Deep Creek

When I put Deep Creek on the schedule, I half expected something to go wrong to cancel the trip. Someone gets sick, a big storm rolls in, or a large rescue keeps people away. Well, we did have a large rescue the night before, but we were out in time to get ourselves moving early enough in the morning. I was so stoked for this trip because it is such an obscure part of Zion National Park. Most of the water from the Narrows comes from Deep Creek. I knew that and I had been up Deep Creek for about half an hour, but other than that, this was a completely new place for me and the others on this trip.

I was joined by Nick and Kelsey who both worked for the Plateau District. They were a couple, so I knew that they could keep each other entertained which made things easier for team dynamics. I got along with them pretty well, which was good because we were going to be spending the next three days with each other. I showed up for work not in my park service clothes because we would not be hiking in the area of Zion National Park, but to the north of it which would let us eventually drop into Zion. I was concerned that we would be walking through someone's private land, so I chose to not wear my park service gear for the hope of just being a hiker walking through the area.
Nick kind of ruined that idea by showing up and wearing park service gear, but he could take the heat, I guess. Our driver was Suri and she took us up the Kolob Terrace Road above the Kolob Reservoir. There were route descriptions for how to hike Deep Creek, well we did not feel like going with those. Most people start near Cedar City from Fife Creek off of Highway 14. This is still a three day trip, but nowhere near as long of a trip as the one that we were going to undertake. We were starting from just a point off of the road where a bunch of lava rock opened up for a view of Crystal Creek. Crystal Creek drained right into Deep Creek and had a large drainage area.

We had very little information on this area, but we did know that there was a large waterfall in Crystal Creek, so we brought some rope with us in order to go down that rappel. We took a before picture overlooking Crystal Creek and then began to pick our way down the rocky slope. Our packs were rather large and very heavy given that we were carrying all our traditional backpacking gear and also a rope and harness to go down the rappel. The rocks were easy, but as soon as we hit the trees we got a taste of what we were in for.
There was nothing but thick brush with big trees down on the ground. We picked our way down to the creek, which was not even Crystal Creek, but otherwise known as Shiver Creek. There were no signs that anyone had ever hiked in this creek bottom before as we fought through thick brush. We made jokes about having a straightaway when we could walk for over a minute without ducking, crawling, climbing, or fighting the obstacles. We tried to keep the feet dry, but that was given up almost immediately. Still there were some interesting parts with little waterfalls, but the bushwhacking was so rough that we were so thrilled to see when Crystal Creek came in.
The first mile was sure rough taking us over an hour to complete. We looked at our watches and the amount of miles ahead of us and wondered if this truly was a good decision to complete such a long trip not knowing what was in store. At this point, the only choice was to continue to move. As we moved downstream, the going got much easier right away even though the increase in water was not that much. We joked that since Shiver Creek was bigger than Crystal Creek, Crystal Creek was bigger than Deep Creek, and Deep Creek was bigger than the Virgin River, that means that the Virgin River should be renamed Shiver Creek.
Crystal Creek had a surprise for us almost immediately, because all of a sudden we came upon a dam. It was easy to get around and we saw a rather large road coming in. If we knew how to get to that, we could have just started from that road and avoided the brush. Instead we walked the road for some time which was quite refreshing after the long trip through the brush. We got to the edge of where we could walk the road and decided to sit down and have some lunch. We were in a beautiful grove of aspens. It was one of the hottest days of the year, but not for us as we were at high elevation enjoying the green of Southern Utah in the early summer.


After lunch, we had to drop down the large slope into the creek below. We were a little afraid that we were going to get back into the brushy mess that we just went through, but instead we had a mainly open creek bed to walk through. We tried to avoid spending too much time in the water but the creek was definitely the easiest and the only way to continue going down. After not too long, we came upon something a bit different, a big bubbly spring pouring down from the cliffs above. I tried hard to get a good picture of it, but all it really looked like was wet rocks shining in a bright sun. Still it was rather loud and very flowery and broke up the monotony.
Anyone who has ever hiked the Narrows before has expectations for what that hike is like. There are the big cliffs, the high walls, and the strongly flowing river. This was very different from that as we had a slow flowing stream with tons of vegetation and trees around. There were still high cliffs, but it was more like an alpine environment than a slot canyon. We only had one more major obstacle the whole rest of the day's hiking. It was a short waterfall with a pool beneath it. The only reason it was an obstacle was because we did not want to submerge our entire bodies. Truthfully, the only real obstacle was our energy levels which were starting to run out around 5:30.
 Kelsey was the first one to step up and say something. I wanted to put some miles behind us, but I could tell from her and Nick, that when she said she was done, we should be done. So we found a bench with adequate room for two tents and places to hang out for the evening. We made our uninspiring dinners that taste so yummy after a full day of backpacking. Then it was off to sleep with the noise of the creek flowing below us and enough work to get us some good rest. We were up again in the morning ready to tackle another day of creek walking. So we were up bright and early and with a quick breakfast were off once again for another day in the creek.
The terrain was similar, but the views were getting different. Most of the area around the creek was filled with loose soil and some rocky areas, but still lots of trees. Views opened up to some of the most isolated mesas and mountain tops in the country. We were trudging along fighting log jams and boulders when Kelsey stumbled upon a strange landmark. We were not expecting to see anything and from how the landmark was positioned realized that this very likely could have not been its original location. It was a plaque for Captain Maurice Graham that was upside down on a rock above the creek. I was rather excited about finding it and we wondered who Maurice Graham actually was.
After we returned, I was able to dig up some internet information on Maurice Graham. Turns out he was a pilot in the 20's who was a WWI hero. He disappeared in January 1930 while doing a mail run out of Los Angeles in a snowstorm. There was a massive search for him, but his body was finally found in the summer of 1930 after months of sitting out in the Crystal Creek area. There were a few monuments that people knew about, but I am not sure anyone remembers that this one existed. Kind of nice to break up the creek hiking.


