Moby Goes to Coyote Gulch

June 2016

Coyote Gulch is a popular backpacking destination in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. It’s one of those places you should go even though you’ll be joined on by swarms of other hikers. There are several ways into Coyote Gulch. We took Hurricane Wash, probably the safest way, but also the longest, hottest, and most hideous.

Larry and I joined my sister, her husband, and my daughter for a 3 day, 2 night trip.

The Jacob Hamblin arch was named for Jacob Hamblin, Mormon pioneer and apostle to the  Lamanites (Mormon lingo for Native Americans). Born in Ohio in 1819, he joined the church at the age of 22. Jacob married a woman named Lucinda and they had 4 children. When the Mormons went west to build zion in Utah in February 1949, Lucinda refused to go. So Jacob took their 4 children and went without her. I wonder how she felt about that.

Jacob married again (and again and again)–3 wives and 23 additional children. He helped open the west to Mormon settlement, and was apparently a successful negotiator between the church and the Indians. In 1882 the U.S. government made polygamy illegal, and Hamblin went into hiding in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico to avoid capture. He died in 1886. 

See “A Brief History of Jacob Hamblin” and “Jacob Hamblin” on Wikipedia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rather than filter the muddy creek water for drinking, Larry and Katie constructed a ladder to reach the clean, cold spring water spilling down the canyon wall, just out of reach.

We’d hoped to hike to the confluence of Coyote Gulch and the Escalante River, but the canyon became very steep and hard to navigate. I played the Grandma Card and quit. If you go, do your research first. I think you can get through if you know how.

We saw some strange creatures in the canyon:

The thunder clouds on the drive back to the Mormon pioneer town of Escalante were fantastic.

Good-bye for now. Plenty more to see, so we’ll be back!