We’d planned to spend half a day in Capitol Reef before driving Highway 12 through Boulder, across the Hogsback, and down to Bryce Canyon. A conversation with a Ranger the previous afternoon confirmed our interest in hiking the Grand Wash, which cuts southwest off Highway 24 and meets the Scenic Drive after a few miles.
With the Drive still closed by the rain, we pulled off of the Highway, donned our hiking boots, and headed into the Wash. The torrential rains of the previous day were over, and bright blue sky was set off brilliantly by the white rock stretching up above us on either side. This hike runs along the bottom of a fairly broad slot canyon, whose mouth is several dozen yards across at the northern entrance where we headed in. It was perfectly obvious that it was formed by water, as the previous day’s run off had left perfectly molded waves and runs of mud along the bottom, looking like a frozen river of its own.
We bounced back and forth between the canyon walls, walking along shoals, up against the rock face, and avoiding as much mud as we could. After a half-hour, our boots looked like they’d doubled in size, but that wasn’t dampening any one’s spirits.
The canyon narrowed as we moved along, shrinking down to eight or 10 yards across in places. The walls were beautiful against the sky. After an hour of hiking, the canyon took a sharp turn to the right, beneath a deep notch in the walls that framed a big blue chunk of sky. Shortly after, with a mile or more under our belt, we turned and retraced our steps back to the trailhead.
The hike reminded me a lot of our adventure in the narrows of Zion’s Virgin River, but without the water underfoot. We had minimal company in the Wash, and I only remember encountering people heading in from the trailhead as we struggled to get the mud off our boots. (That didn’t really happen until we got them home, and mine still carry a light patina that reminds of that morning). This was our principal expedition in the Park, and one that left me hungry for more time here. After a good 15 minutes of de-mudding our shoes, we headed back into the Park one last time, to visit the historic district of Fruita.
From journal On the Plateau, Part VII: Empty, Beautiful Capitol Reef