Horse Thief Canyon Trail in Utah's San Rafael Swell

           In the silence we can still hear hoofbeats pounding and see dust clouds swirling from herds of stolen horses thundering their way through this desert canyon.

                                                           ****
          Once a staging area for horse thieves and cattle rustlers, the Old Smith Homestead in Utah's San Rafael Swell is now used to stage a more benign activity—hiking Horse Thief Canyon.  
          The 1880's Smith Cabin is also rumored to have been one of the many hideouts of Butch Cassidy and his gang.  Does a locale exist in the intermountain west that hasn't laid claim to hosting the Wild Bunch during their criminal careers?

Smith Cabin—Home to Nefarious 1800's Activities.
 To view another Butch Cassidy haunt—mentioned in a previous post—click here.

            Unlawful activities far from our minds, two friends and I begin our Horse Thief Canyon hike in a sandy wash through a desert bursting with color.  Cactus and desert wildflowers bloom in reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and purples, their hues complemented by the cream and coral sandstone rock walls surrounding the canyon. 

The brilliant red blooms of the Claret Cup Cactus—considered

one of the desert's most beautiful plants.

Plains Prickly Pear Cactus.

Plains Prickly Pear Cactus plants take root in cryptobiotic soil.

To learn more about the fragile ecosystem of cryptobiotic soil, 
click here.

Orange Globemallow.

Scalloped Phacelia, Scorpionweed.

          We hike for a couple hours and then climb out from the wash to find table-top rocks perfect for a lunch stop.  The setting affords panoramic views of our surroundings—from the Book Cliffs area of eastern Utah to the Henry Mountains of south-central Utah.

          After lunch we turn to retrace our steps and peer across the vast expanse of rock and sky.  Everything looks familiar and nothing does.  With a sense of dread we realize we've lost the trail.  Where did we exit the wash?  We follow a series of rock cairns leading to steep drop-offs over cliff edges.  After more climbing up, over and around groups of rocks we find a cairn we'd seen on the way to our lunch spot. Descending from this cairn delivers us into the correct canyon and back onto our trail.

Rita and Robin begin the return to the trailhead.
But wait?  Where is the route back into the canyon?

Cairns—(a mound of rough stones built as a landmark)—
such as these guide hikers across slickrock.

Returning to the trailhead we re-live the tense moments before finding the trail; we've learned a sobering lesson today: It’s easy to become disoriented when hiking the San Rafael Swell and we were ill-prepared to spend the night in the desert.   

Relieved now, we enjoy a little laugh.  After all—if cattle rustlers and Butch Cassidy could navigate and survive in this harsh environment, well, maybe we could have done it too.  
       

                                                            ****
            
           Shade is non-existent on the Horse Thief Canyon Trail so it’s wise to hike this trail on a cool spring day.  The best time of year for wildflower viewing and photography in this area is (typically) the middle of May.  HIking the canyons, washes and slickrock of the San Rafael Swell can be fun—just don’t get lost.

The San Rafael Swell is a remote desert region in southeastern Utah.  You can learn more by visiting these websites:  http://www.sanrafaelswell.org/indexnew.html

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/recreation/SanRafaelDesert.html

                                                           ****
            Enjoy these flower photos from a subsequent visit to Horse Thief Canyon:

Hedgehog Cactus.

Lavender Evening Primrose—so named because the yellow flowers
fade to shades of orange or lavender upon drying.

Dwarf Evening Primrose.

Yellow Plains Prickly Pear.

Llama Trekking with Rosebud Llamas Utah

             Llamas have been the helpful companions of humans for over 5000 years.  They are intelligent, curious and naturally gentle.  Llamas will carry all the food, kitchen gear, tents, sleeping bags and clothes for a two-night, three-day trip into the wilderness.

  Sounds good to us so Tim and I sign on for a llama trek into the San Rafael Swell of Eastern Utah with Shirley Weathers and Bill Walsh, owners of Rosebud Llamas Utah.  We meet Shirley and Bill at the trailhead and are introduced to the seven llamas who’ll carry our gear:  one female - Baez, and six males - Charlie, Chippo, Fasco, Fernando, Zorro and Yarrow.  After receiving a brief tutorial on the handling of llamas I take Fernando’s reins and Tim leads Charlie as we start on the trail.  Shirley and Bill’s German Shepherd, Danke, accompanies us as well.

Contented Llamas in Camp.

          The trail is a three-mile journey through geologic time - we hike past enormous rock walls, arches and pinnacles.  Formations in the Swell span the Permian through the Cretaceous periods.  

  We stop under giant cottonwoods for lunch and Shirley ties the llamas to the trees where they noisily munch all the vegetation they can find, including bark.  We establish camp in a valley by the San Rafael River.  While Tim and I set up our tent Shirley and Bill unload the packs, erect our kitchen tent, dig a fire pit and stake the llamas to a picket line.  It’s a peaceful scene - llamas grazing and dinner cooking under a bright blue sky in the shadows of brilliant red rocks.  We enjoy a delicious dinner of tortellini with meat sauce and then Tim and Bill collect wood and start a campfire in our small fire ring.  We’re all alone in the wilderness.  

  By nightfall the sky is illuminated with millions of stars; the milky way stretches across the galaxy.   A splendid night in the desert.

  The first day of October and it’s a chilly morning.  We don down vests to sip our coffee and tea as sunlight creeps over the rocks and into the valley.

  After breakfast Tim, Bill and I load our day packs for a hike along Spring Canyon to view a natural arch.  We slog through marshes and high weeds - it’s slow going and not what we were expecting in the desert but now we understand how Spring Canyon earned its name.  Tim, Bill and I eat lunch along the trail and then return to our campsite.  As we near camp Danke prances toward us; Shirley is tending the llamas.

   

          Tim and I drop our packs, remove our hiking boots and relax on camp chairs in the shade.  The llamas are relaxing too, lying in the tall grass and humming contentedly.  Our llamas are the camp’s seven yoga masters - each rumbling their low, resonant mantras.  Soothing and serene.

  Shirley cooks chicken curry for dinner, another satisfying meal.  This evening we sit around a blazing campfire and regale each other with travel tales --- and a few scary camp stories as well.  As if in response to our spooky stories we’re treated to the sounds of wildlife tonight -  great-horned and western screech owls hooting, coyotes yipping.

Our Wilderness Campsite in the San Rafael Swell.

  Our final morning in the Swell.  Shirley boils water for coffee and tea, then we gather round the kitchen table, enjoying our morning drinks while exchanging additional travel yarns.

  After breakfast it’s time to break camp and hike out of the canyon.  Tim and I pack our bags while Shirley and Bill load the panniers and strap them onto the llamas’ backs.  Tim and I lead Charlie and Fernando; we soon fall into an easy rhythm on the trail and I feel I’m forming a bond with Fernando.

Packing the llamas for the hike back to the trailhead.

          We return to the trailhead, say our goodbyes to Shirley and Bill and thank them for a pleasant first introduction to llama trekking.  Finally, the time has come to say goodbye to Charlie, Fernando and the rest of the llamas:  “Thanks guys - for shouldering the load on this terrific trek.” 

Note:  Fed up with rampant oil and gas development occurring near their town (and all over Eastern Utah) Shirley and Bill recently moved to Oregon.  Therefore these Llama treks are no longer available.

To hear the call of the Western Screech Owl, listen here:  http://www.owling.com/screech2a.wav
If you would like to read about wilderness areas in the San Rafael Swell:  http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/san_rafael_wsa.htm