ADAM HAYDOCK

We headed out thanksgiving eve to meet back up with Francesco and Daniela in their journey through the sandstone mecca of south Utah.  There is so much diversity out near the page region that you can find some of the most amazing mosaic features molded through the weight of gravity and the flow of wind and water that works in the a path of least resistance.

One place that I have been waiting to visit for a long time now is the Wahweap Hoodoos near Page Arizona.  It is still on the Utah side but you can almost see the border from this place, and what a place it is!  Its like being on another planet. upon entering this alcove of white and cream colored hoodoos.



Francesco Sauro at the Wahweap Hoodoos, Utah

We were a bit late showing up to the Paria Visitor center but we made it and met up with Francesco and Daniela as they were just waking up from being in the car, waiting upon our arrival.

Time was working against us so we only had a few more hours of sunlight before the eminent setting sun and the dropping temperatures of a deserts late fall night would be upon us.

We headed down a 2WD high clearance dirt road that turned into a 4x4 road with a diminishing culverted road as we approached the trailhead of the wash.

We stopped at a top of a badland vista as the road continuing down to the bottom appeared to be quite thick in mud and prone to hold onto just about any vehicle that dared to drive down to the wash.  

We followed the ridge and than headed down into the wash to ensure that we would make it to the hoodoos with a bit of sunlight left which turned out to be a good decision as we would have been stuck on a cliff until we were right over the hoodoos.

The wash was easy to find and easy to work our way down into so as we worked our way down the wash, the cream colored hoodoo totems started to appear from the corner.

This place was like being on another land, a cold land with mud tree like pillars holding onto conglomerate stone boulders like preserving precious gems at the top of their monoliths.

There were a bunch of them and more to be found when we continued down the wash and around the bend towards the back of the coves.

The oddity of it all is that these hoodoos have a cream colored and almost white look to them and must have formed quickly through erosion, which makes me wonder how long they will last until erosion works these beautiful formations into the ground.

I can only hope that future visitors would appreciate these features and attempt to preserve them for others to enjoy.

Soon after enjoying these alien like pillars, the sun set over the mountains and the temperature dropped a few degrees every minute.  We found a way back up to the top of the plateau so we could b line our way back to the cars before nightfall.

Eventually we made it back to the cars and had just a bit more of sunlight to work our way around most of the obstacles on the roads before we got to the main road where we pulled over and had a thanksgiving dinner set up for everyone.

Note: I can only hope that future visitors would appreciate these features and attempt to preserve them for others to enjoy and so far it appears that it has been working out but we can all take the time to appreciate these beautiful areas and preserve them.

Recently, Francesco received a prestigious award from Rolex for enterprise that focused on his expeditions in the central American Tepui massifs of Venezuela, Congratulations Francesco! 

 http://www.laventa.it/it/blog/632-i-quarant-anni-del-rolex-award-for-enterprise-la-speleologia-e-l-esplorazione-in-prima-linea.

Francesco and Daniela flew from Italy to Los Angeles to receive the award and afterwards, they came out to Las vegas to stay with us to visit some caves and hot springs.

Eventually we came up to a boulder sticking out of the ground with other boulders blocking our way around this annoyance. I slowly got the Subaru over the rock but with the price of some small dings and dangs along the bottom of the car.

Thankfully, nothing was scratched or punctured...cant say that about the other car that cleared over the boulder though, but with a few more scratches going along the side of our cars from trees next to the road, we made it to the parking spot. There was a  nice thin layer of dust that made our cars look like they have been keyed but that can be easily removed by a detail or two, I hope.

The cave was really dusty and had a lot of rat and bat crap everywhere, there was even a section where the crap would stick to the walls from a burro and create its own flowstone formation which was, well shitty.... and different.

At the bottom there is a steep slopping descent and a 15ft. drop that leaves you at the top of a rock mound in a room with a lot of formations and on the ceiling and on the floor towards the back of the cave.

It was a bit dusty and the rock itself had a bit more of a gray look to it but the formations were really nice and there was one section of the room that had some red and orange tint fused into the rock itself.

 We all exited the cave without any incident and I stopped along the way taking more photos.  I was surprised to find a lot of photo opportunities in this cave and there were even more photos that I did not end up taking which I will like to do next time we visit this cave. 

The entrance views were beautiful once we got out of the cave and a lot of light actually works itself pretty far into the cave for a nice hue.

I continue to be surprised at how nice the caves in Nevada are and how interesting their hypogene properties are in relation to other caves in the region.  There must be many more that are yet to be found.  

