Escalante Canyons March 2003 From the Escalante to the Badlands

Badlands and the snow-covered Henry Mountains. Yes, It was cold in March. It's about 40 degrees and blowing hard when I took this picture. It went down to 20 degrees each night. I was barely warm enough in my sleeping bag wearing all my clothing.

Late March and high up in the wash the cottonwoods haven't leafed out.

Down by the Escalante: The first green leaves of the cottonwoods backlight by the morning sun.

A nice alcove in the lower canyon. This one is around 300 to 500 feet up.

March is too early for most wildflowers but there were a few in the lower sections of the canyons.

The deeper sections of the canyon had some great desert varnish.

New leaves against redrock walls.

The first sun finally reaches the canyon floor. There is a reason the tree is located where it is.

I couldn't resist this one. But it is harsh and dry in the badlands. Even for bighorn sheep.

Parched mud in the river bed.

Typical hiking conditions in the upper sections of the canyon. Water was scarce but the scenery superb. This butte is much farther away and much larger than it looks in this picture.

One of my favorite views from the wash.

Last light from my camp. My sleeping bag is behind the large juniper on the left. I saw incredible stars every night.

At the headwaters of another canyon.

Water over slickrock: the first 1/2 mile and the start of the canyon. I followed this stream through some sweet slickrock narrows for about another mile until it disappeared into the sandy wash.

One of my favorite buttes.

I loved the green and purple of the mud mound below the chinle sandstone.

A pice of petrified wood in the wash. It doesn't look it but this one is over 4 feet in diameter. I also found petrified corals in the wash.

The narrows of a higher elevation section of a canyon.

I ran into this fabulously carved section of slots about halfway down the canyon.

Dramatic late evening shadows.

Along the side of the wash on the evening of my last day.