Day 1: Gov't Trail to Dripping Canyon
- Pollys Island/Big Man Panel/ Long House.
Day 2: Dripping Canyon to Bullet Canyon
- Quail Panel/ Two Story Ruin/ Totem Pole.
Day 3: Bullet Canyon to Pouroff Pool
- Green Mask Panel/ Split Level Ruin.
Day 4: Pouroff Pool to Kane Canyon junction
- Todie Canyon/ Turkey Pen Ruins
Day 5: Kane Gulch Junction to Kane G. Ranger Station
We got to the Gov't Trail trailhead late in the day, but early enough to consider starting out on the trail rather than camping at the trailhead. The well defined trail petered out just as the light faded so that we couldn't see the cairns to go on, so we pitched our tents on the mesa top where dark found us. I found a nice sandy spot to pitch my tent. Later that night we had a bunch of rain and snow and I found out why my nice sandy spot existed - it was a puddle and my tent bottom became a water bed. Fortunately, Roger had pitched his tent on a slightly higher spot so I transferred my bag to his tent for the remainder of the night.
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Steve and Braxton taking down their tent - Roger to right. You can see the pools of water left in the depressions from the previous night's snow and rain.
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Dan and Braxton - Although the sun was out, the morning air was quite chilly.
Starting out - with the morning sun we could see our route clearly (see cairn at right foreground).
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At the lip of the canyon, we could see ruins high up on Polly's Island across the gulch. We speculated as to how they ever got up there.
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Polly's Island acorss the Gulch (at left) from the canyon rim before the Gov't Trail makes its descent. The canyon at the center is the rincon around Polly's Island.
Famous Big Man Panel Pictograph - located on the right side (east) going up canyon quite a ways from Polly's Canyon. Look for trails going up the hill as the panel is not visible from the wash. - For more Big man photos see 2000 trip:
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Going up the Wash above Polly's Canyon - there are few bench trails from Polly's Canyon to Step Canyon so most of the time you are in the wash. Here the wet sand is pretty good footing but a lot of places have soft sand or fist sized cobbles that make for rougher going.
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Fred - Natural Arch (noted on topo map) we missed this on our trip down canyon in 2000. Easy to spot going up Canyon.
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Fred - Natural Arch (noted on topo map) we missed this on our trip down canyon in 2000. Easy to spot going up Canyon.
Ruin near pictograph panel - note that a larger structure was to the right (carbon on walls from smoke) built in the stick plus mud method that was not as durable as the rock and mud mortar method.
enlarge 172KB, 535x800 33 2002-372-009 Another view of Granary and ledge - note hiking stick at left for scale.
enlarge 158KB, 546x800 34 2002-372-010 Pictograph Panel at Long House.
enlarge 158KB, 800x541 35 2002-372-011 Hand prints at Long House.
Wash has undercut the walls here - you could see branchse and other debris wedged into the ceiling of the overhang. It made you glad that you wouldn't be here if there were a flash flood.
enlarge 192KB, 560x800 44 2002-372-018 Fred following the trail crossing a bench - steep up and down.
enlarge 215KB, 582x800 45 2002-372-019 Going up the wash.
enlarge 151KB, 581x800 46 2002-372-020 View from another bench - this is close to Step Canyon.
enlarge 163KB, 604x800 47 2002-372-021 Figure from the Quail panel (Step Canyon).
enlarge 186KB, 800x560 48 2002-372-022 More figures from the Quail Panel.
More figures - note stylized headresses on the two yellow figures. A lot of color in this panel.
enlarge 137KB, 800x532 51 2002-372-025 The Quail for which the panel is named.
enlarge 136KB, 800x522 52 2002-373-001 A lot of faded figures here.
enlarge 117KB, 800x523 53 2002-373-002 More details.
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Shaman's mask - at far end of the Quail panel this pictograph is the most unusual figure of all. The panel is in a large alcove with no ruins.
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enlarge 165KB, 800x524 56 2002-373-005 Ruins in small cave.
enlarge 131KB, 800x522 57 2002-373-006 Ceiling details at small cave.
enlarge 169KB, 800x540 58 2002-373-007 View looking up Step Canyon from small cave.
enlarge 213KB, 523x800 59 2002-373-008 View of Two Story Ruin from wash. The cliff here is impressive.
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View of Two Story ruin from ledge - note defensive wall in foreground. T.S. ruin is back further along the ledge. You can see the entrance of Step Canyon beyond.
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View of defensive wall - you either have to go over it or thru the door which could easilly be blocked up. A long drop awaits one who would try to go around the wall to the left.
enlarge 173KB, 800x543 62 2002-373-011 Pictographs at Two Story Ruin.
enlarge 147KB, 800x532 63 2002-373-012 More pictographs at Two Story Ruin.
enlarge 154KB, 527x800 64 2002-373-013 Two Story Ruin.
enlarge 238KB, 575x800 65 2002-373-014 The Totem Pole Hoodoo - and Fred!
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Fred - Just a ways below the Bullet Canyon/ Grand Gulch confluence you go over a large bench with good views.
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There is a small granary across the canyon (in shadow - use original size to see). It would have been quite an effort to reach this structure.
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View looking up Grand Gulch at the mouth of Bullet Canyon (to right). The camp spots usually fill up.
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Ruin in Grand Gulch above Bullet Canyon. There is an upper level that is reached by going up a chimney (Shelby is making his way up in this photo).
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Cascade Bill, Fred and Roger at ruin. I made it up to here with a lot of effort ( and trepidation) but passed on the slot chimney up to the upper level. In my youth, I always wanted to be Roy Rogers or Gene Autry but instead I turned into Gabby Hahes!
enlarge 194KB, 529x800 71 2002-373-020 Roger. Shelby and unidentified hiker at upper level of ruin.
