On the Ropewiki map for Walker Gulch, there is a skull and crossbones at the head of the canyon, warning people about an overhanging shelf that should be avoided at all costs. Not exactly the normal type of beta for a canyon, but definitely the makings of an interesting day. The beta is located here: Walker Gulch – ropewiki. No permits are required as this canyon is just outside the park.
Our hike in started near the 4-wheel-drive parking lot above Orderville Canyon after we exited Birch Hollow. It was early afternoon on a very cold January day and the temperatures were finally warming up above freezing. The sun felt incredible on our faces.
We scrambled up some slopes and washes until we reached a mesa with a well-defined trail along an ATV route with fresh tire tracks. We followed the trail for another mile to the head of Walker Gulch. There we encountered the aforementioned shelf that looked quite sketchy from the top. We avoided the edge, removed some unwise webbing from a tree, and skirted around to the slope to the left. The slope was very steep and loose, but Max went ahead and told us it went. I suppose that is probably the kindest thing you can say about that slope. It was quite reminiscent of the Death Gulley that descends into Mystery Canyon in Zion. I descended the whole thing on my butt, holding on for dear life to various shrubs and roots and wound up with quite a collection of leaves and sticks inside my pants. Maggie was bringing up the rear. Every time I looked back and asked her if she was doing ok, she said: “Ask me in five minutes”. We all made it down in one piece. When we looked up, we were right underneath the terrifying overhanging shelf that looked like it would crumble and kill anyone who dared to jump up and down on it. Yikes.
Safely at the bottom of Walker Gulch, we quickly entered a set of narrows. One thing that immediately struck us were the absolutely fascinating trees, both alive and dead. Our first obstacle was shimmying along a giant ponderosa pine log wedged between canyon walls. This tree was nearly PNW-sized. As we walked further, we saw several trees growing in improbable ways out of the walls high up above the canyon. One tree looked like it was taped to the wall by a mat of succulent plants. Another tree was growing out of sheer rock sideways, with roots walking in all directions into various cracks. However, the most bizarre tree that we saw was growing completely upside down, with the roots attached to the underside of a sandstone alcove. We decided that we would have to come back in ten years to see if it was still alive.
As we proceeded further down the canyon, we observed the same type of frozen seeps that we had seen in Orderville. The stream was frozen solid, and we even found a seep with icicles hanging down. We made it to the short technical section, where at the top of the first rappel we found a fixed rope slung around a giant boulder and connected to bright red webbing. However, this was not very helpful as the webbing was stuck in thick ice and there was a half-frozen waterfall cascading down the chute of the rappel. After assessing the situation, we were concerned that there might be more water at the bottom of this 150-foot drop and we couldn’t see the bottom at all. We found a solid and approachable tree along the right side of the cliff and Max put on his ascenders just in case unavoidable water was present. In case the narrows below were a no-go, the plan would be for him to ascend back up and we would exit the canyon the way we came. As he came down off the ledge, we heard him say “wow” really loudly, but no other information was forthcoming. At the bottom, he followed our whistle protocol to indicate that all was well, and we should come down. I was the last to go and as each person went down before me, they all exclaimed in wonder on the way down. I couldn’t wait to see what was going on!
As I descended off the ledge, I saw beneath me a magnificent chamber with the frozen waterfall slowly splashing down into a pool on one side and gorgeous narrows dropping away into the distance on the other side. Fortunately for us, the pool at the bottom of the waterfall was very contained and the rest of the canyon was totally dry. No one was planning on getting wet on a cold winter day. There were two short rappels right after the other and much to our surprise, the third rappel was bolted. The narrows below the third rappel are quite extensive and very pretty. This was definitely the best part of the canyon. There were some downclimbs and a last short rappel, with occasional and mostly unnecessary bolts installed. Between the odd bolting and the ATV tracks, we suspect this canyon is sometimes guided.
It was past 4 pm by the time we got out to the confluence with Orderville. We were getting worried about climbing out a very steep trail in the dark, so we got a move on. We still had a mile to walk up Orderville in iced-over conditions, so we had to be careful with our footing. It was almost 5pm when we reached the Wild Wind Hollow trail. If you’re not familiar with this strenuous trail, it ascends about 1,500 vertical feet over the space of about 1.5 miles. I remember climbing this after our first visit seven years ago and we definitely got lost in a couple spots. Over the years the trail has seen more use and is now very well defined, but unfortunately no less steep. It was a tough slog up after a very long and cold day. However, we did see one more cool tree along the way. We spotted a ledge where a large ponderosa pine was growing with roots completely exposed and hanging off the ledge, along with large icicles covering the entire ledge. It seems that this pine found a seep to grow on top of. Very smart.
We managed to climb up most of the very steep parts of the trail before darkness set in and the headlamps came out. As we were getting up to the ridge, Maggie spotted something lying in the middle of the trail. It turned out to be a very nice Columbia fleece that fit her perfectly! Perhaps she manifested an extra layer for when the hot climb would be over. By the time we got back to our cars it was well below freezing, and we were all ready to blast the heat all the way home. Definitely a long and tiring day but well worth it to see a new canyon and experience winter in Orderville.
