Speaking of Lake Powell . . . [View all]

Last edited Thu Apr 16, 2026, 09:29 PM - Edit history (1)

Just a low-key heads-up. In a few weeks, I'm heading out west and with luck we'll be seeing something human beings haven't seen since 1964-65.

I'm introducing Escalante National Monument to a couple of friends, and since the eastern edge of the monument is the Colorado River, that means that Escalante encompasses Glen Canyon.

So, we're planning a hike down 50-Mile Canyon, also known as Soda Gulch - a spectacular, winding slot canyon with immense overhangs, curtains of varnish and vanishingly small slots. There's a spectacular photo of it in "The Place No One Knew", with Eliot Porter's photographs. With the reservoir +/- 175 feet below full pool, this means that we may be able to make it to spots that haven't been out of the water since the mid-1960s.

Elsewhere in Glen, canyons drained by the 25-year drought now in progress have come back with a bang - beavers, heron rookeries, native tree species like willow wiping away invasive plants like tamarisk, and wildlife that's naive, a la the Galapagos. Not sure what we'll find, but hoping for the best, and to post some of the photos and video that I'm able to take.

This trip also means that I'll be offline for about two weeks, but given what the news has been doing to me, maybe that's just as well.

Looking forward to reporting back.

hatrack