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!
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Once again we left home in the dark . . . look at this sunrise!
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Gingham Skirt Butte rises up out of the Paria River Valley
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We are headed for Calico Peak
(Click on picture for a more expansive view) |
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Wow, this landscape is amazing!
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These toadstools almost seem out of place
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Looks like dinosaur skin to us . . . could use a little Jergen's lotion!
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And to think we were walking up above this cave! Yikes!
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We came across this interesting stalactite type of formation
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Further up the wash we came upon a tunnel sized perfectly for Lola and Chipper . . . and Tom!
(Oh, we have the pictures!) |
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We are hoping this draw will lead us to Calico Peak
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Tom quickly made friends with Chipper . . . does it look like he's begging?
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We found several pieces of colorful chert . . . very unusual and eye catching
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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 |
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A nice panorama . . . click on the picture for a larger image
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Since the draw didn't work, Kent & Tom are checking out another possibility
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This stuff was not only steep but very hard to walk on
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So far, Calico Peak looks nearly impossible . . . so we're trying another draw
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On our way to look for yet another option, we came upon this neat little canyon
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Time for a Christmas photo
(Wonder what Tom's fees are?) |
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We followed this stream bed back down towards the road
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This is the last straw . . . Do you see Tom & Lola up on top?
Kent & Chipper are on their way up
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Whew, we all made it up the ridge!
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The Paria River flows off to the east . . . yes, it is a river!
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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!
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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!
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