Conquering Cottonwood Wash

One of my favorite parts of the Houtz Family Reunion is the annual all day hike. Last year I missed the Subway because of work and I've been kicking myself ever since. This year's reunion is in Torrey, UT., so we're right on the outskirts of Capitol Reef. Earlier today we went on a great hike to a place called Cottonwood Wash and everyone who went had an adventure.

The trip started out with a 20 mile drive to the turnoff for the canyon. I don't know how I drew the short straw, but I ended up riding in the back of a pickup with Willie, Phil, and Austin down some of the bumpiest roads I've felt in a while. Still, we finally made it to the start of the wash and in we went. The hike had two main parts: the descent into the canyon and the canyon itself. The first part was pretty boring, more or less a mile of hot desert sun over slick rock. Once we made the turn into the canyon things started to pick up.

I guess I should mention that this trip wasn't really a hike. Alan is into canyons where you'll need to go bouldering. It's pretty much what you'd guess: having to climb over boulders that block your path through the canyon. I love what the web says about Cottonwood Wash. "The only way to make it through the canyon is through teamwork and ingenuity." I think that says it all. There were several places where you couldn't make it over the rocks without help or creativity. Most people would claim that their favorite move on the trip was the "Covili Roll," where I had to pull my body up an enbankment with my legs actually going over my head at one point. I'm just glad that Alan had a tight grip!!



In addition to bouldering, you're also required to swim across channels to make it to the next section of the canyon. I thought it would simply be wading across some puddles of water, but I quickly realized that I'd need to swim, once the water went over my head. I can't even tell you how cold that water was, needless to say there was a good amount of "shrinkage" on the hike.

All in all, it was a great experience. I love that Tara's family is so willing to explore new places and try new things. I'm just glad that I get to tag along every once in a while. I'm also glad that there was plenty of Ben Gay back at the cabin.