Trip Report

Personnel: Stan Wagon, Joan Hutchinson, Tom Whitesides

March 18, 2000: Barely get out of Battle Abbey by helicopter in stormy weather.
March 19: Fly to Denver
March 20: Gear up and drive to Hanksville through light snow and cold weather.
March 21: Awake to 3 inches of snow on car. But no precip now, so off we go. Blondie's fails to open, so breakfast at a gas station.

Leave Hall's Overlook in cold weather. 5.5 hours later find a few potholes about 200 feet up onto the Hall's Divide Navajo sandstone (use 2-way radios). Make camp here that we plan to spend 3 nights at. Tom and I explore a bit of the upper Hall's Divide in late afternoon. Great views of the narrows, and superb sandstone formations, especially cross-bedded. Dark at 7 pm

March 22: Too cold to go through the narrows, so we do a long loop around them on a line Herb marked. Fun navigating in and out of drainages high on the Waterpocket Fold, again all on spectacular Navajo sandstone. We needed a handline on one short section near the end of the day. 7.5 hours, but we felt it was a very worthwhile hike.

March 23: Through the narrows! Joan had neoprene shoes which helped her stay warm. It took a long time to get through because of the tremendous meanders. About halfway through there was a thigh-deep section, and another one about three-quarters of the way through. Otherwise lots of splashing and walking beside the creek. Lots of litle microclimates in here. Grouse. Really a tremendous spot, with huge alcoves. Lots of footsteps, but we saw no one on this whole trip.

At the end we took the high route back over the divide. Then Tom and I went out on a remarkable little spur that overlooks the downstream end of the narrows. The map here shows the creek going behind this fin of rock! That is: we were on an overhanging section. The views into the multiple rincons from the old meanders were stunning.

March 24: up early and hike out. 5.5 hours to car. Then the long drive home, via the scenic route past Hite and Cisco. Home at 11.