I was naive. I thought that returning to Cedar Mesa in search of more Native American Ruins (see Utah, Re-Ruined) would get me to the point where I'd have seen most of what we'd missed on our first trip to the area some two years earlier (see Ruining Around Utah). Yeah, calling that naive is probably being generous.
While I was there, I quickly realized that I was only scratching the surface - that there was so much more in the area - that I could probably visit for years (decades even), and still have more to see. A lot like Death Valley National Park, really.
One place that really caught my attention was Comb Ridge. Beautiful while I was there, I researched it more upon returning home, and discovered that the eastern flank - which descends into Butler Wash - is litterally covered in ruins and rock art.
And with that, a trip was born.
The reality is that there's probably six months worth of exploration that could be done in Butler Wash, but we'd hit some highlights in just two days and 24 miles of hikes. Then, we'd cap off the trip with a 17 mile journey on the other side of Cedar Mesa - hiking down into Bullet Canyon and making our way out via the neighboring Sheiks Canyon.
41 miles of hiking in two-and-a-half days - certifiably crazy in the 90°F heat. But I assure you, it was certifiably fun as well!
We Arrive and it is Hot | Cedar Mesa #1 - As we set off towards Utah, I mentioned to @mrs.turbodb that maybe we should have taken her car on this trip. After all, the entirety of our off-pavement driving was going to be all of about 30 miles. Most of our time would be spent on foot, hiking from ruin to pictograph, with the occasional petroglyph thrown in for good measure. It was going to be a blast! I'd gotten the crazy idea for this trip on my previous foray - Utah, Re-Ruined - when I'd naively assumed that I'd wrap up the ruins that Monte @Blackdawg had planned a few years…
Would You Like Another? | Cedar Mesa #2 - Note: Visiting Butler Wash requires a pass. For more information, check out BLM Utah Cedar Mesa Permits and Passes Information. Our personal side canyon off of Butler Wash was the perfect place to spend the night, and though it was a bit warm - I think it only got down into the high 50s overnight - we were both extremely tired and so enjoyed the ten hours or so of horizontal existence immensely. Still, we knew that the best way to beat the heat of the day was to get going early, so when my alarm went off just before sunrise,…
Make it a Loop (Bullet to Sheiks Canyons) | Cedar Mesa #3 - We got another good night of sleep on the edge of Bullet Canyon, and were up bright an early - or more correctly, dark and early - to start prepping for our long day. We were going to leave the truck and tent set up while we hiked - no need to pack all that away just to unpack again on our return - so we ate breakfast, made lunches, and filled every container we'd brought along with water. We were, after all, going to be hiking more than 17 miles - much of it in 90°F heat. About 3.5…
Epilogue | Cedar Mesa #4 - With 22 hours of driving in front of us, we decided that rather than our usual sprint home, we'd split the time over two days. That meant we could sleep in a bit before climbing out of the tent, and also that we could stop a few times along the way so I could show @mrs.turbodb a few things I'd thought were cool on previous trips. I awoke only for enough time to snap a photo without changing my horizontal position. After eating breakfast and packing up camp, we headed north on UT-261 to Natural Bridges National Monument. I'd visited…