San Rafael Swell -- Spring 2014

[Charlie Horse]

Day 2:

For once the goats slept well on the first night out. I didn't wake up until the sky was blue
and the sun was touching the tops of the cliffs. I kept the food simple and avoided anything
that required ice or complicated cooking, so breakfast was quick and we headed right out.

Today's goal: Hike the road back to the mouth of Buck Horn Draw and search for a certain
formation in one of the side canyons.


Passing the entrance to Calf Canyon and continuing up Buck Horn Draw.
Note the well groomed, oiled dirt road. We started out in the river bed but I got tired
of watching my feet instead of the scenery as I avoided cacti and getting sand in my shoes.


Yes, the Escalante Indians did worship their goddess, Amelia Goat-hart!


The indestructible youngsters playing risky games as we took a break in the shade.


This is the start of the side canyon. At this point we were about 7 miles in to the hike already!

---

This canyon had boulder fields with rocks the size of a room. It was a lot of fun figuring
out how to get around them. For the goats it was nothing, but for Sasha a few were
a bit of a challenge.


It was a lot of fun figuring out how to get around them. For the goats it was nothing, but
for Sasha a few were a bit of a challenge.


Since the day was dragging on and I didn't want to push Sasha's old hip joints too far
when we're only at the half-way point, I decided to give up when we were confronted
by a very impressive obstacle. There was a way over it, but the time had come to turn
back.


What a sight, eh? So fun!


Shelby GT's glamour shot, chewing his cud in the shade of a giant boulder.


Yes, Utah's red rock country has a lot of arches indeed!
We found some water a few miles from camp and the critters did a lot of drinking, and
Sasha did a lot of swimming. Too bad there wasn't more water when we needed it.


After dinner we climbed a small hill and watched the sun set on Window Blind Mesa.
There was one more night out, and an uneventful drive home. The trip went flawlessly
and I'm hoping to get one more outing in before the temperatures make me turn my
attention to the High Uintas and the cool air at altitude.