Anderson Bottom Hike

SATURDAY APRIL 11, 2009 (Jeff's 63rd B'day)

Since we had paddled such a great distance the day before and knew we could easily average about 4 mph, we decided to paddle only around the bend to Anderson Bottom and to spend the day exploring rather than paddling.

After a leisurely breakfast of coffee and scrambled eggs wrapped in soft tortillas, we sorted out the fire pan (Jess & Kim top right), erased any traces of our camp, packed up our gear, and loaded the T-cat. We were off at about 10. As we looked back at our campsite, a raven had flown in and was already prowling the site looking for leftover food. No dummy. It had obviously found food before where previous paddlers had camped. We had not left it a scrap.

The T-cat on the muddy beach

Jess and Peter loading the T-cat and contemplating where to place the tarp

Me in light rain but keeping my feet out of the mud as I was the dry-sand end of the relay to the T-cat

Kim and Jess straining out the larger pieces of firewood

ANDERSON BOTTOM EXPLORE

We paddled 7 miles to Anderson Bottom. A passing canoeist had told us that the canyon contained petroglyphs, waterfalls, and a slot canyon. He also told us that some teenagers were camped there. When we got there, we saw their canoes at a landing site, so pulled in further up the river and then hiked a trail, which took us back to their site. Here we met the two adults who were with the teens. Turned out that the teens were a group of 10 on a 36-hour wilderness solo.

We steered clear of the areas where the adults said the kids might be, and hiked the open canyon for a way, seeing beautiful blooming cactus, small collared lizards, tumbleweeds, deer scat, and plenty of juniper and other desert scrub.

Green-spotted lizard--look at the length of its  toes

We looked and looked for the petroglyphs, but found only uninteresting pseudo-glyphs, obviously recently drawn. When we got to the slot canyon, we came to a halt. It was either swim the deep pool through the canyon or retreat to a steep path to the top of the cliffs and then climb down to the canyon on the other side. It was hot. Instead of climbing, we sat in the shade and Peter emptied his knapsack of all his snack goodies. We had a good rest and snack.

Pseudo petroglyphs that some idiot had scratched on the canyon wall

Jess and Kim for a sense of size

The slot canyon; only way though was to swim or climb the canyonside and then climb down the other side

Susan, Peter, and Kim with Peter's snacks: jar of peanuts, Oreos & chocolate crackers, Chex mix, Parmesan Goldfish. Note my feet, still in my river shoes with plastic bags inside

Jess in a JC Penny pose pointing out the potholes in the side of the canyon

Jess and Kim near the entrance to the slot canyon; it was really far too dangerous to negotiate

Peter spotted the Fremont Petroglyphs when we were nearly out of the canyon. How he spotted them is still a mystery, even to him, as they were at a good distance from us and up high above a sand ridge. While we were too hot and tired to climb up to photograph them, I found the photo below on the Internet.

Internet photo of the Fremont Petroglyphs

The beginnings of another arch

Very spiny cactus

Peter, Jess, and Susan emerging from Anderson Canyon with the Butte of the Cross in the background, so named because when seen from another angle it appeared to the Powell Expedition to be one formation "in the form of a fallen cross"

Candlestick Tower and the formation of rain clouds

Storm moving in toward Candlestick Tower; we escaped rain for the most part until evening