Anticipation.
We are moving right along getting ready for the start of spring guiding season. Our insurance is in and we should be just days away from having our Kanab BLM field office permit. This is but the first step for our little company to be the top dog in outdoor rec in Southern Utah.
My mind keeps reeling back to some places that I have recently explored. A couple of weeks back I explored a canyon near Kanab called Willis Canyon (not to be confused with Willis Creek near Cannonville). As I reached the large head wall, I noticed a perfectly placed tree for a nice 90 foot rappel down into a convoluted slot. I kept thinking, a slot in the Vermilion cliffs? I set up the rappel with a “Biner block” and some pull cord and made my way down into the depths. A crystal clear pool of water not too deep, waited for me at the bottom. Obviously a spring coming out of the sandstone. I love this dang area. As I made my way out of the slot the ground became very spongy and I started sinking in the quick sand, I hurried and jumped to higher ground. As the creek formed, the willows poped up. I thought to myself, “Welcome to the Jungle” along with the song playing in the background. Argg. These willows really make travel tough. I though well, its the winter and daylight will be fading soon so maybe I should bail. I took off up the south western slope up and out of the canyon onto the scrub lands crossing other drainage’s. Up above me was a mesa top that was easily 700 feet of elevation high. I though, man it would be cool to get up on top of that thing. Then I thought, it would probably cliff out on the other side and I would have to back track but then I remember, well I have rope so why not? I trudged up the super sandy hill stopping at one point to down a pack of Sardines. My wife hates sardines. MMMM, especially mustard ones. There’s protein for ya! I need a breath mint just thinking about it. Anyway, I made it to the top of the mesa and started following the edge around to see if it lead me back to my jeep. All of the sudden I started seeing a lot of Indian Pottery Shards. Interesting. The pottery shards kept showing up and I followed them back to some Anasazi Pit Houses. Those Indians were amazing. Soon, I found a non tech route back down to my car as I completed a nice day hike. Very tough for your average tourist but I had a fun day. I need to go back and revamp my route and see if I can make a fun tourist type route into the slot.
Stay tuned as I will be setting up some first of the season discounts for clients this spring.
Nick Smith
Seldom Seen Adventures
Bob Gett’n Down
My friend Bob Clayton on rap in a side canyon of the Gulch Escalante Ut.
A few bumps in the road.
Well things haven’t quite gotten off on the right track like we hoped it would. Our permits for the Grand Staircase have been put on hold for what we can assume is for some bureaucratic reason. Actually that is exactly the reason. While we did everything right on our side of things, the BLM did not come through for us. So now instead of guiding on the GSENM this year, we will be offering detailed custom maps of routes to some of the more popular areas. Zebra and Tunnel Slots, Peekaboo and Spooky Slots, Phipps Arch and Maverick Bridge, Neon Canyon and the Golden Cathedral, Death Hollow Sneak Route, Big Horn Slot, Red Breaks Slot, and many more to come. I am not sure what my asking price is yet but in the coming weeks I will have that information for you. If you have any interest please don’t hesitate to call @435-689-1884.
The last couple of weeks
The Cream Cellar Road
The Intrepid Explorer
Our friend Jeff having a bit of trouble in Death Hollow
New Seldom Seen Adventures Logo!!!!
We are excited to show off our new Logo! Things seem to be moving right along. We have heard some good news from the Travel Bureau. We have heard that this year is going to be a banner year for Utah Tourism! We are going to be setting up some free hiking opportunities this spring. In two weeks, we will be offering free guiding opportunities for people wanting to come down and explore the Grand Staircase with us! (The 13th of March through the 19th.)
If you are interested in coming out to do a free trip this spring during the third week in march or any other time during the spring, let us know, we will take you in and share with you some of our favorite spots. Our goal this spring is to get some good feedback on what we are doing right and what we can do to make our adventures better. Call me today at 435-689-1884. Ask for Nick!
Welcome to the Grand Staircase!
At Seldom Seen Adventures, we strive to take out clients off the beaten path. The fact is, you probably have never seen pictures or heard of the places we want to take you. We want to keep it that way. If we do take you into a particularly popular tourist spot, we will take you in a way that no one else goes. We want you to go away with a true wilderness experience. To sit atop a red rock mesa and hear nothing but the wind and a raven in the distance is something we feel everyone should experience, and for us, is our addiction. We offer single day excursions into the GSENM backcountry. From the Northeast corner in the Escalante Canyons, to the steps of the Vermillion Cliffs near Kanab, we do it all. We have guides located in Escalante, Cannonville, and Kanab to help you set up your dream exploration across this 2 million acre national monument. This year is the launch of our business and we look forward to having you book your next adventure with us.
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