Sunday, 12th of July 2009 at 04:33:37 PM

Wave 2009 Day 2, Friday May 29th: The Angels Landing hike at Zion N.P.

The day started very early at 5.30 a.m. checking out at Flamingo Hotel and taking I-15 north for a 2h45min drive towards Zion N.P. in South Utah. I was really looking forward to this long awaited hike. I had read so much and seen so many nice fotos of this hike. Originally I had planned to do it in my 2008 tour. Unfortunately there was heavy snow back then and I had to postpone. Now the day has come and i was so curious to experience myself how difficult and beautiful this hike is really. I had had no breakfast before arriving in Springdale where I used a refueling stop to have a quick  Mc Donalds cappuccino.I arrived at the Zion N.P. visitor center around 10:30 a.m.Here I took the shuttle bus to The Grotto stop, the trailhead to the Angels Landing hike. The weather was sunny when I crossed the bridge over the Virgin river spotting the first time the Angels Landing. Seen from here it looked really high. I could not imagine how the trail could overcome this altitude so quick, particularly cause the hiking trail was yet not visible. After a long left curve the ascent came to view leading steep to the refrigerator canyon. Hiking along the canyon I reached soon Walters Wiggels, a  steep zig-zag serpentine trail. They helped quickly overcome altitude and the first viewing area Scout Lookout was now near. I first thought havin arrived already on Angels Landing, cause the view from here into the valley was already awesome. Looking to the left I noticed that Angels Landing was still some 30 minutes ahead, another steep hike along a chain. Unfortuantely the weather had worsen during the ascent, big clouds were announcing rain. So I enjoyed the views from Scout lookout only shortly and continued along the chain towards Angels Landing plateau. It was around noon time already and many people where on the way to and from the plateau, so it got sometimes narrow at the chain and the rim hike. When I reached the Angels Landing plateau I made plenty of photos and then the rain began and urged all hikers to climb back to Scout Lookout. The Hike down to the Grotto shuttle stop was easy. Down at the Vigin river the weather had again changed, sun was back again and the clouds had disappeared. It was 3 pm now and my plan was to do some sunset photos at Bryce Canyon where I had booked a night at the historical Ruby’s Inn. After 2 h drive and a photo session at sunset point I had a very nice steak dinner with red wine at Ruby’s Inn. I went to bed early.

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Sunday, 12th of July 2009 at 05:52:17 PM

Wave 2009 Day 3, Saturday May 30th 2009: The Cottonwood Canyon Road disaster

This was a unforgetable horror day. The day which almost abruptly could have ended my whole phototrip. The day where I would have become aware that I would not see the Wave. The day where I would have been stuck in the muddy and impassable declared Cottonwood Canyon road. I still wonder how I managed to make it despite my lacking experience in Off-Road driving. But lets see in chronological order.

