BUCKSKIN GULCH and UPPER PARIA DESERT CANYON TRAVERSES, UTAH; PLUS UNDER-THE-RIM TRAIL, BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK 26 April - 4 May 1986 GORDON MACLEOD & ERICK SCHUMACHER, Leaders

Although originally scheduled only for the traverses in the upper drainage's of the Paria River centered on Hackberry Canyon and for the Under-the-Rim Trail, we were able to add a transit of the famous Buckskin Gulch as a bonus. Buckskin Gulch, a tributary of the Paria River in southwest Utah, is perhaps the most spectacular canyon in the United States in terms of its average depth-to-width ratio. The Buckskin presents scheduling problems, however, for those organized groups who need to plan months ahead. The dangers of potential flash floods during parts of the year or longs deep, unpleasant water pools at other times are the confounding factors for long range planning. Prior rain patterns need to be just right for a pleasant trip through the Gulch, but we were fortunate enough to recognize--and to take advantage of--the very favorable conditions that existed in the Buckskin as we were passing through Kanab, Utah. We elected, during breakfast at the Colonial Inn there, to do the Buckskin as our first traverse-- perhaps even at the expense of having later to drop the Under-the-Rim Trail segment as a result. The Wire Pass variation of the Buckskin was selected, because it is, fortunately, both more spectacular and somewhat shorter than alternate routes, thus better fitting our schedule. A car shuttle was set up Saturday morning with vehicles stationed at White House roadhead on the Paria River Just south of US Hwy. 89 and at the Wire Pass roadhead. Starting down after lunch, with each of us carrying a gallon of water or so (whatever water that might be in the Buckskin is best left to evaporate), we reached the only suitable campsite in the 12-mile long canyon at about its midpoint in late afternoon. Here the canyon opens slightly, which allows more daylight to penetrate to the floor of the canyon and also affords a couple of Class 2-3 escape routes. Indeed, three gals we met in the gulch actually availed themselves of this opportunity to camp on the plateau free of the concerns of the canyon--or of us! In addition, there is a small sandy beach upon which to camp. We had a nice campfire, making use of local driftwood. A number of knee-deep and hip-deep water pools of 20-to-30 feet length had to be negotiated and one 3rd-class, 10-foot obstacle was down climbed that first afternoon. The next day also involved some more water pools and another obstacle, this time a 30-foot, 3rd-class waterfall situation, which would otherwise have involved rappelling or 4th-class down-climbing, were it not for a fixed, large-diameter manila rope plus steps cut in a side-wall boulder (--thanks to the BLM?).. Old climbing boots or Army-surplus Vietnamese-style boots worked well for those that had them, while others wearing running shoes complained at the end Of the day of rock-induced bruises to their feet and/or of the annoying sand that had penetrated their socks and shoes. (I personally keep an old pair of mountaineering boots for this kind of trip, having learnt long ago that tennis shoes--and now running shoes--are inadequate and that even Vietnamese boots leave something to be desired.) The confluence of the Buckskin and the Paria River occurs in a section of Paria Canyon called the "Narrows," which consequently affords a passage of this interesting feature of that magnificent canyon. The marvelous water-canal sculpturing within the Buckskin, together with its extraordinary depth-to-width ratio, makes that desert canyon traverse one of--if not the most--spectacular in the United States and certainly worthy of being added to a "Desert Traverse List".

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