Meadow Creek through Parunaweap and past Checkerboard Mesa

[tylerhirshfeld]

CAUTION: LONG STORY
First off, what a beautiful hike!
Second, one hell of a day!

The plan was to hike til it got dark set up camp and finish tomorrow. That sounded like the only option when you start a 21 mile hike and 10 oclock in the morning. Especially when the majority is "offtrail" hiking.
So I left the Buffalo Ranch at 10, and headed down the highway to the trailhead of Meadow Creek. Lots more bushwacking than I remember from the spring, but I pressed on. Did the downclimb, went around the 80' (or however high it is) waterfall and decided to take a break at the confluence with Mineral Gulch. 2 1/2 hours in and so far, so good. After 5 minutes of taking in the view, and grabbing some grub, I threw the pack on and headed down canyon. It got gorgeous with the slots, and I felt more like home. Although I was bummed to find that some moron(s) rode ATV's through and really damaged the walls in the tight parts. I got to the petroglyphs and caves, and spotted two bighorn watching me from above. That was kinda cool. Got some pics and tried to imagine what the indian settlement looked like at one time. Continued on to the Virgin River, and got to Rock Canyon. 5 hours in. So I figured, well its only 3, so I will go down to Fat Mans and get that campsite. Parunaweap was very beautiful, and other than all the bushwaching, I prefer it over the Narrows hike. The water was clean, no poo papers, and no tourons! Score... All the trees were still green, and the sun was hitting the walls just right. Beautiful. Soon I pass Poverty Wash, and then Fat Man's. So far, good timing, but the feet were getting tired. 7 1/2 hours in. The campsite is less than 30 minutes away, just around the corner, and a short scramble out of the canyon. All of the sudden I run into a couple, who say, "We are camped at the campsite at the top of the exit". Big time bummer. Of coarse there are other places to camp, but some pasta sounds really good right now. Not only that, but when you are hiking by yourself, you can only have so many conversations with yourself before you are bored and you know all the answers to your questions. By now I am at the top of the exit. 8 hours in. Its six o'clock, and the sun is going down. So I decide to continue hiking and try to make it out past Checkerboard Mesa by 8 and catch a ride to Springdale, before the road closes. So I am hiking, and the sun isnt too blazing hot, and I speed things up to a jog. Keep in mind, I did bring a tent, sleeping bag, extra clothes, and food. My legs are tired and I realize I have not eaten anything since 12:30, 6 1/2 hours ago. 9 hours in. So I open my pack, pour some nasty strawberry drink mix into my Nalgene, and scarf down 4 granola bars, about a cup of nuts, and 3 fruit leathers, and a quart of very sour Strawberry Crystal Light. I was stinkin hungry. I even debated popping open the can of Progresso soup, sitting in the bottom of my pack. With only an hour left before the road closes, I decide to run up the pass and back down the other side to the highway. It starts getting dark, I throw on one of my headlamps, and keep going. I hit the highway at 8:05, about a minute after the last car goes through. Crap. So I start walking to Springdale, in hopes that a construction worker drives by and picks me up. Sure enough, about 1/2 mile later, I get picked up. But oh, that pavement felt so much better on the feet than the rocky trail. While sitting in the back of the truck, I realize I probably didnt hydrate and eat like I should have cause my stomach is burning. I ignore and about 40 minutes later, we are at Canyon Junction. I get dropped off and call the wife for pickup. "Ok, I'll be there in about 45 minutes". I am fine with that though, cause she didnt expect to come get me til tommorrow evening. So I decide to drink another quart and a half of water, slowly, just to see if I can satisfy the upset stomach. Nope, it just gets pissed off more, and I start dry heaving. Then just as another contruction worker goes by, Mr. Stomach lets everything loose... about 2 quarts of water/Crystal Light, fruit leather, granola, and peanuts. This guy is sitting there watching me puke my life away, and walks up and hands me an apple and fresh bottled water. What a great guy. I was thankful. Eventually, the wife shows up and says to me, "you really dont stink that bad, you smell more like fruit" This was really comforting, until I told here it was because I got my shirt and shoes in my little puking frenzy.
So, the moral(s) of the story? I am still trying to figure that out. But it was a long day, with some awesome scenery, great hiking, cool water, and an excellent end. I am now sitting here at 12:24am eating the long sought bowl of pasta, and telling you how my day went. I hope you enjoyed and I will post some pics some time this week!