The day started early at 5 a.m. cause I wanted to do some sunset shots of the Bryce Canyon. I checked out at Ruby’s Inn and then I had to wait some minutes in my car with air condition at max. heat to free my windscreen from the ice. It was really cold in this altitude of almost 8000 feet ( 2400m) and I regreted the first (and only) time having only T-Shirts and no coat nor pullover with me. I arrived at Bryce Canyon Sunrise Point and made a nice shot of two deers on the rim of the morning-sun-lit bryce hoodoos. Then my plan was to take the Cottonwood Canyon (CWC) Road, a Dirt Road which is often used as short cut to reach from Bryce to Page and Lake Powell or vice versa. Beside this I had read in USA web forums the road is handled as awesome scenic byway which alone therefore is worth driving it. I had not read much about road conditions, just that it is advisable to ask at some ranger station for the conditions which might vary a lot. From Bryce Canyon towards  the Cottonwood Canyon Road the Kodachrome Basin Statepark invites for a short visit and as it was early in the morning I decided to give this park a try. I liked the different chimney rocks and made some photos. Exiting the park I stopped at the visitor center to ask for the CWC road conditions and the ranger told me that he has no information but he had seen some cars driving in this morning. He said I could try it but warned me that it had rained a lott the past days and there may be mud.  I had been so eager during planing to integrate the Cottonwood Canyon Road on my trip, and I had herefore booked the 4WD Rental and there were so many sights to see here that I would reluctantly resign on taking this dirt road.  I decided to give it a try. The CWC road started right near the Kodachrome Basin State Park and I stopped at the tourist sign to check for any notes. The road itself looked dry and driveable. But after approx. one mile a wash crossed the road and the main road was visibly impassable. But there were car tracks going down at the right and through a mudhole which still  seemed impassable to me. But the tracks led into the mudhole and therefore I believed it should be passible. I took  all my courage and accelerated the Kia Sportage downhill with full speed through the mudhole. I had a big adrenalin rush cause the car was immediately slowed down in the mudhole with a big  bang, mud was sputtering around and I noticed how the car got slower and slower. Luckily the mudhole was not very long, so I could free the car with further accelerating and countersteering the curling car . I stopped after passing the mudhole to breathe deeply. I believed that I had passed the worst and continued my drive. That mudhole was also a good reason to not turn back. Who knows if I would have made it another time. At this moment I did not know that I would be confronted with another 5 mudholes, one worse the other, especially one long-stretched mudhole where I still wonder how I managed to not get stuck. But now after this first fright I was targeting the Grossvenor Arch, a beautiful rock formation at the north end of the CWC road. I had no big troubles arriving there, just some cowboys with a big cattle herd made me stop to let them pass northwards on the CWCR. At the Grossvenor Arch the light conditions were not optimal (evening location), I still spent some 15 minutes for taking several shots. Then I continued south on CWCR. I liked driving the dirtroad were the road conditions were not too bad, and I enjoyed having this adventurous 4WD  experience. But soon enough I came over the other mudholes waiting for me. Everytime arriving at a mudhole I stopped and had a look at the situation and then went back to the car and accelerated full speed through the mud. Everytime I had a big adrenalin rush and got more and more scared. It was now when I began to evaluated the possibilities. I did not want to go back cause I knew there were mudholes. I did not know was what was in front of me, did it get worse or had i already passed the worst. I frequently monitored my odometer to see how many miles remained from the 40 miles of CWCR lenth to reach the safe Us89 Hywy. One time I arrived at a deep waterhole in the road where I did not want to drive into. But I manged to pass this by climbing the    road shoulder and passing the watered road on the shoulder. Then around midway of the CWCR, 20 miles before reaching the US89 I arrived at a long-stretched mudhole which did not look so bad as it than showed up. I stopped, checked, got short breathing and trembling and took all my courage to accelerate at full speed. Mud was spraying everywhere, the wheels began to slip, the car got slower and slower and was jumping from left to right when I accelerated. The mudhole did not end and I got slower and slower. I was practically already stuck and was already sure thats it with this vacation. I somehow still did not remove my foot from the accelerator although I was almost stalled. I think the circumstance and luck of having a V6 motor saved me here. I stayed with my foot on the gas pedal and slowly slowly the car continued from the almost stop through the spluttering mud. I got less deeper mud and the car got more power to the wheels winding slowly thorugh the mud, me countersteering every left and right jump. Finally a big left jump of the car when I apparently got more solid ground under the wheels and a final countersteering and  me already seeing the car cant over. I stopped when I was free,  trembling and screed to death. Now around 20 miles north of US89 it was for sure, there is no return. Never ever would I drive through that mudhole again. I now monitored the odometer constantly mile by mile still stopping with unwell feeling here and there for photo-shots. I could not enjoy that drive nor the awesome landscapes. There were no more big obstacles and I arrived 1 hour later at US89 turning right to visit the BLM ranger station to check the road conditions. Arriving at the rangerstation the Ranger seeing my car asked me if I had come down CWCR. I affirmed and I was not surprised when he showed me on his roadcondition table that the CWCR is declared as impassable. He told me this happens around 2-3 times a year but it has long not been so bad like on this May 30th 2009. I always thought weather is fantastic in May / June in this area and learned this is an incorrect assumption. I was so happy to having made it, that I was not really sad having renouced on the planed stops at the Yellow Rock and checking the way towards the White Rimrocks. It was for sure now that I had to renounce on this trips I had planned around the CWCR. In the evening I checked in at my Hotel in Page the Marriot Coutyard. It was cloudy but I still went to Horseshoe Bend to check the location for some morning shots and then I did some shopping in Page’s Walmart. Finally I drove through a car wash to free the Kia Sportage from the Mud. It had been little bit  embarassing parking with its mud at the Marriot for the check-in.

