Wandering Around the Paria

The plan seemed pretty straight forward - drive to Kanab, meet Tom and Lola, drive to the Old Pahreah townsite, park at the cemetery (maybe this was a bad omen) and climb Calico Peak.  Sounds simple, right?  Everything was going according to plan until we tried to find a way up Calico Peak.  It seemed like every drainage ended with a dry fall or we couldn't get across a ridge because it became too knife like to safely cross.  After four hours, five dead ends, and almost five miles we called it a day - Calico had beaten us down!

Ah, but every cloud has a silver lining!  For us the pictures below will tell our story!  If we had made it to the top we would never have experienced all the unique ridges, canyons and spectacular landscapes we ended up exploring.   We'll be back for Calico Peak another day, but nothing can replace the memories we made as we wandered the Chinle formations of the Paria!

Once again we left home in the dark . . . look at this sunrise!

Gingham Skirt Butte rises up out of the Paria River Valley

We are headed for Calico Peak
(Click on picture for a more expansive view)

Wow, this landscape is amazing!

These toadstools almost seem out of place

Looks like dinosaur skin to us . . . could use a little Jergen's lotion!

And to think we were walking up above this cave!  Yikes!

We came across this interesting stalactite type of formation

Further up the wash we came upon a tunnel sized perfectly for Lola and Chipper . . . and Tom!
(Oh, we have the pictures!)

We are hoping this draw will lead us to Calico Peak

Tom quickly made friends with Chipper . . . does it look like he's begging? 

We found several pieces of colorful chert . . . very unusual and eye catching 

It was hard to get a picture of the three of us . . . but here we are!
Do you see the dogs?  They are there, too

A nice panorama . . . click on the picture for a larger image

Since the draw didn't work, Kent & Tom are checking out another possibility

This stuff was not only steep but very hard to walk on

So far, Calico Peak looks nearly impossible . . . so we're trying another draw

On our way to look for yet another option, we came upon this neat little canyon

Time for a Christmas photo
(Wonder what Tom's fees are?)

We followed this stream bed back down towards the road

This is the last straw . . .  Do you see Tom & Lola up on top?
Kent & Chipper are on their way up

Whew, we all made it up the ridge!

The Paria River flows off to the east . . . yes, it is a river!

Okay now we had a decision to make . . . Should we stay or should we go?
(Tom & Lola say "go" - Kent & Chipper say "stay")
Calico Peak is right there, but it is not to be . . . at least not today!

It was time to head back down . . . the dogs were tired . . . we were tired . . .
 Some hikes don't go as planned, but that doesn't stop us! 
We had a great day exploring some of the most amazing scenery in Southern Utah!
 

 

East Mansard Peak & Mansard Benchmark

We've done a lot of hiking around the Kanab area, but had never heard of the Mansard Trail.  When Tom (and Lola) asked if we were interested in coming along, we had to reference Google Earth to locate East Mansard Peak, and it's neighbor, Mansard Benchmark.  Surprisingly, there is a trailhead that starts just six miles east of Kanab, in a residential area, that leads to both highpoints.

Man, this ended up being a great hike!  The six mile trail (r/t) was in superb condition and provided spectacular views as it wound its way up a nice ridge that took us to the top of the Vermillion Cliffs - both East Mansard and Mansard BM sit atop this plateau.  It was at this point that we left the main trail to hike to the top of these peaks - had we continued following the trail, it would have taken us to an alcove with petroglyphs inscribed on its floor.  Guess we'll have to come back and do it again . . . can't wait!

Looking north at East Mansard from the start of the trailhead

The trail is well maintained and switchbacks to the top of a "spiny" ridge

This was the only obstacle . . . even Lola made it with a little help

Nearing the ridgeline that we will follow to the top of the Vermillion Cliffs

East Mansard (6320 ft) is where we are headed first . . . 
Once we reached the plateau, we left the trail and headed for the base of the peak

Hmmm . . . Tom thinks we'll have great views from the top
We're sure he's right, assuming we can get to the top!

It doesn't look too bad as we work our way along the base . . .
We're looking for a small basin that the early surveyors said they took to reach the summit

It was steep and slick in places . . .
Sometimes, we used all fours just like Lola!

We made it!  Lola wanted to take a picture with us to commemorate this moment. . .
To the right of us are the Vermillion Cliffs . . .
We switchbacked up a section of this formation to get to the Mansard plateau

Looking north from East Mansard Peak . . .
Outstanding views of the White Cliffs and Powell Point . . .
The Mansard's are actually a part of the White Cliffs formation

A panoramic view

Looking west towards Kanab, off in the distance . . . 
Our next stop, Mansard Benchmark is on the right . . . 
The trail (had we followed it) leads to a petroglyph alcove at the bottom of Mansard BM

Heading back down through some cool formations

Have you ever seen a scratch circle?  Neither had we . . . until now!
The long grass stems are pushed around & around by the wind to create arcs 

The sand gave us a good workout on our way to Mansard Benchmark (6385 ft)

Tom and Kent are working their way up to the base

Tom is looking for the best way up for Lola . . .
Hey, Tom, why don't we use the rope that's right behind you?
(We didn't see it until we had all made it up and over this small hurdle!)

Lola is a trooper . . . she goes with the flow!

Mansard Benchmark was put here in 1938 . . .
It hasn't been updated in the database since then . . . Tom is about to change that!

Did you know that most benchmarks are accompanied by two reference markers that point towards the benchmark?  Neither did we, but thanks to Tom and his extensive knowledge on how they work, now we do!  Tom has been trying to update the benchmarks he locates.  He reports their condition (if he can find them -  some are long gone) along with their reference markers.  To date he has updated over a 100 entries in the NOAA database!

 Reference Mark #2 was about 25 feet from the BM

Reference Mark #1 was harder to locate . . .
It was at the base of a pinion pine tree that wasn't there in 1938!

Allison & Lola enjoying the views of East Mansard and the Vermillion Cliffs

The landscape to the northwest as we head down off of Mansard BM

Amazing formations, canyons & mesas . . . As far as the eye can see!

Kent is working his way down along the north side of Mansard BM

Lola looks like a bear hiding in a cave!

Working our way down the Mansard trail . . .
Just a few more switchbacks and we'll be back at the Trailhead . . .
It was an outstanding day and hike!

This trail is a fine example of why the area is known as the Grand Staircase - one can see the Claron Formation (pink) of Bryce Canyon and Powell Point, the Navajo Sandstone (white), and the Red Sandstone of the Vermillion Cliffs.  If you're interested in following the route we took, please click here for a GPS track from Tom's Peakbagger site.