Black Friday in Range Creek
Black Friday | Friday, November 29, 2013
After spending Thanksgiving in Price with Kelly, we set off to spend our Black Friday hiking in Range Creek instead of chasing bargains in some crowded store. When we left in the morning the sky was cloudy and it was lightly snowing, but that didn't deter us from our destination. I was a little worried about driving over Horse Canyon Pass since I knew the road was snow packed and I had never been on it before. The ranger I had spoken to a few days prior had recommended chains, but I didn't have any for my Jeep. I had never needed them before, so I hoped I wouldn't need them now. I just took my time driving the snow-packed road up near the pass and my Jeep had no issues in the snow.
Shortly after climbing up to the pass we found that the clouds we had been under all morning were low, so we had some great views over them from up here.
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Fog in Horse Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Low clouds filling Horse Canyon below.
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Full by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Horse Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
This was probably my favorite view with the little island poking out and the Wasatch Plateau across the valley.
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Island in the Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
While driving through Little Horse Canyon we stopped to visit the Tripod Man
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Tripod Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
We were still under a canopy of low clouds on this side of the pass...
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Little Horse Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
...but the clouds did start to break up a little and we saw a little sunshine here and there.
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Sun Through Clouds by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Kelly checks out the signs at the entrance to Range Creek.
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Entrance by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Follow the sign.
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This Way by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
After hiking a little more than a mile we got our first glimpse of Locomotive Rock partially obscured by the clouds.
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Locomotive Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
As we approached Locomotive Rock we ran into Dennis and Alan who happened to also be hiking in the canyon today. While I have spoken to both of them online before, I had never actually met either in person, so it was nice to finally do that. Make sure to check out Dennis' photos and trip report from this day, too.
While we were standing around talking we also met the ranger who came driving by. He gave us a ride in the back of his truck a little ways down the road.
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Hitching a Ride by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Dennis and Alan hitched a ride all the way to Nelson Canyon, but Kelly and I parted ways with them near Barton Canyon where we stopped to visit the Fat Man Panel.
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Shield Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Looking back at Kelly as I climbed through a small slot in the rock.
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Through the Crack by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
There were a few panels of petroglyphs around here.
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Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Horned Snakes by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Next we hiked a short way up Barton Canyon and found a few more petroglyphs.
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Ladderman by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Stairway by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Barton Canyon was the furthest down Range Creek that we would travel on this trip with the shorter days, so we started hiking back towards the trailhead from here. On the way down we had passed the TV Panel and I wanted to find the way up to visit it. Kelly and I spent a bit of time finding the route up, but after a few wrong turns and dead ends I eventually found the narrow path that took me there.
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TV Pictograph by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
This nearby alcove had a bunch of interesting pictographs, too.
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Alcove Pictographs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Nice clouds over Range Creek near the TV pictograph.
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Range Creek Clouds by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
On our way back to the trailhead we stopped at a few other small rock art panels, but nothing too exciting. Then we started our slow drive back out over the pass before it got dark.
My Jeep parked at the pass over the clouds on the other side.
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At the Pass by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
It was like a sea of clouds below.
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Shoreline by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Edge of Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Driving back down into the clouds in Horse Canyon.
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Down the Mountain by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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In the Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Tracks into the Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Foggy by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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