Escalante, UT: Hole in the Rock & 50 Mile Bench

[Moody]

A few weekends ago I was invited by the McKay Brothers to attend their annual May S. Utah trip. Although they spend the week out there, I couldn't make the week happen, so we went down for a long weekend.
A long-time friend Clair and my father, John came along in my vehicle. We explored Hole in the Rock and climbed on top of Fiftymile Bench to scout and observe some Native American sites.

After finding out the hard way that there are two access points to 50 Mile Bench, (the one we took required 4 low, and lots of patience due to washouts) we made it to the McKay Camp near midnight. They were waiting for us and graciously helped us get our tent set up quickly so we could get some sleep.

The next morning we awoke to about as perfect as a Southern Utah day can be. Our destination was Hole in the Rock, where Mormon Pioneers cut through the rock above current day Lake Powell in an attempt to establish a settlement further south. Arriving at the trailhead (I use the word, 'trailhead' loosely, as it should be called the 'scramblehead') we felt right at home with other Toyota 4x4's, and a Sportsmobile in the lot.

 

[Moody]

On the way down, my pops (who has -very- limited vision, yet is always up for a good historical adventure) misjudged a dropoff and injured his leg and foot quite severely. He turned back, but the rest of our crew made it down to the Lake and took a little swim in the 58 degree lake water.

 

[Moody]

The entire desert was in bloom.

Once we had arrived back to the vehicles, we noticed a nice JK attached to an AT Chaser at the parking area. A nice couple was walking back to it, and we chatted about their trailer, and the area, and of course Hole in the Rock. Turns out it was Rick and Carolyn who frequent the Expedition Portal. They recognized my cruiser...small world when you are out in the middle of nowhere eh?

Great to meet you Rick and Carolyn...I hope you enjoyed it out there!
Driving back to camp:

After arriving back in camp I noticed a large 3" cut in my tire. Peeling back the tread, I could see the belting. I have since replaced all 4 tires with some fresh BFG's. This was the first tire failure I have ever experienced on a 4wd vehicle.

 

[LngDstncVygr]

Hi Moody:

It is great to see your report of the trip to the Hole in the Rock. Great pictures. Isn't the HITR an awesome feat of migration endurance!

It is a small world sometime, isn't it! It was a great fun for us to chat with you, your father, and the other guys with you about the HITR and all things expedition related. Sorry to hear about your tire problem--but sounds like you are all set to go now. We hope your father is doing okay after his foot injury.

We hope to see all you guys out on the trail again sometime. Until the next time: best wishes.

Rick and Carolyn LeNoir

 

[CA-RJ]

We did this trail last year and loved it! We spent a lot of time climbing around around looking at Lake Powell. We had a great trail guide that had all of the history of the trail and landmarks which made it really interesting. Great pictures, thanks for sharing!

 

[Fireman78]

What is it about these kind of trips that turn grown men into little kids at Disneyland? Nice pics!!

 

[CSG]

Great pictures!!

 

[Moody]

The primary focus of many of the McKay backcountry trips is to scope out Native American sites. When we were leaving camp to drive out the HITR, Andy spotted a structure directly above our campsite. We knew we had to get up there to see it up close. After a nice relaxing dinner back at camp, we slept comfortably under a clear night sky.

My pops told me he wasn't going to make the trek up top to see the structures as his foot was hurting him. He assured me that he would be fine back at camp and that he could keep in touch with us via radio. We packed up our bags, laced up our hiking boots, and readied our trekking poles. The access point was about 1/2 mile up the road from our camp, and so we piled in Andy's Tacoma for shuttle service.

You know really quick what you are in for, as the 'trail' is steep, overgrown, rocky, and sketchy at different areas along the way. I was clearly the least in shape of the crew, and I took up role of caboose.

About midway up, a prime break point:

Do you see Andy's Tacoma on the road?

 

[Moody]

Up on the false top of the 50 Mile Bench, we stopped for a breather. It is about a thousand foot elevation gain over a mile.

From the false top:

Do you see our camp way down below?

The McKay's had stashed a 10L water bag up on top earlier in the week, so we set out to pick that up and move it before setting out to scope the ruins.

Like a bunch of little kids at their buddy's birthday party treasure hunt, we knew we were getting close as along the way there were potsherds, and broken arrowheads along the trail:

 

[Moody]

After another few miles of hiking...we saw the first of the structure we had seen from camp:

More to come...

 

[Moody]

After some downright brutal bushwhacking, we arrived at the other side so that we were able to access the ruins more closely.

To access the ledge, you must lay on your stomach and shimmy across a 30" wide shelf with a couple hundred foot cliff to the side. Andy and I were the only two of the five of us who were willing to dangle off the ledge and access the structures.

You see that ledge on the bottom right of the photo.

 

[Moody]

After shimmying out there with my camera bag slung over the edge of the cliff, I had to stop and contemplate a native living and thriving here, high up on the cliff, far beyond my realm of comprehension and just be there for a few moments...looking out on the valley stretching out below, just as an Anasazi once did. I couldn't help but giggle when I realized I was sitting in the exact same spot that the architect of this structure sat.

Presumably a metate' on the edge of the cliff:

The roofing is still intact on most of the structures 800 years later:

You can clearly see the building technique:

 

[olympiccop2002]

Awesome pictures!

 

[Moody]

After viewing the ruins, we stopped and had a well-earned lunch overlooking the ruins and the valley below before making the 4 mile trek back to camp. Both of my knees were angry with me when I returned back. I quickly quit my complaining when I saw my father's foot and it's aftermath from HITR. Turns out it wasn't broken (he had it xrayed when we returned) but certainly injured:

 

[mph]

Great report...sorry to hear about your dad! Hope he is ok...Great pictures...I have to spend some more time on HIRT...