capture the details. The best case for any photography when reflected light illuminates the scene, but consistent lighting - whether it be full sun or full shade - is always better than partial coverage.

We'd arrived at the Sheep on a Bike alcove just as the shadows had been passing through the panel, so after explaining the situation to the youngest of our party, we waited about half an hour for the whole thing to be in the sun before snapping our shots and getting back on our way.

Naturally, this also required a bit of reassurance. Yes, we'd still be able to finish the following morning.

​

Stimper Arch. Now with tree.
(said tree was nowhere to be seen a mere 11 years earlier)​

So small.​

With the entrance to Kane Gulch now nearly within sight, we had only two more stops before we'd start our climb out of the canyon. The first of these was one known as Turkey Pen Ruin.

Our first hint of Turkey Pen was this elaborate, inaccessible structure in an alcove high above.​

Outline twins.​

Double doors.​

Pair of sheep.​

Jumping jacks.​

While there probably weren't any turkeys kept here - at least, not in pens - there are a series of canes embedded in the ground that suggest some sort of containment. More likely, these canes were the "bones" for a jacal structure - perhaps a circular granary - that was either abandoned during construction or eroded as the people who called this place home moved on to a different location.

The Turkey Pen. Even the turkeys had a nice view!​

The jacal (stick) structure was definitely a highlight, but there were a couple of other unexpected finds as well.

This K9 jaw had a hole in it, indicating that it was once worn as a necklace.​

This was the largest collection of potsherds we found at any site.
(Note: it's frowned upon to collect potsherds like this anymore; leave them where you find them.)​

Our second stop - after Turkey Pen - was named for its location within Grand Gulch. Junction Ruin - at the junction between Grand Gulch and Kane Gulch would be our last stop of the day, and we'd eventually find camp on a nearby slickrock ledge. But that - and our celebratory climb out of the canyon - are for the final part of this story.

Seeya next time!





.
​

 

I wonder. If you could build shelters similar to these, and others throughout history, could you spend a season in them? A whole season--or a couple of weeks just to experience life through the Ancient's lens.

 

Junction Ruin and Out at Kane Gulch | First Backpack #5
Part of the First Time Backpacking: Into Grand Gulch (Apr 2025) trip.

With only 4 miles between us and a hot shower, we strolled right past the mouth of Kane Gulch on our way to check out Junction Ruin. Then, the plan was to tick off another mile - or so - of the trail out, in search of a nice slickrock camp site for the night.

But oh, how plans change.

High above the wash, there was no way we were going to get ourselves up to this gem of a ruin.​

As we approached the enormous alcove in which Junction Ruin sat, it began to rain. The storm we'd expected on the previous day was finally rolling through, and while the raindrops were huge, the shower passed quickly, all evidence of the moisture gone in a matter of moments.

While we grumble about the gray skies at home, here, they were a treat!​

A dry spot to defy gravity.​

Junction Ruin was named because of its location at the confluence of Grand Gulch and Kane Gulch. It dates to Basketmaker II times, though there is little evidence that remains. Pueblo II and Ill times are better represented. An extensive site consisting of three levels, the lower level contains 28 features, the middle includes 14, and the upper alcove, which is now inaccessible, consists of 17 features.

The function of individual structures may not always be apparent, but storage cysts and structures, habitation rooms, kivas, and defensive structures have all been identified at this site. There is also a strong representation of varying architectural types here, including both wet and dry laid adobe masonry and jacal, or waddle and daub (mud plaster laid over a matrix of sticks).

Specific structures like storage cysts and other above-ground structures were used to store food (corns, beans, and squash) or water. Storage structures tend to be smaller with smaller entryways, which would have been closed using a rock or door slab. At some of the storage units here, you can still see the lintel across the inside top of the doorway, which prevented the door slabs from falling inward. Storage units generally lack any soot and smoke blackening.

