Paoha Island Nov 24

Paoha Island in Mono Lake is one of those legendary places. Beaches of obsidian, black lava flows, craters, lacustrine badlands, explosion pits, underwater landslide deposits, curious springs. Mark Twain recounted a 1860 visit in which they "found nothing but solitude, ashes, and heartbreaking silence." I'd been to the shores of Mono Lake many times since a kid, each time looking out at the strange and desolate landscape and thinking someday I would visit. The name Paoha comes from a Native American word describing hot springs and fumaroles, which unfortunately are mostly inactive at present. The islands can only be visited in the winter due to breeding migratory birds that stopover at other times. I had some fieldwork I wanted to do in the area so this seemed like a good opportunity to finally tack on a trip out to the island. The original plan was to camp overnight on Paoha but a fierce sundowner wind and a slow packing effort meant that by the time we got to the water's edge in the last light of day it seemed that waiting until the morning would perhaps be the better option.  

        Paddling past Negit Island

And it was. Fortunately we awoke to glassy lake conditions that persisted the entire day. From near Black Point we paddled out through the shallows of the carbonate-coated pumice boulder field, aiming for the gap between Negit and Paoha. We passed the white textured southern shores of Negit, a particularly blocky carbonate-coated lava flow. At intervals we seemed to pass through dense drifts of brine shrimp, which were fascinating to watch twist, turn, and undulate, seemingly accomplishing little. It took nearly an hour to reach the northwestern shore of Paoha in our packrafts at which time we were both ready to ditch the boats for a 5 mile clockwise hiking loop of the island. We weighed down boats with rocks to be sure they were still here in the afternoon, and set off. 

The northern shore was predominated by beaches of beautifully banded glassy obsidian, which made pleasant enough walking. We passed dozens of plugs of obsidian protruding up through melting cliffs of lake bed deposits, sometimes forming resistant towers. The details in the landscape were fantastic- artistic clusters of obsidian weathering out, badland intricacies, salt crystals forming a snowy landscape. We continued around to the blocky lava flow on the northeast corner of the island, then hiked up the nearby hills for sweeping views of the islands. Our feet would sink in with every step on the expanding clay of the lake beds- this island would be a nasty place to be in heavy rain! We traversed the hummocky topography southward, generally linking up ridges where there was slightly less brush to contend with. All the while we had panoramic views of the mirroring lake water, Mono Basin, Mono Craters, and eastern Sierra Nevada skyline. Overall it was not the most spectacular landscape, but the subtlety and uniqueness and yes, solitude and heartbreaking silence left me with a hushed feeling of reverence. Signs of life were infrequent. The air temperature was absolutely perfect.

        Beaches of obsidian

We traversed down to the prominent eastern cove, and couldn't help a detour to check out the curious shaped ruins from an old TB sanitarium. A spooky place, but one that must have provided peaceful solace for those ailing, as they looked out to the untouched eastern shores of the lake. The voluminous spring nearby was disappointingly cold and alkalic. 

We fought through the worst of the brush uphill past the explosion pit, and up to the high point of the island. We enjoyed the sweeping views and picked our route down through the badlands to the western shore. More badland intricacies and folded sediments. The presence of sizable boulders of granitoids were particularly mysterious and inexplicable.

We regained our boats and readied ourselves for the glassy late afternoon paddle back across the lake. The long shadows, delicate light, and incredible stillness made the 2.5 mile paddle back to Black Point particularly blissful. As we neared the carbonate minefield sunset colors started kicking in. It was one of the best sunsets I have seen in a very long time and a serene end to a great day of modest exploration.

We grabbed pizza to go in Mammoth (which hit the spot!) and drove on to spend a chilly night car camping on a small dry lake on an ancient landslide deposit in the middle of the Owens Valley. Some more fieldwork rounded out the next morning before driving on back to Riverside. Thanks to Sara for the company.

Black Canyon Nov 19-20

Seldom do I have any interest in repeat visits to locations but a slightly different variation on a Black Canyon packrafting trip was something I thought my dad would enjoy on a rare day off. We went Sunday/Monday to hit the two motor-free days of the week (yet somehow park rangers are still allowed to race up and down canyon at 30mph...) and to hopefully reduce the number of people in the canyon the weekend before Thanksgiving. Packing the night before and an early start driving got us to crepes in Vegas and the Gold Strike Canyon trailhead by a little after 9am. There were already nearly a dozen car by the time we pulled up and we passed several groups as we hiked down the wash. Gradually the freeway bridges and powerlines faded from view and the canyon narrowed. The many downclimbs were more annoying than I remember, undoubtedly because we had large packs to deal with. I found the many Gold Strike hot spring pools to be in the driest and coldest conditions I had seen them in before but that did not stop me from a quick soak and dipping my feet into each pool we encountered.

The lower portion of Gold Strike is certainly my favorite with its towering cliffs and a great weeping wall of hot springs with delicate ferns and precipitated crystals. With care my dad was able to reach the mouth of Gold Strike with mostly dry feet.

