Following the Escalante River to Lake Powell

Downriver Following the Escalante River to Lake Powell

photography and text by Donald J. Rommes Downriver Following the Escalante River to Lake Powell

Photography, Design, and Text by Donald J. Rommes

1 Introduction

y wife and I moved to the tiny community of Boulder, Utah, on the edge of Grand Staircase—Escalante National Monument, to live full-time in the Mhigh desert canyon country that so completely seduced us on previous visits. Seeking a personal connection to this austerely beautiful land, we explored it on foot. Our hikes started near town, then gradually expanded to include most of the canyons and tributaries of the Escalante River.

Every hike presented physical challenges. Over time, we learned to trust the traction of slickrock, ford streams and rivers, anticipate flash floods, avoid poison ivy, find water, read a topo map, and navigate—first with a compass, and later with a GPS. We made mistakes—turning an ankle, sliding into a pool we couldn’t escape alone, staying out too late, and sometimes leaving home without a headlamp, batteries, or an extra layer of clothing.

The more remote and ambitious the hikes, the more consequential the errors, so we tried to remain mindful. Learning from our mistakes, we eventually achieved competence and self-confidence in the wilderness. With that, came the ability to relax. We could now more fully appreciate the solitude, stillness, quality of light, and the life in these rugged red rock canyons. Distractions and pressures of modern life receded, the distinction between ourselves and the landscape blurred, and we often felt the expansive and reassuring sense of being part of something much larger. The connection had been made.

This book is a collection of photographs, anecdotes, and lessons drawn from many years of exploring the Escalante Canyons. The content, quite arbitrarily, is presented in geographic order, starting from the beginning of the Escalante River and ending with its vague termination under the surface of Lake Powell. While I endeavor to visually communicate the canyon experience throughout the book, a full appreciation requires all of the senses. I invite you to visit.

Don Rommes

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Section One - Canyons of the Upper Escalante Circles Approximate the Location of Photographs 3 MAP Pine Creek and the Escalante Monocline 5 MAP Fallen Carmel Boulder, The Box 7 MAP Fremont Pictographs with Shields and Swords? 11 MAP Death Hollow Stream 16 MAP Narrows, Little Death Hollow 65