 We also were able to spot some rocks with quite a bit of fossils. We probably could have found much more if we wanted to, but we just did not have the time to spend looking at rocks for long. We also were able to spot some layers of rock that was just straight coal. We have Coalpits in Zion that has no actual coal, but here above Zion was a bunch of pure coal. Hopefully no one ever decides to mine this part of the country though. We knew our waterfall was coming up were strongly doubting it with the way the terrain looked. I mean it had been flat for miles and miles with such a medium flow coming through the canyon. How could this huge waterfall be here?
Sure enough the terrain did begin to change very abruptly and suddenly we were in a rocky canyon looking over a short waterfall. We were able to climb around the first waterfall and take some pictures. But as we went around the corner, there was a massive waterfall that we knew there was no easy way around. There was a large tree that we could use as an anchor to rappel down to the bottom. As we were setting up our rappel, suddenly we heard other people! We were confused because we thought we were out in the middle of nowhere. Nick went to go talk to them and they had just rode their quads down to this waterfall to go swimming for the day. They were very nice and interested in what we were doing out there and excited about it too as they had never been below the waterfall.
It took us a while to get everything set up, then Kelsey went down first on a single strand. We had two ropes with us, one was only 65'' and the other was  120'. Our goal was to combine these ropes to do what we knew was an eighty foot rappel. Kelsey went first of the long rope. Then I was going to throw the short rope to her and she was going to tell me if it went all the way to the bottom. She got down and even though we had radios, it was still tough to communicate. Plus, the rock was really nasty and I had a terrible throw, so I just decided to go down and pass a knot. I was able to do it, but it took a really long time and I got my rappel device in backwards so I had extra friction. So it was not really a fun rappel.
I was able to figure out that Nick would not have to use a single strand or pass a knot as this rappel was literally only about 65 feet and the rope would reach. I tried to tell him from below, but he started to pull the ropes up and the rocks began to fall. I quickly dove into the cold stream and radioed over to him. It took us an hour to do that one rappel, but afterwards we were hungry and had to get some lunch. This was the most beautiful part of the whole trip being a little paradise with a couple of other small waterfalls and a nice spot above the creek to get some lunch. Then it was back to hiking and as soon as we had gone a few minutes past the waterfall, it was nothing but cliffs and easy creek walking the rest of the journey. We left the waterfall around 2pm and were to the junction with Deep Creek at just before 3pm. We were so happy to see Deep Creek as we had now been in Crystal Creek for over 24 hours and many, many miles. We had a visitor to greet us right when we got to Deep Creek. This was definitely wilderness, but we were sharing this wilderness with some bovine friends.

