Lake Powell Exploring, July 2010

[teotwaki]

My recent trip included the usual houseboat and power boat adventures but these two items deserve specific mention. The first is a trail of which the most interesting part are stone steps carved into the sandstone. To help make it up the slickrock, here is your local canyon guide


Power boats motor by the steps all day long. I know that I have missed them before. Erosion has masked their appearance. I explored a lot of side channels before I spotted them.




The history of them is unclear to me. They have been attributed to the 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps, miners, Navajo Sheepherders and so on.

I finally thought that I saw them and beached my kayak.


Up close the first set of steps were obvious


My excitement level grew so I grabbed my gear and started up this steep bit of Glen Canyon history.

 

[teotwaki]

Goodbye sweet kayak....


In some places the steps were almost eroded away


Kayak sure is shrinking


Next I came to a small open area and found a few rock ducks to urge me forward


The steps here were very faint. Sometimes I had to climb up areas just to see if the trail followed that route.

 

[teotwaki]

I was glad that I wore my canyoneering shoes. They have really sticky soles.
Sometimes vegetation obscured the route Looking up


And looking back down the steps


looking back to the water as I climbed higher and higher. Note the small trail marker


More faint, eroded steps. I think that they drilled into the rock and broke out peices which would make me think it was either CCC or miners that hacked these out.

 

[teotwaki]

I came to another open area where the vegetation obscured some of the markers. Looking up trail


looking back down trail


heading still higher up


looking back down


This marker is being overgrown


Hey! My kayak is still there. Sure is far away now

 

[teotwaki]

The route became much less certain at this point and was less well marked


While routefinding I spotted some cool rocks



...and this piece of a glass jar!


...which went back exactly as I found it, ready for the next adventurer

 

[teotwaki]

more faint steps


After that I was truly unsure about which way to go and had to watch the time. Next time I'll start much earlier in the day and bring a daypack.

Made it back to the Kayak


Warning! You may go blind Or ROTFLYAO: Self portrait before paddling out onto the lake

 

[Willman]

Nice Jim!

I too am headed to LP next week. Can't wait!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[teotwaki]

Nice Jim!

I too am headed to LP next week. Can't wait!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! Hope that you have a great time there!

 

[Corey]

Great pictures and narration Jim.

 

[Lichen]

Could these steps have been carved by Mormon pioneers? Great report.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Looks like a fun jaunt. A neat trail to explore. Thanks for sharing, Jim!

 

[teotwaki]

Could these steps have been carved by Mormon pioneers? Great report.

Somehow I don't think that they were based on what look to be drill holes. The pioneers had to drag wagons. This route would be too narrow for that. There was a long standing Navajo resident of the canyon who had a farm there until the lake flooded him out. It may be that the CCC made these for access to the canyon and the farmers, miners and ranchers all used them.

 

[mph]

Great trip...Thanks for the photos and writeup. There are some great books out there about Glen Canyon before the lake. Some great coffee table picture books...It is crazy and sad to see what Powell Reservoir now covers. If you are curious; let me know and I can send you the titles.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Roughly where are the steps? I'll dig through my books and see if I can come up with an answer.

They are not part of the known HITR (San Juan Mission) route, I've been on both sides of it and there are not any steps such as that.

 

[JohnnyS]

Cool!

Great pics and write up!
I've been wanting to do a LP trip for years but can never get enough folks together to cover the houseboat....slackers.
Thanks for sharing.