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Sunday, 12th of July 2009 at 08:57:49 PM

Wave 2009 Day 4, Sunday May 31st 2009: Coyotte Buttes North, The WAVE DAY

Sunday was the big day. This was the day of my Wave Permit. I got up early at 5:30 am and arrived around 7 a.m. at the Wirepass trailhead. After registering to the visitor logbook I noticed I was the first on the trail. With the very good Trail description from the BLM it was easy to find my way through the wash to the first orientation point and then towards the twin buttes. The more I approached the Wave the more beautiful the landscapes got. I began to wonder how this unreal beauty could really be natural. I was not hurrying and spent lots of time for photographing, knowing that I was early and the Wave would anyway be best for photographing not before 10 a.m. My plan was to visit the Lace Rocks before reachinbg the Wave. Herefore I needed to leave the trail to the wave at a wash and climb a hill on my right.  Right before arriving at the wash I noticed two other hikers approaching me. From the far I could recognize that I knew those two hikers: Bianca and Matthias Rattay whos informative Travellogs I was following since a while . Indeed I had used mainly their travel reports to get inspired for my own trips. I like reading their website cause they have really tough trips and I learned from them how much can be seen in very short time. Sometimes I get the impression they manage to do in a day what I plan to do in two days. This often inspires me to toughen up my own program too. Following their online travel reports I knew their faces and I knew also that they would be at the Wave in May, like me. In was a poor lucky coincidence meeting them here right at this day. They were little bit surprised when I was greeting them in German by their names and I presented myself. We chatted a little bit and I asked if they would go up to the Lace rocks too. They denied but Matthias showed me how to find my way along the wash. They had been around 5 times in the Coyotte Buttes North and and therefore knew the area pretty good. Unfortuantely our ways splitted here and I was sad not having had them as hiking pals for this day. Perhaps we would meet later at the Wave. I climbed up the hill to the Lace rocks and the sun was already burning hot although it was just around 9 a.m.  At  the top of the hill I found those filigrane stone formations named Lace rocks and made some shots. Climbing down again towards the main trail I noticed a Coyotte running down the hill. I was surprised to see the animal so close to me ignoring my presence.    Down at the wash again I followed the instructions and trail towards the Wave, where I arrived at around 10 am. There was a pool on the main entrance and I did yet not know that the main wave known from the photos lied behind that pool. Soon other hikers arrived and we managed to pass the pool and go to the main axis of the wave. It is an unbelievable experience seeing the Wave the first time and soon I started shooting from different angles and with different settings. Around 1h later I decided to continue my hike and try to find my way to the top rock , melody arch and other sights nearby. I climbed the hill on the left side behind the main wave and followed my GPS. Soon I noticed I was reaching a point where it got to dangerous and steep to continue climbing. I gave up and returned having a nice view down to the wave and the other hikers. Only 20 persons get a permit each day and around 9 persons were visible at the main wave from above. Most of the hikers visit only the wave and then return back.  I was beginning to believe that my high aims of visiting all these other locations I had read about in travelreports would be condemned to remain plans. Then I spotted Bianca and Matthias from above arriving down in the Wave and doing some shots. I immediately raised hope that they would visit those other spots I knew also from their travelreports and I sped up my climb down to the Wave. I reached them when they already had left the Wave and were themselves climbing up towards my location.  I did not hesitate to ask them if I could join them telling them that I got lost up there and did not find the right way towards Big Mac, Melody Arch etc. They told me that they had been at the Boneyard meanwhile and they did not mind if I would join them. This must be my lucky day! I met two Germans who had been already 5 times at the Wave and knew how to reach all those hidden secret spots. I couldn’t imagine better guides then Matthias and Bianca. they showed me everything: The Bee (Mosquito) whos nozzle had vanished meantime, the Big Mac Rock. They encouraged me to climb the steep wall to the melody arch (which I would never had adventured myself), the melody arch and the window, nice views to brain rocks and also a visit to the alcove on the top rock which is visible from down at the wave. Later of course down again the pools and the Second Wave. I enjoyed so much hiking with Bianca and Matthias and was impressed by their pace, courage and sense of direction. The whole afternoon clouds had accumulated in the sky and arranged a nice setup for our photos. Sometimes we feared a thunderstorm but soon enough weather cleared up again. At the second Wave the cloud presence  seemed to increase again so that we understood it would note make sense to wait for the evening sun iluminating the second Wave. We retunred after many photos at around 5 pm and again I was impressed by Mathias’ and Biancas pace. I was tired, my back was aching and I felt my heavy equipment, whereas Bianca and Matthias hiked back towards the car with quite a high pace so I was automatically dragged along with them.We arrived around 6 pm at the Wire Pass trailhead and after some drink and chat we made a souvenir photo of us three at the WP trailhead sign. We arranged to meet two hours later in Page to have dinner together in a mexican restaurant. Once again thanks to you both! I hope one day we manage to hike again together. I really enjoyed that day.