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Danny, Roger, and Shelby: Just below the junction of Shieks Canyon there is a series of Slickrock steps and pools - a very scenic part of the canyon.
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View of very interesting pictograph that is part of the Green Mask Panel complex. There is some info in an ammo box here that states that the heads of the figures have faded away over time but it looked to me that there wasn't anything there.
enlarge 154KB, 800x544 74 2002-373-023 Adjacent figures on panel
enlarge 158KB, 800x527 75 2002-373-024 Very interesting figure showing childbirth - note no heads again.
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Ruin adjacent to panel shows these circular patterns placed on top of a blackened rock face (Shelby at right)
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Very old pictographs far above existing floor - looks like a portion of the wall or ledge has collapsed.
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More figures - note headresses and more turkeys/birds. (This was the last picture on the roll and I hadn't brought another - left my pack down at the junction of Shieks ) so I didn't get a photo of the Green Mask, which is impressive but high up and far away requiring a telephoto lens to get a good photo anyway.
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I thought this might be another ruin, but I'm not so sure - in some places the rock breaks apart so that it appears as if it were a built up wall.
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We met this family - Ron Morrow (editor and publisher of the Climbing Art) as they were taking a break.
enlarge 172KB, 528x800 81 2002-374-005 Desert Varnish on the canyon walls.
enlarge 179KB, 555x800 82 2002-374-006 The canyon twists and turns and is very scenic in this stretch.
enlarge 159KB, 800x566 83 2002-374-007 We had lunch under this large alcove and found these stylized handprints.
enlarge 171KB, 800x524 84 2002-374-008 More canyon walls.
enlarge 182KB, 800x570 85 2002-374-009 We found an alcove with several ruins.
enlarge 163KB, 800x536 86 2002-374-010 Roger and Shelby exploring ruins.
enlarge 167KB, 800x536 87 2002-374-011 View of ruin.
enlarge 211KB, 524x800 88 2002-374-012 View of Split Level Ruin from trail.
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Split Level Ruin - This multi level ruin is very fragile and has been roped off, but you can get quite close as this photo illustrates.
enlarge 178KB, 800x532 90 2002-374-014 Another view of Split Level Ruin.
enlarge 170KB, 543x800 91 2002-374-015 Inaccessible Ruins on ledge in cliff above the Split Level Ruin.
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Upper end of the Split Level alcove - note stakes marking roped off area.
enlarge 164KB, 800x520 93 2002-374-017 Very dramatic view of Split Level Ruin.
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Note combination of rock wall with mud applied to sticks method of construction here.
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Notice roof construction here - you can see why they don't want a bunch of people walking all over it.
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Ruin below the Pouroff Pool - I don't know how Shelby got up there but he did.
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enlarge 184KB, 573x800 98 2002-374-022 Hoodoo - between Pouroff Pool and Todie Canyon.
enlarge 174KB, 547x800 99 2002-374-023 Ruins high up on Todie Canyon walls.
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Roger and Shelby - near spring in Todie Canyon. See Ruins on ledge above.
enlarge 183KB, 523x800 101 2002-374-025 Cascade Bill at Todie Canyon ruin.
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enlarge 151KB, 800x547 104 2002-375-003 Ruins in lower Todie Canyon.
enlarge 169KB, 539x800 105 2002-375-004 Looking up Todie Canyon.
enlarge 142KB, 800x526 106 2002-375-005 Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon.
enlarge 155KB, 800x528 107 2002-375-006 Details of Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon.
enlarge 188KB, 800x546 108 2002-375-007 Details of Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon.
enlarge 177KB, 800x531 109 2002-375-008 Details of Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon.
enlarge 185KB, 526x800 110 2002-375-009 Details of Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon. Note birdlike head of stick figure - compare to Quail Panel figures.
enlarge 165KB, 536x800 111 2002-375-010 Details of Petroglyph Panel in Todie Canyon: Bearpaw? Snake or river?
enlarge 170KB, 543x800 112 2002-375-011 Ledge- Todie Canyon : note possible remains of structure in foreground.
enlarge 188KB, 800x531 113 2002-375-012 More Petroglyphs.
enlarge 198KB, 800x524 114 2002-375-013 Another Petroglyph.
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Fred investigating ruins at Turkey Pen - note difference in construction, and fire blackend wall at left showing where another structure has collapsed or been destroyed.
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Figures at Turkey Pen Ruin. Note how different these are from the previous panel at the alcove just down canyon.
enlarge 161KB, 800x528 133 2002-375-032 The Turkey Pen - Fred.
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Looking back to the lower levels of Turkey Pen - This alcove is on a ramp that climbs steadily up.
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Looking at the end of the lower ramp. The upper level is reached by going up through and opening in the wall where the logs are sticking up at right. (You could go up to the upper level in 2002 but this was closed in 2005). Also note log bridge to support wall.
enlarge 123KB, 543x800 136 2002-375-035 Fred looking a grinding stone (metate) at Turkey Pen.
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Close up of constructed bridge to support wall and floor of ledge - yucca ropes appear to be still in good condition after all these years.
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Junction Ruins - we spent our last night at the junction of Kane Gulch canyon. The Junction ruins are quite extensive. The accessible portions show a lot of wear and tear as well as poorly executed attempts to patch up the ruins.
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Kiva showing central support beam - the roof has been completely removed here, but the extensive structure is revealed. Note the fire blackened sides. I don't think an asthmatic Anazazi would have lasted long.