Leaving a Mark

One of the reasons to camp at Bowknot Bend was to hike up to the ridge in the morning while it was cool. BJ & Willie decided that they would take a pass, so Kathy and I headed off before breakfast.

I'd considered hiking up for sunrise but decided that going early enough to enjoy the cool shadows was good enough for me. Since our camp was on the north side of the neck of the bend, we got a light show on the cliffs across the river but stayed cool in camp.

The first time I climbed to the ridge, there was a very rough trail but no steps. Last time, there were a few steps. This time, the trail was much better, very obvious, and there were lots of places where sandstone blocks were used to create very nice steps.

At the west end of the ridge, there is an area with some old river runner glyphs. Rumor has it that John Wesley Powell's group left their mark but we couldn't find it. The very clear and clean Kolb Bros mark (famous Grand Canyon photographers) was obvious with junk from the past 20-30 years starting to crowd it out.

The (Harry) Aleson, (Georgie) White inscription is very clear. This one was placed when they were doing one of the earliest military surplus raft trips from Green River, Utah to Hite. Later, Georgie became famous for her 'triple-rigged' inflatables that carried scores of people through the Grand Canyon.

This one looked very well done. I was debating who ATH was, and then I looked closer. This was was done with power tools, grinding the deep inscription in 2003.

This one was scratched into the desert varnish. I'd like to think that by this time, the whole concept of  'leave no trace' should be well know - apparently not to Reese!

It make one wonder how long forever was/is for T & A.

Interestingly enough, not only are some people still leaving their mark on the cliffs, someone/s was also leaving their mark (and the used toilet paper) in places near our camp in spite of the requirement to have a washable toilet system and to carry out all solid waste. Some people make me angry!

I had to try a panorama. This one is taken facing west where the trail first reaches the ridge. On the left is the downstream side with our next camp in the shadows of the downstream cliffs. On the right is the upstream side of the bend. The river travels about 6.5 miles to make it around the bend, passing less than 1/4 mile from itself. As always, clicking on a picture will bring up a larger version.

After two nights at Bowknot Bend, we continued downriver to river mile 61.5 where we were able to snag another beautiful high water camp, complete with an excellent sandbar out front for unloading and bathing. The ridge at Bowknot is the low part of the ridge in the background.

The best part of this camp was the shady 'porch' where we could sit and watch the river flow by. There was just enough vegetation that many people wouldn't notice you until you spoke to them.

We were really impressed with a group of five families, complete with at least 12 children of all ages, that drifted past us using all manner of floating devices. They were spread out enough that we never could get a picture of the whole group.

This is a popular camp for Boy Scout trips. Unfortunately, the area was marred by MANY people leaving their marks on the walls. I spotted at least one large one that was dated 2017. I don't understand...