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Monday, 13th of July 2009 at 07:10:51 PM

Wave 2009 Day 5, Monday June 1st 2009: Roadtripping around Page

I had seen the Wave. What would follow now would only be  a side dish. I was still arrogantly digesting the main course. My plan today was to drive around Page and visit all those little spots we had missed in 2004 whenI had been already in Page with Christiane to visit the Upper Antelope Canyon. My first target early in the morning were the Toadstool Hoodoos.  A hoodoo is a tall thin spire composed of soft sedimentary rock and topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements (wikipedia).  The Toadstool Hoodoos are only 20 min from Page and reachable from US89 by an easy 15 min hike. I arrived there around 7 a.m. and spent around and hour photographing from different angles. I like very much the backlight photo I did of the main Toadstool Hoodoo cause I havent seen similar before.  My plan was to arrive at 10 a.m. at the Horseshoebend (around 10 min. south of Page) cause I had read that then the Colorado river and the bend is out of the shadows. Here I did many many shots of the Horseshe bend but unfortunately it was still a little bit cloudy and I didn’t like the resulting light too much. After the Horseshoe Bend I had planed to visit the Lower Antelope Canyon. We had vixited the Upper one (the one with the beams) in 2004 and I had no imagination how the lower one could beat that experience we had in 2004. Like then I choose midday time to have best light in the slot canyon. I choose the photographer tou cause it gave freedom to stay behind the guide and have plenty of time (up to 4h) to position tripod and do photos. Our guide was a young and very funny Navajo who started the tour at the memorial plaque for the 11 photographers and tourists who died here in a 1997 flashflood.   This day was cloudy and they had anticipated rain for this day, and I felt very uncomfortabe when photographing alone in the slot canyon, always thinking about possibilities of flashfloods.  I left Antelope Canyon around 2 p.m. and my last target for this day was the Monument Valley. I had several times come close to it either from West (Page) or south (Canyon de Chelly) but never seen the well known Left Mitten, Right Mitten and Merrit Buttes. I knew it would be a long 3h drive to and another 3h drive back but I had not roadtripped in the last two days so I enjoyed the drive. Weather got worse midway including rain, but when I arrived at the Monument Valley everything was again fine for some nice shots with nice clouds on top of the Buttes. I returned late in the evening in Page and I knew I would check out and lave the nice Marriot in Page the next morning. I went to bed early.

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Tuesday, 14th of July 2009 at 04:46:54 PM

Wave 2009 Day 6, Tuesday June 2nd: North Rim

My short 2009 USA Wave trip slowly was approaching its end. I would fly home to Munich already Satrurday and my last big Hike day was planed for tomorrow Wednesday: The Subway Hike. Therefore my plan was to drive back to Zion N.P. and visit some locations on the way. I had never driven the old US89a so this morning my first target was the Marble Canyon crossing the  Navajo bridge and driving towards Lees Ferry where one has the possibility to come very close to the colorado river. I wanted to do also a small hike in the cathedral wash near the Balanced Rocks but I was to tired so I just drove to the boat landing spot where a group of teenagers where preparing their boats for a Colorado rafting tour. I returned back taking US89a , passing the Cliff Dwellings and also noticing the south entrance to the House Rock Valley Road.The access to Coyotte Buttes South and the White pockets. I would like to visit those locations sometime in the neear future. It was for sure that I will come back here again. I decided to take the time to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which I hadn’t seen before. So at Jacob Lake  I left US89a and took US69. I arrived there around 11 a.m.  After some photos and small hikes at the North Rim I drove back north towards Fredonia and further North leaving AZ , entering Utah, passing Kanab and took a last stop at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes S.P.. I had read that the beautiful rock formations around the Wave emerged thousand of years ago from Sand Dunes like those one can still see today at Coral Sand Dunes S.P. So this visit was still a tribute to the Wave. I had been here in 2004 with Christiane and we had already then liked the Dunes. I took the chance to do some more nice shots. The result was not very satisfying, it was quite windy and really hot so that the conditions were not great for photographing Around 3 p.m. I continued my drive taking the US9 west and passing the Zion N.P. once again. I stopped at the Checkerboard Mesas and near the tunnel and took some further nice shots. Right before the permit desk was closing I arrived at the Zion N.P. visitor center to pick up my permit for the Subway Hike. I had requested it via Internet. It was still early so I decided to check out how to find the trailhead carpark for my next days Subway hike. In Virgin I took the Kolob Road driving north and after around 10 miles I spotted the car park for the Left fork Trailhead where I would start early in the morning the next day. I drove than back to find some economic Motel for a short night. I found it in Hurricane where I slept for 30USD in the Travelodge, quite a difference to the nights before in Pages Marriot, but I dint care. It was close to the trailhead so I could start my hike quite early as i had planned it.

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