Habitation rooms tend to be larger and have thicker walls and a larger entrance than storage units. The walls and ceilings are typically blackened from smoke and soot, indicating that the Ancestral Puebloans made fires inside for warmth or cooking. Ventilators and deflectors are also generally present as a means of ventilating smoke from the structure, similar to a modern chimney.

Three of the features on the main lower level are kivas. They would have had roof beams and roofing material such as juniper bark, and an opening would have been present to enter from the roof into the kiva by use of a ladder. The ventilator shafts, small niches, benches, and plaster are still visible.

The defensive structures at this site have been identified as the entire upper level. To the left of the site and midway up is a ladder platform, which seems to have provided the only access to this upper level. If you look closely above the platform, you will see the remains of a portion of the original ladder, which has now been bolted into the wall for stabilization purposes.

​

I don't care what the BLM says, a few sticks do not make a functional ladder (on the left).​

​

The red mortar remnants on the ceilings and walls to the back of the alcove indicate that there had been a wall or previous structure there which has since fallen.

The rock art at the site includes both petroglyphs (pecked images) and pictographs (painted). There are numerous positive and negative handprints using white and red paint. Yellow and orange abstracts, spirals, and anthropomorphs are also present.

​

Memories of those who enjoyed this place before us.
​

The large rock in the middle of the lower level contains many grinding areas, stone manos to grind corn, while many of the grooves may have been used for sharpening these grinding tools.

A grinding slick (left) and metate (right), along with two manos.
​

Some of the artifacts collected from this site by early archeologists included ceramics, ground stone, lithics, bone tools, and perishable artifacts including sandals; cordage, textiles, basketry, corn, squash, wood, hide, and coprolites. Information can be gained from these artifacts now and in the future with new and updated scientific technology.

Junction Ruin was stabilized in 1966 and again in 1984. Careful site visitation will aid in keeping this site from further deterioration. The rock art was documented in 1992 and was part of a research program in conjunction with the BLM and Earthwatch.

BLM Info Sign​

Climbing into the lowest level of the alcove, a small room off to the side - away from the heaviest traffic, and thus in better condition than most of the more accessible ruins - turned out to be my favorite. Perched on a narrow shelf, it appeared to have had several phases of construction. First, the larger main room, originally with two entrances. Then, an addition on the back. And at some time, sealing up of the entrance facing away from the cliff.

There's a lot of history to see here when you look closely.​

The main lower-level structures of Junction Ruin.​

Kiva view.​

Shadow of the past.​

After looking around, reading through the information thoughtfully provided by the BLM, and @mini.turbodb's first unsupervised experience of signing a logbook, a quick time check - it was 5:45pm - reminded us that we'd still planned to head a little way up Kane Gulch to find camp for the night. This obviously wasn't necessary to stay on schedule - we were a full day ahead of our plan at this point. Rather, after a single night in the tent, we all preferred the slickrock-under-the-stars experience and hoped that a shelf or two would present themselves as we climbed out of the canyon.

The only problem was that we were all ready to be done for the day, and after a quick chat with a mom and son who'd come down through Kane Gulch - who estimated it was a couple miles to the flat slickrock site they'd seen on the way down - we decided we'd search around the junction a bit more to see if we could find something acceptable.

Flat enough.​

What we found wasn't perfect, but with two-and-a-half sleeping spots that didn't offer perilous ramps over the 20-foot-tall drop to the bottom of the wash, we decided the risk - with a few strategically placed rocks - was worth it. As a bonus, it had a great view!

We admired some of the upper-level structures of Junction Ruin throughout the evening.​

This would be our last dinner on the trail, and we had the choice between two of our favorite Peak Refuel options: Chicken Pesto Pasta or Sweet Pork & Rice. Ultimately we decided on the pork, and before long the little Jetboil was bubbling away with all the cooking necessary for our tasty treats.

