Fish and Owl: Bears Ears XXIX

2024-06-02

I’m continuing our series into Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. We’re looking for places to bivouac, set up camps near destinations and then get earlier starts on hikes.

We couldn’t leave our last camp soon enough because of gnats and the afternoon heat.  The harsh part of Summer isn’t far off. The plan is to situate in higher elevations and the better weather, climbing to suit our lack of suits. We’ll need a place to stay to get an early start near a trailhead, which leads to a ruin that we intend to explore.

A camping spot is found near a very fun old wooden bridge.

The solid old conveyance is filled with character, there are trees for shade and a dry creeks ambiance, maybe cool air will flow down the wash as evening passes.

The spot should suit our needs, but now we need another spot in proximity to Bridges National Park, our hike for the morning. Fish and Owl sounds like a good spot. There is a Ranger Station nearby. Our information is sparse at this point and they will help.

We head into the turn toward Fish and Owl around 2pm. We’re tired from a long day of getting supplies from town and then the drive and the searching.  Even though weary, it is still a pleasant experience naked, windows are down out on the open road. The road on my crude map is shorter than the reality. This is carrying us further away from our planned early in the day destination than foreseen. We start to look for alternatives other than the popular camping area.

We are in a juniper /pinion pine forest. This is also a cattle land of tall grasses.  It has been a long drive on this two lane highway, when a sad sight lies on the side of the road. A calf lies dead and its mother stares looking blankly trying to grasp the tragedy. Will someone stop by for this large roadkill? Will the confused mother ever leave?

The ranger station is closed, so there is nobody to report the obstacle in the road with its associated dangerous problems. We accept that we are powerless to help.

We find the turn off toward Fish and Owl. This road also continues with unknown mileage to the destination.

After too much uncertainty, we decide to look for a spot closer to our next early morning exploration, which would be, “any place along here.”

We observe that the vegetation could give a little protection from winds, wandering cattle and some shade where it is thick. The best option has a trailer parked on the way to it. We might just follow the road past it and find a spot, but quickly realize that there is loud music blasting across the area.

With the sight of that camper, we decide to try another road to who knows where. Even though we’re not sure who has jurisdiction here, or that that trailer might be treated like a squatter.

This next turnoff is obviously used by a rancher.  Hopefully there will be privacy and a walk for us later. We cross fingers and follow the dusty red dirt road.

I manage to nestle the SUV in amongst some trees. It is cooler in here and cozy. We see numerous cattle paths in the vicinity. I arrange the vehicle to block a couple of these that come out of the stunted forest.

We can continue to stay naked here. Down the road, I wouldn’t know if that pleasure would be possible. Putting on my shoes, I wander back into the little piece of forest on a cow path to see where I can place a latrine and find any evidence of neighbors, or hazards. As I surmised, this spot is going to work out very well.

Before setting up camp, we decide to stretch and take a stroll. There seems to be a cliff canyon nearby. The two-track dusty road and cattle trail that we came in on wanders on out in that direction. It does seem reasonable to expect to see nobody on this walk. If there were to be an intrusion from the paved road, sound travels great distance in this stark quiet to warn us. All we need is water and maybe shoes. I take a camera.

It is curious to me how here, the cattle travel only on single file thin paths. These are everywhere, but unlike the desert in Arizona, they don’t destroy the vegetation in large swathes and decimate the trees. It is tidy and more sustainable. These trees and much of the vegetation, I suppose, are not very edible. The cattle seem to go from one water source to the next, if anywhere. Most of the delicate black lichen that keeps down the dust is intact around these trails.

We don’t see them, but on all sides of us, we hear distant groans, and their sound of “maw” and “moo.”

The walk is easy, the sun and temperature just right, as we explore and stretch our legs and backs. After hiking every day and evening for a few of weeks, it is becoming almost habitual, or a need, or a part of life to feel compelled to take another stroll.

Over the diminutive trees, we catch glimpses of the Bear’s Ears in the distance. They have appeared nearly everywhere, but now we are approaching their neighborhood. In a few days, we will be up there standing between them.

There is no trail leading down into the canyon and even if there was that opportunity, it is probably too late today to attempt that. We return to the truck to put together a safe comfortable camp and relax.

DF climbs up on the tailgate as usual to sort out dinner from the tight packing. I pull out equipment, tent and bedding from around her part of the chores. This unpacking is like I’m disassembling a Chinese puzzle. There is a push this to free that and pull free something else. It is calculated to utilize the limited space and to balance the suspension. I’ll again reassemble the puzzle in the morning.

I tuck the tent in the tight boundaries of the local brush. I note that there is no room for an errant steer in our camping area. Our finished camp, dinner and sunset all happen at about the same time.

Tomorrow, some research at the ranger station and then a park filled with spectacular natural bridges.

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