Here we carefully sorted gear, putting everything we didn't need for the rest of the day deep in a packraft tube and keeping the few other items in drybags on our bows. We first paddled upstream to see if we could find the sauna cave, passing several other grottos along the way. We got a great view of the bridge but unfortunately would have to go into the restricted area to get a view of the dam. I found the Sauna Cave (actually man-made) easily enough, which was a great first time visit for me. It went in further than I thought (perhaps a hundred feet) and was a genuine sauna with moist hot air to clear sinuses. At the back were copious volumes of pristine white draperies, flowstone, and rimstone dams. The entrance provided an incredible framed view of the river and Black Canyon.

We had the quickest look at Secret Canyon, which unfortunately was filled in with sediment and then floated past the palm oasis waterfall spring as we could see there was someone camping there. So we next pulled into Boy Scout Canyon, which was overrun with, you guessed it, boy scouts. We walked past them and strolled up, enjoying the warm water on my teva-clad feet. I led my dad up all but the final chockstone climb getting a little wet in the process (all warm water fortunately). I ran ahead to have a quick look at the amphitheater headwall of the canyon before we worked our way back down. I couldn't resist a quick soak in the main hot pool. 

         Looking up at the headwall amphitheater of Boy Scout Canyon

We pushed off from Boy Scout and drifted on, spotting a bighorn carelessly scrambling its way across a cliff-face. The short winter day had nearly escaped us but we had time for one last side hike up the next major tributary on the Nevada side. We hiked as far as the hot waterfall with its pool and also marveled at the salt crystals precipitating on the ground like frost.

Despite two large boy scout troops and plenty of smaller groups, we managed to find an agreeable campspot at Arizona hot springs away from the others. We both enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot springs which thankfully were in excellent shape. Despite the popularity this remains a particularly special hot spring. Not many places allow you to sit in perfectly temperatured water in a slot canyon as you glance up at the twisting, swooping curves of the narrows above, and a small sliver of night sky. I ended up going for a second evening soak after dinner and again in the morning. The air temperature was a little cool in the morning but remarkably comfortable overall.

         Weeping Springs

We made good time pushing off in the morning, loaded and paddling by 7:45a. We decided to make the most of the mirrored calm water by gaining some river miles rather than stopping for side hikes. The first and only stop was at Ringpin where I had never had a chance to stop before. I walked and climbed up as far as the terminal chockstone rappel- a really nice section of canyon and spectacular exposures of normal faults.

Shortly we approached Emerald Cave and the catwalk at the final narrows of the river leaving us only the flat 2 mile slog to Willow Beach. Even this was not as bad as I remembered in the past thanks to the calm conditions. Though we both would be sore later we paddled pretty consistently while also taking in the last of the sights.

We made excellent time and managed to score the easiest hitch ever with friendly local Kurt who was just pulling his kayak out from the end of his paddle. Before noon we were back at the car and on our way home! Thanks to my dad for a fun trip and a new variation on the Black Canyon classic. It was a great time of your to enjoy it with almost perfect temperatures the whole way through.

Lower Kern Oct 28

Somehow I managed to go nearly the whole month without an escape. So when Keith pointed out that this weekend would likely be the last dam release (1200 cfs) onto the Lower Kern for the season and that he was planning to go for the day Saturday, it seemed like a good opportunity. With any luck I would still have enough time on Sunday to throw together a semi-coherent talk to give to the department on Monday. We ended up doing the full 18 mile run on the Lower Kern with a group totaling 13 people. This seemed the best option as my first time on the Lower Kern at all, other than exploring the riverside hot springs. The top part is commonly referred to as the Jungle Run due to post-hydroscheme overgrowth or the pictograph run by the raft guides. The lower part being the more common river run from Miracle to Democrat. No surprise I was the usual odd man out in my packraft. Keith and I took care to get to the put-in early as I wanted to be sure not to slow the rest of the group down. This did not seem to be an issue and we were the first two in the water by a solid 10-15 minutes. 

The jungle run was pretty cool. The rapids were pretty tame overall and there were long stretches of flatwater to paddle  across, but the scenery was great- a mini bedrock gorge with some lovely water-sculpted features. The temperature was really pleasant and the company was great. I had in my mind that this would be a hard run before the trip so it was nice to just relax and enjoy getting out on the water.

We past a total of three riverside hot springs and I resisted the urge to jump in (the day would be long enough as is). I managed to flip at the largest wave on the whole run but self-rescued quickly and otherwise mostly didn't embarrass myself too much. We portaged the Class V+ Royal Flush, which also doubled as the lunch stop. I have to say I was pretty tempted to run it. Maybe I had a one in three chance of pulling it off?

The last four rapids were particularly noteworthy but still didn't give up too much of a fight. It was pretty late by the time we finally pulled up to Democrat and shuttled back to the car. I was feeling pretty tired and sore too. I must have paddled 10 miles of flatwater? We arrived back into the Inland Empire a little later than expected but I was happy to have had a chance to get out for a nice solid run.  Of course what did I find on my doorstep when I returned? My new Alpacka Gnarwhal which would have been great to have taken out. Oh well. Thanks to Keith for a great outing!

