Since I'm on a weird sleeping schedule working night shift 7pm-6am, I decided to go check out The Wave early Saturday morning. On Friday I was formulating plans to do so, until I found out that this time of year they only issue walk-in permits in the Kanab office on Friday morning. They'd be closed on the weekend! I jumped in my car after work and headed out to Kanab. I talked to several BLM people there at the office and snagged one of the last permits for Saturday. I also snagged some topo maps for the surrounding area, and another one for my coworker who expressed interest. Got back to the hotel and slept until later that evening. I checked the route, and built a track log to the Wave using the GPS coordinates provided by the BLM people. Around 4am I got my things together and headed out towards Wire Pass. There had been significant snowfall that night, and the roads were covered with about an inch. Pulling off the highway onto dirt road, the snow seemed quite a bit deeper, but it was still manageable. It being dark and remote, some sections of road were a bit nerve racking especially when my rear tires got stuck in some ruts, and swung the rear end out. Even though I wasn't going faster than 25mph, I traveled about 50 yards at a very skew angle. Finally I arrived at the Wire Pass Trailhead parking lot. The moon was out, it was very windy, and cold. Grabbed my things, and realized I didn't have my warm hat! I fashioned a cap using the Alstom handkerchief Yuka gave me. Thankfully, I also had those warm driving gloves which were worth gold later on.
There was quite a bit of snow covering the roads and any trail terrain, so I simply meandered in the direction I knew the trail to be. Eventually I got into the wash, and headed on up. I came across some fresh coyote tracks, but I was slightly more concerned about large hungry cats. The Glock27 made for good company. Eventually I had to climb up on a shelf to get out of the wash, and there was no visible trail of any sort, so I tried a few areas that looked good. The snow buildup on sandstone made for terrible traction, and I was limited to a very slight incline. Slipping in some of those areas would have resulted in a bumpy slide down to the bottom. Therefore, I took the time to find a gradual path that had vegetation I could use for secure footing and holding. It took a while, but I was able to get out of the wash, and on the shelf. I spent the next while hop scotching GPS markers, and finding alternative paths in steep places. Under normal conditions it'd be quite simple, but when the static friction coefficient is so low, and having an extremely low kinetic coefficient on steep slopes made for slow cautious steps. Eventually I got up high enough where it was a straight shot to the Wave. The sun had just peaked above the horizon, and the wind picked up significantly. Sand and snow granules raced along the ground in a hypnotic display and concealed any tracks I left. Soon there was a steep section that led to the Wave, but it was mostly frozen "loose" sand which was infinitely better traction for scampering uphill. I took a break at the Wave and gnashed on some snacks while eagerly exposing myself to cosmic rays. I took many pictures, but the lighting was not ideal because I was in the shade of the adjacent ridgeline. After soaking in some great scenery and doing some exploring, I decided to head on out towards the Dinosaur Dance Floor, then upon returning the light conditions might be improved.
I simply had the GPS coordinates for the dance floor, so I had to find a safe way up there. The topo maps on my GPS were quite helpful, and I simply found a neat little ramp that went almost straight there. However, there was about a 10 foot lip right where the dance floor was at. If my life depended on it, I could have scaled it. Since I was in no hurry, and had plenty of daylight I chose to drop down and find a safer route. The route I found still wasn't ideal, but there were plenty of dry exposed bits of sandstone I could use as handholds. When I got to the dance floor, I could see how it got such attention. The holes were really out of place in contrast to the rest of the terrain. Also there some staggered patterns that almost appeared to have some sort of quadruped attributes to it. Most the holes were all full of ice and snow, so I sat for a bit and snapped a few pictures. The wind started picking up again, and it was in my best interest to keep moving, and more importantly to drop down into a wind shadow. I took a longer but more gradual way down this time and probably took an additional 15 minutes. I didn't mind. I gradually made my way back to the Wave, and was glad I let some time pass. The sun had gone high enough to paint the area with vivid colors. I took many more pictures, but wanted to limit myself somewhat, because the wind was so strong, that grains of sand were threatening to get inside my camera. The scenery was so impressive, that one could tolerate the abuse of the wind for a bit longer than normal. I eventually meandered my way upwards to the Upper Wave. When I think I found it, I pulled out a kite, and my kite camera. However, the wind was so strong and turbulent that I couldn't keep the kite in the air for very long. Each crash with the ground was so violent, it would have turned any attached camera instantly into dust upon impact. I stowed the kite combo and wandered around some more, seeking shelter from the wind where I could. After finding a good resting spot I snacked again, and snapped more pictures.
Feeling tired, wind burnt, and exhausted I decided to head back. I passed an older party of three on their way up to the Wave, but despite my friendly greeting, they seemed to be NOT in the mood for discussion nor conversation. I continued my scramble downhill, and in about a mile met another party of two. I was actually able to converse with this group. They were concerned about being late in the day and missing out on lighting conditions. I reassured them that right now was perfect lighting conditions because it wasn't in the shade. The winter months already skew the sun at a low angle. I departed, and eventually found my way back to the wash. The area would be very easy to get lost in and I'm thankful I have a good photographic memory, as well as GPS "just in case." I was rather impressed to see so little snow on the ground compared to the blanket that was there in the morning. I'm guessing the atmospheric conditions were such, especially assisted with the strong winds, where you could get evaporation from a liquid phase, as well as straight from a solid phase. The roads were a bit sloppy though, and I was slightly concerned about having a vehicle with such low clearance. There were very deep ruts in some sections of the road and if you slipped into them, it would be impossible to steer out. Therefore some sections momentum was your friend. I didn't have too many problems getting out to the highway. The all wheel drive assisted greatly. Almost like an omen, there was a bright red snow hat resting on the side of the road near the highway. It was subsequently "yoinked" and to be stored in my car at all times, so I'm not without a warm hat again. Got to the hotel and slept for several hours.
More pics and video on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/album...php?aid=64328&id=648991863&l=..73701
http://www.facebook.com/v/..50476161863
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