10/25 Day 11

Since I cleaned out my boat last night, I was able to get up early, load up my gear, and paddle about a mile to Lower Spanish Bottom for a hike to the Dollhouse before the jetboat was scheduled to arrive.  And just like my other hikes along the river, I'm so glad I was able to fit it in, having logged almost 17 miles to get there the day before.  The trail is very steep and rocky and climbs to the rim of the canyon.  Beautiful vistas of the river below and formations above the east rim in the Needles district could be seen at various points along the way, but the real treat was at the top.

Rainclouds were rolling in from the west, creating this interesting lighting effect.

The path not taken (it leads to other formations and a few granary ruins).

Towering striated rock spires had been visible from Upper Spanish Bottom but seeing them up close was fairly staggering at first.  The trail led right up to them and I wanted to see what was beyond what I could see from below so I pressed on with the assumption that I'd be able to get back in time.  As I crested a dip in the ridge, I could see a broad plain below with the trail continuing toward another dollhouse formation (I think there were 4 in all).  This was at least as beautiful as the one I was standing in and I'd really like to go explore them at a later time as well.

There are no words for how badly I wanted (and still want) to follow that trail.

Needles in the distance

On the jetboat, I met a pair of woman who had been descending the trail while I was on my way up.  They had used the jetboat shuttle as their access to the Maze and had spent all week backpacking there.  They'd also overnighted in Shot Canyon, so this is something to keep in mind for a future trip.  The jetboat ride took us through the Colorado River section of Canyonlands, which is just as stunningly beautiful as the section I'd just completed.  It was nice to get a bit of a preview of what I might like to do another time.  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  I was exhausted and happy to have a shower, clean laundry, and a bed by the end of the day.  I did hear from Brianne, who I met through the backpacking training I attended for work a few months ago, and we're going to meet up for a hike tomorrow.  I also had diner with a plein air painter from Washington named Hester (also an erstwhile railroad worker and attorney) who asked if I would join her for a hike to a little-known hike in Canyonlands to the "false kiva" ruins.