We had seen signs of cows with 4 wheel tracks going down to the creek and lots of poop, but it was sad to see that right at the junction with Deep Creek is where we first saw our friends. The stream coming in from Deep Creek equaled that of Crystal Creek, but the canyon took an abrupt turn from here and went north-south, rather than the southeast direction we had been traveling. The difference in the topography was not that noticeable at first, but soon the changes were noticeable. We definitely were dealing with more water now and had to travel on the banks of the river rather than in the river. Still we stayed at stream level because the sides were still filled with brush.
The biggest change that began to happen was the change in the cliffs above. Soon the crumbly sandstone was replaced by large monoliths of basalt. This ancient lava flow was on both sides of the creek (river) and was just massive in its size and scale. I wondered just how much this ancient volcanism had anything to do with the formation of the Narrows or if this just happened after the fact. The creek remained rather open for some time but eventually we found ourselves with walls beginning to rise around us. This looked rather similar to the North Fork that came in from Chamberlain's Ranch as it slowly became more and more entrenched by the cliffs above.
We were happy that Deep Creek was starting to become more like the Deep Creek of the pictures that we had seen. It was now nearing 4 o'clock and we were all doubting a bit if we would actually make it out of the Narrows the next day to finish our trip plan on time. But as we hiked after 4, we got nothing but rewarded for our two day journey to get to this point. The cliffs got higher and higher. The terrain became more and more just river and rock. We were thrilled and started taking lots of pictures of this amazingly untouched scenery that passed before our eyes. We were not sure where Zion National Park began, but we knew that this was a place that remained mostly untouched.
I was amazed just how pristine this setting was being near one of the most popular hikes in the National Park Service. We saw one set of footprints the entire time and they seemed to come in and out. In the Narrows, one walks from bank to bank intermixing with the trees and the rocks. Here, we stayed at river level for most of the hike. We were on the shore, but not up in the trees. The beauty was just awesome and it really felt like we were one of the lucky few to see this beautiful area. We were weary from our two straight days of hiking, though, and as it came down to around our 5:30 p.m. cut off time we all agreed that we had come far enough. Unfortunately, we had to travel up on to the banks to find a camping spot. It was kind of a steep spot too, so our impact would definitely be seen. We were still more than likely in the BLM land outside the park, so we could camp anywhere, but I felt guilty as I watched the sand slide away. Once again, we ate our dinner and chilled out. This night I did not sleep particularly well because it was much warmer out.
We awoke in the morning and were back on the trail once again just after 7 a.m. At this point, we were questioning whether we would actually get out at a reasonable time. So we had to move as quickly as possible. We bounced around from bank to bank, but were not allowed up in the trees. I was amazed at how much vegetation was down at river level, because in the Narrows, especially the lower Narrows, the vegetation was mostly gone. We moved quickly, but questioned just where the heck we were as each bend seemed to blend together to make this immaculate maze of water, rock, and trees. Even with our time constraint, I could not get sick of this and appreciated the fact that I got to enjoy it with Nick and Kelsey.
One can really appreciate that here in Deep Creek was the real Narrows. If one looks at a topographic map, when you hike the Narrows, in the upper section of the North Fork of the Virgin River, somehow it flows east-west and then when Deep Creek which provides 2/3 of the water from the Narrows, it takes an abrupt turn to follow the course of Deep Creek North-South. Usually when a bigger river is met by a smaller river, that smaller river is called a tributary. In this case, the bigger river is somehow a tributary for the smaller one. Well that just doesn't make sense! And as we finally came upon the North Fork of the Virgin River, it once again did not make sense. In fact, the change was rather abrupt for when we saw the North Fork and it changed the entire way we thought about Deep Creek. Deep Creek is the true Narrows hiking experience! It also became amazingly apparent that we were in a populated place as we joined the Virgin River at about 9:30 a.m. We were assured by this that we would make it out on time. The first thing that we saw was a bright yellow post indicating campsite number 1 at the junction with Deep Creek. We saw trails and signs of people.
Kelsey had a project to do of doing a 360 degree
view of the campsites. So at each one, Nick and I got to sit and wait for Kelsey to get done with her project there. And as the numbers of the campsite increased, so did my conversation with Nick about just how impacted this area was. Nick anticipated this conversation and said that he paid attention to the way we were traveling specifically to address this. He said that we hiked from bank to bank just how others would hike in the Narrows. But I disagreed, he traveled from rocky shore to rocky shore avoiding the vegetation because it would be just too hard to travel through that. Here in the Narrows, though, from years and years of use, there were trails through the woods in many, many places. It made me increasingly uncomfortable every one I walked on.
This was supposed to be protected as wilderness and yet, we were allowing people to trample it to the extreme. We seemed to hit Big Spring in no time and after that it was an even more uncomfortable experience. We saw just extreme masses of people. Here we had spent two and a half straight days of enjoying perfect solitude and suddenly after Big Spring that was taken away from us. Only one mile below Big Spring we saw 21 people in just one bend of the river. At that same spot we saw people jumping in the river and a woman who when seeing our park service uniform, said, "Thank goodness, someone to make sure everyone stays safe!" Sorry, mam, but we are wilderness rangers not lifeguards. When you are in wilderness, it is your job to be self-reliant. Her comment made me believe that she just did not see this area as wilderness.
One of our jobs when we are hiking through wilderness areas is to count the number of people that we are seeing as we are hiking. If the numbers are over a certain amount of encounters, this should be a red flag for people to realize we are not doing our job of protecting wilderness. Between Big Spring and Orderville Canyon, our number should be 10 or fewer encounters with groups because it is in the Primitive Zone. On this day, which was similar to any other day in the Narrows, we had 42 encounters with groups and 166 people. There is a reason that the tension starts to boil over in me. As we passed Orderville, the number of people continued to increase.
It was unfortunate that a three day trip through some of the most amazingly well preserved scenery in this United States was finished with almost sheer anger in me, but the absolute number of people and damage seen by those people was just staggering. I looked at all the benches and not only were their signs of people, but they were deeply eroded and impacted so greatly. There was no reason why this beautiful place could not look like the stretches of Deep Creek above. It was purely from the masses of people that somehow we had let this area change beyond recognition from the pristine wonders we had seen above. I vowed on this day to change that. The Narrows would now become my number one goal and returning it to as close to that pristine world that it originally began as and remained until the 20th century would be priority number one. I knew that something this big could not be accomplished alone and even though I was not one of the most important people at Zion National Park, getting the most important people at Zion National Park to pay close attention to this place would now be my goal! But on this day, getting on that shuttle bus was sure a relief, not to escape the hiking, but to lead us back to our cars and escape the thousands of people. Somehow, in the future, we had to figure out a way to let the people see this wonderful spot, but stop the massive damage caused by their impacts in resource degradation and the loss of solitude.