Not much snow accumulated in Kanab that night but  we were a little worried about the conditions of the House Rock Valley Road so we checked out of the hotel well before sunrise and headed off towards the wave.  The further east we traveled the snow storm increased its production.  We reached the house rock valley road just before sunrise and got out to check the conditions, 4-5inches on the road and it was still pounding down. The best news was that the road was frozen solid under the snow so we had no issues making it to the wire pass trail head.

Things were starting to light up but the snow was still pounding down as we put on our snow gear and started making first tracks on our way out to the wave.    The miles or so of trail was pretty easy with just a few inches of snow covering the sandy wash bottom but once we reached the slick rock things became quite treacherous.   Slick rock and snow are a bad combo, I took a few falls and in all honestly considered turning around but we kept on going.  At one point I walked in a knee deep drift and became terrified that the wave would be completely covered in snow.    Once we made it too the wave it all became worth it.  We had the place to our self’s and the biggest concern in life I had for the next few hours was keeping snow flakes off my lens.

After a few hours of shooting in flat light things had warmed up and the snow was slowly melting off the wave. A a group of 4 showed up (with moon boots and an umbrella) and we talked to them for a few moments before we hiked up to the second wave and brain rocks   There was an easy 5 inches of snow in this area and hiking the snow covered slick rock was pretty sketchy.

Watch your step!

Again the clouds and flat light plagued us at the second wave so we at a late lunch then wandered our way back to the wave where we ran into the  a  couple from Vancouver.  They had picked up some walk-in permits that morning  and were told at the field office that they were the only people with permits and on the  previous weekend over 100 people put in for lottery.  Pretty amazing how a little cold weather will scare off the masses.   For the first time that day the sun actually started to poke out of the clouds and I started shooting the wave once again.

We started our hike out and because most of the snow had melted we  made great time compared to our slippery slog on the way in.   We made it back to the car just 7.5 hours after we left,  a pretty long day for such a short mileage hike.   The house rock road had yes to freeze over and and there was definitely a few scary muddy moments on the drive out but we made it back to the highway with no real problems.   We made it to the horsebend just in time for an uneventful sunset.

I was so sore and tired that night I had no trouble sleeping. We woke up and ate then headed west to the rim rock hoodoos for a shot hike.  It was clear cold and windy so we spent about 2 hours wondering around before we started the long drive back to Utah county.

Great trip, it was so amazing to see the wave covered in snow and only a hand full of people.  I have edited a few  photos and still have lots more to post and print over the next few months.

Our trip started out by Clint picking Lanik and I up at my place in his Tacoma. This was my second trip in the new truck this year and I must admit that I’m pretty jealous… I think I need one but without the payment. We then stopped by my parents house to grab Whitney and load up on firewood (thanks mom) then headed south to Escalante. We arrived at our campsite above Sooner Rocks around 11pm where we set up camp, played around my new light painting tool, and shot a few star trails before we called it a night.

My first time light panting a dome:)

Morning light at Sooner Rocks.

The sun was up early so we packed up our gear and drove 2 miles to the Willow Gulch TH. There had been a recent flash flood and the canyon had changed quite dramatically compared to the conditions of our trip earlier this year. Most noticeable was the layer of clay that covered everything the recent flood had touched. Anytime you touched the water you would sink 4″ to 12″ in the muck and it made the water pretty murky.

We made it to Broken Bow arch then packed up to our campsite under the biggest alcove I’ve ever seen. We set up camp then spent the rest of the day hiking down Willow Gulch and up 40mile creek. The canyon tightens up a bit below broken bow so the muck wasn’t as bad at all until we reached the choke point. In May the choke point in Willow just above the 40 mile confluence was only Knee deep, but now it was chest deep and full of  mud and sediment on the bottom. We had the cameras packed away in double dry bags so nothing got wet but most importantly no one lost a shoe.

Lanik and I at Broken Bow

One of the many little plunge pools in Willow Gulch

We reached the confluence and started hiking up 40mile. Much more mud and muck up there especially after the bend with the big glowing alcove. We hiked up for a few hours and once we reached the hanging garden section we saw the first (only) people who were hiking a loop down 40 and up Willow. Not long after that I met my match…. a giant patch of mud that spanned from wall to wall. Whitney Clint and Lanik ran across it while I sunk. I tired a running start and just ended up on all fours. So I that point I turned around slowly hiked back down towards 40mile while Clint and Whit explored further. Lanik and I only waited for 20min at the confluence before we were all back together and hiking back up Willow to our camp.

Near camp we filtered water then cooked dinner and spent the night shooting stars from under our alcove. Clint brought along a new mini gas powered backpacking lantern that provided a great campfire like glow on the canyon walls.

Saturday morning we packed up, shot a few photos of Broken Bow Arch, and headed out of the canyon. We made it back to the truck around 11 then spent the reset of the day driving further down the hole in the rock road stopping at various places. This was a my first time driving to the end of the hole in the rock road in contrast to everything I had heard in the past the last few miles of the road was in amazing condition.

Whitney Jumping above our Camp.

We set up camp in a awesome site that came highly recommended by Nick near the end of the hole in the rock road.   We napped for a bit then hiked down the hole in the rock and did a bit of swimming in lake Powell.    We had a great night around the camp fire and shooting star trails then headed back home first thing in the morning.