Hole-in-the-Rock Road: Learning about the 1879 Mormon San Juan Expedition

6 - Day Expedition Notes: T.D here! Hope you are enjoying our blog. Days 1 & 2 of our Expedition were mostly about learning. On our way North, we took a break for lunch along Hole-in-the-Rock Road. There is alot of historical importance connected with this route. An Expedition of Mormon pioneers were seeking a route in the fall of 1879. After deciding that two longer routes were inefficient ways to get from the southcentral to the southeastern corner of Utah, the pioneers chose a more direct way to travel. When they got to the sandstone cliffs around Glen Canyon, they realized they needed to find a way to cross to the eastern rim. They had blasting powder and also used hand chisels to carve anchor points to affix their ropes right into the sandstone. They named their route Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Their ingenuity went beyond the ordinary road building techniques of the day. They also built a wooden track with posts to support 80+ large wagons and 1000+ head of livestock. The 250-person Expedition used this route to travel to their colony which is now called Bluff, UT.

We stopped and had lunch here and our Expedition Team had many opportunities to view the amazing 45 degree angled terrain. We imagined the pioneers lowering their wagons through the steep crevices with ropes and oxen. Giant boulders were strewn about as a result of the original dynamite explosions. We thought about what it must have been like to be a part of the original Expedition party. There was a huge amphitheater with excellent acoustics.The slickrock's texture was like sandpaper. N.G., being his curious self, slid down several feet of rock, picking up considerable speed. Within a few seconds, he realizes there is a huge hole-in-the-seat of his pants!

We were able to set up camp a few miles in and got organized for our hike through slot canyons tomorrow. We had a mac and cheese dinner with S'mores for dessert and bedded down to sleep in anticipation of continuing our 6 day Expedition in the morning.

Day 3: We awoke at 6:00 a.m. for our day of hiking. Several times we had to lower our packs and spot each other as we climbed down via slot canyons. Then came a very challenging part...a narrow slot with slippery walls and water in the bottom. Our Expedition Therapy Instructors have been teaching us canyoneering technical skills each week prior to this Expedition. There was no way to avoid getting wet and  the water was only a few inches deep. A.G., determined to stay dry, chimneyed 20 feet above ground level and did an excellent job of making it past the wet area.

N.G. decided he wants to scout further along the slippery, slime covered walls.We tie a safety line to his harness and he continues down, asks for slack and gets to the bottom and informs the Team we need to try another route as there is too much water and we convince him to backtrack to where we are. The sun was about to set and we set up camp. We took time to study the night sky to identify planets, and put our constellation knowledge to the test! We saw many shooting stars and realized Orion will soon no longer appear in this hemisphere.

To be continued...