Riding the Wave in the Southwest

Dec 18

Dec 18 Riding the Wave in the Southwest

In 2009, Microsoft released Windows 7 and one of the featured desktop photos was of a beautiful wind-blown sandstone formation known as the wave. Prior to this time, the wave was a relatively secluded area with few visitors. With the rise of social media, the Wave became exponentially more popular. To help protect this delicate feature, the BLM developed a lottery system to limit 20 individual visitors per day. 10 online permits and 10 walk-in permits. What are the chance of winning the lottery? Slim. On Black Friday, 400 people applied for 10 walk in slots.

We made our way to Kenab Utah with hopes of winning a walk-in permit. Kenab is located near the Vermillion Cliffs wilderness and home to a large number of beautiful hikes. With such a flexible schedule and multiple options to explore, we were content with hanging out until we won the lottery.

After losing out on the first day of trying the lottery we decided to do another hike from the Wire Pass trailhead. We were encouraged to take a 60+ mile detour to avoid the wet clay roads. After traveling on 30 miles of washboard roads, we literally got ourselves into a sticky situation. The roads suddenly went from dry and rocky to muddy clay roads. We drove through large ruts and our back end began to fishtail as we crept along. Luckily, there was a dry pull-out where we could assess the situation. Our tires were covered in thick wet clay and as Grant would describe, I was shaking and paler than ever. I know, difficulty to believe I could be more pale. Grant cleaned the tires as I sat with my head in my hands fearful of sliding off the road. Grant recognized the situation and cancelled the hike. He began to maneuver through the rough roads while I prayed and held onto Lhotse. He blasted through the ruts and slid around turns knowing if we lost momentum we wouldn’t be able to get going again. When our tires hit the dry dirt, thankful tears began and Grant even admitted that it was a dicey situation.

Second day came and went without winning the lottery. As not to waste a day, we hiked to South Coyotes Buttes. These buttes consist of striped slickrock displaying arrays of reds, yellows, and oranges. There was no designated trail as we hiked through sand, snow, and rocks. It was a beautiful area to explore but after hiking 11 miles in 20 degree weather finally returning to our van was a welcome sight.

After the big hike, we took the next day off. With the weather predicting of a chance of snow, concern began to grow about the road conditions. How unlucky would it be if we won the lottery but couldn’t make it to the trailhead? Instead of taking the 30+ mile detour on the dirt road, we attempted the direct 9 mile dirt road to asses the conditions. As we anxiously turned each corner, our confidence began to build as the road was in better shape than the previous route. With increase confidence in the road conditions, our hope of winning the lottery increased.

On Fridays during the winter, the lottery is chosen for the next three days. With other anxious hikers, we sat breathless hoping our lucky number would be call. Finally, with only a few slots left, they called the lucky number 6. Grant, Lhotse and I finally won the lottery, well the wave lottery that is.

With two days until we could hike to the wave, we continued to explore around the area. We spent a day soaking in the Mystic Hot Springs. This unique area features iron tubs placed along the natural springs, where we enjoyed the views and rested our sore bodies. The next day we went back and were able to hike Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch which are two separate slot canyons. The scenery was beautiful but the cold temperatures made me yearn for the hot springs.

After much anticipation and stress, the day finally arrived to hike to the Wave. Being married to a photographer, we needed to be at the wave for the best light. That meant a 12 + hour day beginning our hike before the sunrise and ending our hike well after dark. After hiking on a non-designated trail, we arrived and were in awe of the wave. All day, we were constantly on the move, exploring the surrounding areas and admiring the unique formations. As the sun was setting, Grant snapped the last few photos and we began the hike back.