25 miles of Beauty: QRV in Zion Back Country
The ARS Sojourner
It is a wonderful place to hike.
In early May 2002 my young neighbor, Kirk Hedelius, KD7LUA, of Manti, UT, and I traveled to the beautiful Zion Back country for a spring backpacking trip. We joined an informal group of hikers led by Terril Honey of Kanab, Utah. Two other ham hikers from Kanab were part the group: Mark Mallory, W7DDS, who is an enthusiastic and experienced canyoneer, and Randy Cram, W7NRC, an expert GPS operator and geocaching fan.
According the field office, this area "provides the back country visitor with some of the most scenic, diverse and primitive outdoor experiences in southern Utah. The visitor must be confident in back country navigation and reading maps, since the various access routes to the top of the plateau can be difficult to find and once on top, the visitor is generally free to make their way without benefit of trails. The northern portion of the plateau has rougher terrain and is more remote."
The desert plateau is surrounded by the 2,000-foot Vermillion Cliffs. Access to the plateau was from the South. We hiked up a beautiful canyon that splits the mountain like a knife cut in a birthday cake.
The plateau is capped with slick rock. Gnarled Ponderosa pine trees occupy every spot a root can be pushed through the stone. Overlooks and vistas are breathtaking . We visited an old windlass that was used in bygone days to lower timber through a slot thousands of feet to the desert below.
We camped in a bowl-shaped valley among pine and a few aspen trees. For once I enjoyed trees as antenna supports and heights instead of operating from the depths of a rock canyon. The conditions on 40 meter CW were wonderful! Randy accessed many repeaters with his two meter handheld.
I carried two gallons (sixteen pounds!) of water in my backpack, which was none too much. We were relieved when we found the old spring, consisting of a one-foot-by-one-foot hole with a few inches of water the color and consistency of soured milk. After extensive filtering, it was cool and delicious.
The next day we trekked northward across the rugged plateau led by Terril with help from Randy and his GPS. We were never badly lost, but were often confused! Exit was down an amazing hidden chute in the cliffs. Terril spent many days searching for this route after reading about it in an old diary from the turn of the century.
Once off the plateau, we bushwacked our way through miles of ravines and rock until we joined an established trail.
We hiked an estimated twenty-five miles though country that I sigh with pleasure to recall. I can't wait to get back!
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Dr. Bob Armstrong, N7XJ, a country doctor living in Manti, UT, is an expert outdoorsman, QRPer, and contributing editor to The ARS Sojourner.
barmstrong