Whipple Valley Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness Utah 9/20/01

) 9/20/01 – just about 10 days after the 9/11 disaster. The world had changed, everyone was still in state of shock and scared out of their minds. We were thinking at any moment another horrific event would occur. This was my birthday, 9/22. And I just had to get away from civilization and all the bad news that was happening. So I threw my backpack in the car, got my best hiking buddy in the car, Cinnamon – my Yellow Lab. And off we went up to Pine Valley Mountains, a short 45 minute drive from Kayenta. Most of Pine Valley Mountains is wilderness, so you can easily escape from everything up there.

Most of the trails start near the Forest Campground, a bunch of nice campsites along the river. There can be a number of people here – campers, fishermen at the nice little lake, hikers. But once you get beyond a mile from the trailhead , you rarely see another soul. Once in awhile you’ll cross paths with horseback riders, but not often. One of my favorite trails is Whipple Trail, which starts just up from the campgrounds.

This is the trail I took the very first time I visited Pine Valley with Andrea way back in 1996 when she was a little 7 year old. I remember taking her up a few of the 1st switchbacks for about 1 ½ miles, and when it was a little too tiring for her I’d throw her on my back and carry her up. This time, it was just my pack on my back, and Cinnamon out front of me running along.

The first 3/4rds of a mile is relatively flat, starting at about 6700 feet elevation. To get to Whipple Valley is about 7 miles and a climb to about 9000 elevation. After coming to a nice creek setting, one of the forks of the Santa Clara River, you start the climb and no more water till you get to the top; unless it’s early spring where you might cross one beautiful cascading creek along the way. But in late summer, early fall, it’s pretty dry up there as far as water sources and springs.

The next 3 miles is a steady climb with a series of long switchbacks. You do get nice views of Pine Valley below, a nice pastoral hamlet, a quiet place of mostly seasonal homes. As you climb, you can start seeing views far to the west of the rugged, wild and secluded Bull Mountains, one of the more remote areas of southern Utah. As you approach the half-way mark, you arrive in the Ponderosa Pines and then the Aspens.

The halfway mark is delightful – there’s a little valley below that you have to hike down in to; and then on the other side you climb out of that valley to continue the climb. Before you drop down into the valley, you get some nice views of rocky cliffs and lots of aspens. And this time of year, the aspens are golden and a few even reddish. The colors of autumn leaves, mainly the aspens, in the mountains is breathtaking. And as you drop down into the valley you are now walking in those trees and you get that great aroma of those leaves; and it’s like walking in a cathedral – the rows and rows of aspens; along with the Pines. As you climb up out of this majestic area, you start going up some switchbacks and you get a nice clear view down into this valley as well as the high ridge on the other side, near where you just dropped down from. With the leaves and the rugged rocks it is one of the best views along this hike.

After this part of the climb, you make it back into trees. The climb is steady for another 2 miles until you get to a short and steep descent and then to the destination – Whipple Valley. This is one of the largest meadows on top of Pine Valley, snuggled up inside aspens and pines and few trickling brooks. No views other than the trees and the rising hills that go up to 10,000 feet elevation – you are at about 9,000 here.

I found my spot to camp upon an old campsite by the northern edge of the flats. I brought along some newspapers to read about the 9/11 attacks and the affect it had on our country and the world. There was so much uncertainty at this time, but being up on top of the mountain in the center of the vast wilderness made me realize that it was nice to get away from those troubles. I do remember sleeping in my tent in the middle of the morning, 2 hour before sunrise, and hearing a very loud crash in the woods not too far from my tent. I have no idea what it was, although I’ve heard that the last 2 bears in these mountains were killed over 20 years ago. Probably a deer or maybe a mountain lion – or maybe even a member of Al Quida for all I know. It’s amazing how the imagination works when you’re all alone in the middle of the night. But luckily I had Cinnamon and she just perked her head up and didn’t seem too concerned. So I got back to sleep.

The next morning, before going back to the car , I kept my pack at the campsite and went up about a 3 mile steep climb to one of the few excellent viewpoints at top of the mountain – Browse Point. Making it to the top, which is about 10,000 feet, you get an incredible view looking east towards Zion; and northeast to the Kolob Fingers area of Zion.

Heading back and picking up my pack, I made the way back down to the car. At the car, there were a few people at that parking lot, who seemed amazed anyone would spend the night up there in the mountains. Back to civilization.