Boundary Canyon Sept 23

A field workshop in Cedar City Utah allowed a great opportunity to tag on a weekend in Zion for little extra driving. I pulled into Springdale early afternoon on a Friday, hopeful that the late season and cold weather meant many permit options would still be available. I was wrong. The park now sees 4 million visitors a year. Springdale now has paid street parking. How much has changed in so little time. The person working the backcountry desk was decidedly unpleasant as I asked about permit availability one by one and one by one I heard no in response. After a quick powwow with Keith, Kari, and Sara who were driving out to meet me, I grabbed an overnight Right Fork permit, stocked up on last minute gear purchases, ate some food, then secured my secret camping spot. The others arrived late due to Vegas traffic, which seemed to be the start of the weekend's misadventures.

Sleep came easy. Waking up was harder and we seemed slow to motivate into packing mode. Eventually we set off for the Right Fork trailhead for final packing which took considerable time. We left our shuttle car and drove on up the road. A quick stop into the Left Fork for a bathroom stop and hiss a flat tire on my car. Now what!? After discussion I drove to town and Donny the mechanic was able to repair the tire and I was back at Left Fork. A 1.5 hr penalty and now our Right Fork trip was becoming marginal. As a new plan we would leave my car as the shuttle (and in the chaos I left crucial things like my shirt, camera, wallet in the car...) and drove Keith's to West Rim Trailhead. At this point it was noon and I was not feeling great about being able to get through Right Fork. So Plan B or C or whatever it was at this point: Boundary Canyon. Here we were at the trailhead, no permit was needed as it was just outside the park, Keith had the ropes we would need, and we could get away with light packs. It would still be a long day but I was pretty sure we could pull it off. We hastily repacked and set out on our way to Boundary Canyon!

        The drop in

A little bush bashing but about an hour from the car we reach the spectacular headwall view into Boundary Canyon. I'll admit it was quite impressive and even a little intimidating to look into but this was a canyon I had been through before and was confident in being able to work through it. After a snack break I was first one down, then Sara, then Kari, then Keith, then the rope pull...shoot! We all should have paid more attention to the roots choking the edge of the rappel which the rope would not pull over. I had Keith anchor the pull side and got some exercise ascending the rope all the way back up. I repositioned the rope and rappelled back down. The pull again failed! I went up a second time, this time taking an entirely new foolproof rope strategy as I didn't want to go up a third time! This time worked. Again another 45 minute or so penalty we didn't really have time for!

        First rappel

The rest of the canyon went pretty smooth. I remembered how beautiful this canyon was but forgot how steep and rapid fire the rappels were. We moved laterally through the canyon and about the same rate we dropped vertically. The canyon got deeper fast. Everyone seemed to enjoy the twists and turns and relatively non-awkward rappels.

        The "log threading the arch" rappel

The arch (natural bridge) with a log threading it was the most distinctive feature I remembered from my last visit probably ten years earlier and was still as I remembered it.

We continued to descend, marveling at the shapes, colors, and textures as the walls rose around us. The day was escaping from us so I was glad to see the forest floor as we approached the lip of the final rappel. Once down we had a solid 45 minute jungle gym walk to Kolob Creek. 

        Final rappel in Boundary Canyon

        A pleasant, less scrubby section of lower Boundary

I had promised we would not get wetter than knees in Kolob Creek and I was mostly right...a large log wedged itself across the canyon making a plunge pool beyond that brought frigid waters up to our midsections. Further on a long chest deep pools elicited several choice remarks. As dry bags were being prepared I decided on an engineering solution to the problem and had Keith help me drag a log into position. It was a rather flimsy log but I gave it first try and it held, I was across the pool with water only to my knees. Thankfully everyone else made it across without incident and we were back on our way without too much delay. I hoped there would be no more surprises! On the way we rock hopped through several very nice narrows, easily rivaling those in the main Zion Narrows. At the first point you could even start to imagine a possible escape from the narrow confines of this canyon, we approached a rock cairn marking the base of the rough and tough MIA Exit trail. 

        Some of the good stuff in Kolob Creek

I muttered something along the lines of this will be the last time I go up the MIA trail, and we'll see if that is true. It is a root clinging root up oversteepened sandy slopes (then annoyingly back down them!), in and out of drainages, and it saves a particularly steep and loose section for last. There was much groaning but at least we were in the shade here at the end of the day and it took us a little over an hour to reach the 4WD road. Light was fading fast (and it was getting cold) but this was the crucial point I wanted to get to before nightfall. The dirt road network would be easy enough to navigate in the dark. We trudged onward, mostly without incident. We saw the last pink colors of the sunset. Admittedly the road walk seemed to take forever. We were back to the cars a little before 9pm, very motivated to head to town for food. Luckily we found somewhere open, scarfed a meal down, drove to our campsite, and collapsed.

        Sandy times on the steep MIA Exit

Sleeping in was definitely the thing to do. Not wanting to brave the park crowds Sara and I decided on a breakfast in La Verkin and then to drove back to beat the weekend Vegas exodus traffic. It was far from the Zion weekend I had planned or hoped for and a pretty brutal introduction to Zion canyoning for some, but nevertheless a good trip through spectacular backcountry enjoyed by all.