Friday April 19 – Wire Pass

Wells heads to the Ranger Station in Kanab to enter into the lottery to gain access to The Wave. Never heard of The Wave? It’s several rock formations that look likes huge ocean waves. There are 20 passes issued for each day and each pass represents 1 person. Thus 20 people per day are allowed to take the 6 mile one way hike into The Wave. It’s a photographer’s mecca. 10 of the lottery passes are issued from an online lottery done 3 months in the past and 10 are drawn for the next day. Typically, around 2,000 applications each day are in the online drawing. One application can list up to six people. If an application with 6 people wins then 6 slots are awarded with 4 remaining. The next application drawn can take 1 to 4 of the remaining slots. The process continues until all 10 slots are awarded. So the 2,000 applications may be for 5,000 to 10,000 people. Wells has entered the online lottery several times but the odds of winning are low. Since we are in Kanab we enter the lottery for the next day. Wells finds that there are 86 applications representing more than 250 people for the day. First application drawn is for 5 people and there goes half of the slots. Needless to say we did not win slots.

We decide to hike to Wire Pass which is not too far from White Pocket. The drive to the trailhead is an easy drive of 40 miles on pavement then only 15 miles on decent gravel road. Thinking the hike is up since it’s to a “Pass” Wells brings hiking sticks. They are not needed since the hike is more or less flat. It’s sunny and warm bordering on hot with no shade. The hike is down a wash through deep sand which is a dried streambed without the water. When there is rain in the area one should not do this hike. Flash floods happen quickly.

There is no climbing on the hike just soft sand. In 1 ½ miles the wash becomes a slot canyon. We are enjoying the beauty of these canyons. On the hike we meet a couple and they tell us about seeing condors in the morning where they roost. Maybe we’ll head there tomorrow before we leave the Kanab area.