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/albums/72157677183035165

As the sun started dropping over the range, the mountain shadow was catching up to us as we drove towards the range on a dirt road while taking a few scuffs from the trees brushing by us. eventually the sun set across the mountain as we crept into the desired parking spot for the short hike to the cave.

I grabbed my pack and gave the GPS over to Ron so I could attempt to catch the last bit of sunlight for the entrance before it got to dark. I estimated my position in relation to the gps and headed up the mountain and re oriented myself to the entrance of the cave.  Unfortunately, when we got to the cave the sun light was on its last bits of diffusion and twilight was upon us with decreasing temperatures.

I came down next and noticed the rebelay on the ledge as well as the other potential rub points which we more rounded but on a semi static 10mm rope, the core shots can increase a bit but we both made it down with no incident and I started to set up some photos for the room.

The cave was interesting and reminded me a bit of a decent sized corkscrew drop with a formation room on the way down and some nice formations at the bottom room.  There were some large formations at the bottom that appeared to be around 4 to 6ft in height and some long skinny stalactites, some 10-15ft in length hanging from the ceiling.  Everyone else decided to stay at the top so Francesco and I headed back up and we left the cave with without incident.  We headed for Ely to stay at a hotel and relax before heading out to the hot springs the following day.  I wonder if there is a map of this cave as there appear to be some leads that could beg for a good look into.

Adam Haydock and Francesco Sauro at the bottom of PJ's Pit, Nevada

 

Ron Davis in Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

Nevada has over 300 documented springs that seep or recharge water with a temperature range from just above freezing to right around the boiling point of water.   There are a number of crystal clear spring pools but unfortunately only one of these springs that I have seen have been able to be pushed  by diving into the spring itself.

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

The Springs could be the result of the elastic yet stationary "thin" crust that allows water to be heated and rise from water pressure to the surface through fissure cracks in the basins of Nevada.  There is a theory that the geothermal caves and springs can be traced from northern Utah in a southwest directional line down into Mexico and further south into the volcanic belt of central America. This all great for us as we are able to enjoy some fascinated 90 degree warm springs with crystal clear blue water to soak in while we enjoy the day. 

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

One spring in particular is the Big Spring in Duckwater Nevada.  There are two springs in this area as well as a rim stone travertine waterfall where the spring water cascades over a hill. This waterfall was a visit in itself and worth the extra five minutes of driving around to locate the falls.

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

The big warm springs is the popular visit for this area and is also apart of the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation.  This spring is a sacred place for the Shoshone and also a critical habitat for the Railroad Valley Spring fish.  This fish is native to the regional springs in close proximity to the big warm spring. 

Ron Davis at Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

Francesco Sauro, Daniela Barbieri, Ron Davis, Laura and I grabbed some breakfast in Ely, Nevada and headed out southwest to the town of Duckwater where these two springs are located. The Little warm spring has a few boils but it not that swimmable, especially when a human goes through the spring and disrupts the environment that that fish live in.

Ron Davis at Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

On the other hand, the Big Warm spring is a large spring pool of 90 degree water with a resurgence in the crack about 18-20ft underwater. The spring pool appeared to be 40-50ft in diameter with a river running down stream.  We all got in the lightly scented sulfur water and it was really relaxing and nice to get into these crystal clear blue waters.

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

 Of course I brought a couple masks snorkels and a dive light to see if getting into the resurgence was feasible, more on that later. We all continued down the springs noticing the schools of railroad valley spring fish swimming through the cattails and the occasional boils of water coming up form the ground.  It was a nice and enjoyable experience for everyone to get into the water and enjoy the hydrothermal activity that provides us with a nice natural pool of water. 

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

Now for the resurgence.  There was a lot of gravel that would stir up and tumble as rocks were moved around from the entrance. There was a lot of breakdown that I could see but I could not get past the entrance resurgence.  The rocks could be moved in theory but how far down you would have to go to find a corridor is a mystery and with the moving of the rocks would introduce sliding gravel that could close up the entrance once again so it would take a considerable effort and could be potentially dangerous.

Big Warm Spring Falls. Duckwater, Nevada

On another serious note, the Shoshone reservation has built a nice park around this spring and has been offering the opportunity for open access to the springs for people to respect and enjoy themselves in so a official request would have to be granted in order for any special use can be considered. Nevertheless, this place is a real treat and a charming place to visit so I recommend visiting this spring if you are in the regional area.