Escalante River - Day Two
Mornings are a good time for a side canyon hike. This one was short, but very sweet.
Boulder Creek and the Gulch are the two biggest tributaries (flow-wise) of the Escalante. Between them are some of the most beautiful stretches of the upper canyon. Though not as deep as some of the lower canyons the rock here is also not as prone to spalding, or breaking off. Hence the canyon walls often drop right to the river.
I believe this is the spot, just around the corner visible here, two cottonwoods have fallen into the river. Though not mandatory, it is probably a good idea to drag your boat around on the sandbar to the left. These could of course be gone by the time you run the river and new obstructions could be anywhere there are larger trees.
This well outfitted group was from the Bay Area and Brookings, Oregon.
This is the confluence of the Gulch and the Escalante, from the stream bed of the Gulch. This was about the only tributary that ran muddy, like the Escalante. Most were clear. Below here the canyon opens up a bit.
Just downstream from here is the only Anaszi granary that I'm aware of on the river.
We pushed on to Neon Canyon, the first unmarked canyon on the Eastside below Fence Canyon. The trail at Fence is commonly used to access the classic and popular Neon Canyon. It is also perhaps the best alternative put-in or take-out on the river - perhaps also a good choice during low water.
This is Neon Canyon.
There are at least two good camps here, the 2nd a carry of about 100 yards up canyon.
What distinguishes Neon is an unusual double sinkhole formation at the head of this alcove. It is also an excellent, easy, technical slot that requires you to rappel into the a pool through the first sinkhole. I gather it is about a 3 hour round trip from the river to make loop out of the slot and back down. This particular spot is less than a mile up. I ended up dallying and returned in the dark - which was quite spooky - and beautiful.
The double sinkhole formation at the head of Neon Canyon.
