The wet weather took off as soon as John left but I guess his sickness stayed around. I drove down to the Grand Gulch area in preparation for starting my next backpacking trip and became dreadfully sick just as I found a place to camp. That night was a real challenge, especially considering that the temperature dropped below freezing and I was sleeping out under the stars.
In the morning I struggled to choke down a little bit of food and then decided I would try a short dayhike instead of starting a backpacking trip. So I drove to the trailhead for Fish and Owl Canyons and slowly ambled down into Owl Canyon. Throughout the day my body and mostly my spirit were buoyed up by the incredible beauty I saw down in the canyon. Immediately after starting the hike I came to the first of several ancient ruins, in an alcove below the overhanging walls. Small shards of pottery and dried maize cobs were littered all about the ruin. Although I am certain that I was a few miles from the closest person, I certainly did not feel alone in this canyon. Others had been here for a very long time and fortunately for me they seemed to welcome me to continue on down canyon.
The deeper I went into the canyon the more life seemed to spring from every little crevice and sometimes the singing of the songbirds was a little overwhelming (see hummingbird & Lizard photos). I attribute much of the life, and death in the case of this dead mouse, to the presence of water in the canyon. There was a small stream in places and several nice pools which were surrounded by hanging gardens.
I ended up wandering much further than I had anticipated, and I almost convinced myself to do the loop down Owl and up Fish Canyons. But a little reason prevailed and I chose to return the way I came, saving my energy so that I could start a backpacking trip the following day.
That night I camped at the Fish & Owl trailhead where I awoke fully recovered from my sickness. Just before settling in for the night I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple drive in with a full load of gear in their Subaru and a soaped in "Just Married" on the back window! A trip to the canyons, now that is my idea of a honeymoon!
The next morning I rushed back to the Kane Gulch ranger station gotta permit and took off down Kane Gulch - Grand Gulch for a two day backpack trip. To be continued . . .