This really is an amazing little bit of gear for boiling water. Three cups in less than three minutes.​

The wind picked up as we ate, making us doubly glad for our mostly-dust-free slickrock site as we watched the sand swirl around those camped in the wash below. And, as the light faded from the sky, it was a pleasure to hear - from her own mouth - how @mini.turbodb had mostly enjoyed everything we'd done, even if she'd complained along the way.

It was only a few minutes after sunset when we crawled into our bags, dreams of showers dancing through our heads.

I woke up in the middle of the night just as the moon was rising, illuminating the wall with Junction Ruin, but not yet bright enough to obscure the stars.​

The following morning...

We were all up with the sun the next morning. Our last night on the trail had been the coldest of the bunch and while we'd been warm in our bags, we were looking forward to getting the blood moving as we ascended some 700 feet over Kane Gulch's 3.5-mile length.

Last breakfast of protein bars. Today's menu was s'mores. We did not want s'more after the first bar.​

Time to up!​

We'd stumbled into a great decision when we'd decided to camp at the junction the previous evening; our bodies mostly recharged as we set off up the canyon in good spirits. The elevation profile for the day would be S-shaped - it'd start with a gradual slope, followed by increasingly steeper terrain until we reached the canyon rim, at which point it'd taper off again - a nice taper-in-and-out for our final push.

As we shuffled through a grove of oak, last fall's leaves created a monochromatic mosaic on the ground.​

Hello, spring.​

Before long we were gaining elevation, and I was keeping an eye out for the relatively few cultural sites I'd marked on this section of my maps. The first of these was a tower ruin that I thought we'd be able to see from the trail. Spotting nothing along the cliffside where I'd expected to find it, I dumped my pack and searched for a way to access the higher levels, hoping that it'd be nestled into an alcove and invisible from below.

Alas, even after scouring the 25- 50- and 100-foot ledges above the wash, I came up empty. Returning to the trail I relayed my failure, bummed that we'd missed one of our final chances at ruins.

At least the view from high above the wash was one to remember.​

Then, as we rounded the next gentle curve in the trail, I spotted it! The problem hadn't been the height at which I'd expected to see Tower Ruin, it'd been my placement of waypoint - based on a description I'd read in a trip report - for the ruin along this stretch of Kane Gulch. Yay!

Tower Ruin.​

Not knowing if there was anything more to see than the single structure, I asked if either of my two companions wanted to climb up to check it out. The kiddo - itching to get out - opted to stay behind, but @mrs.turbodb was game, and soon we were scrambling up a faint footpath toward the base of the sandstone wall.

The lighting on the ruins wasn't great when we arrived, but a nice sunstar made for a reasonable consolation prize.​

The pattern on this potsherd was the most interesting we'd seen all trip!​

I really liked this simple glyph we found on the wall.​

A few faint pictographs of a nearby panel.​

We didn't linger long at Tower Ruin with @mini.turbodb waiting below, working our way back down through the rocks and juniper to find her chatting with the mom and son we'd met the previous evening at Junction Ruin. She'd pointed us - and the ruin - out to them as they'd waited for our return, and after sharing a few photos of what we'd found, we wished them well and continued our climb out of the canyon.

Getting higher.​

Someone lose a giant tooth?​

It was still before 11:00am when we reached the top sandstone ledge and the cattle gate that marked some "official" edge of Kane Gulch. The terrain changed dramatically here, the vertical giving way to a much more horizontal formations.

Almost there.​

As we neared the ranger station, we the trail narrowed as it squeezed between two halves of a split rock.​

Rumpley ripples.​

Crossing UT-261 at 11:55am, Kane Gulch Ranger Station never looked so good. There, we'd pile into the Tacoma and shuttle back to the rental car that we'd left at the head of Government Trail to conclude what had been - despite a little complaining - a very successful First Backpack.

And - at least until she's older, and if she has any say - likely a Last Backpack as well.

Our steel steed back to civilization.​

Until next time, Bears Ears!






.​