Utah: The Majesty of Grand Staircase

Kanab Canyon located in Kanab, UT. The beauty of Kanab Canyon lies in its remote and colorful solitude. Maisie Schwartz photos.
Kanab Canyon located in Kanab, UT. The beauty of Kanab Canyon lies in its remote and colorful solitude. Maisie Schwartz photos.
Taking my boots off while overlooking Kanab Canyon after a dirty day of hiking.
Taking my boots off while overlooking Kanab Canyon after a dirty day of hiking.

>Canyon Chronicles in Utah
Field work in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

By Maisie Schwartz

I let out a deep breath and scanned my summer home. Sliding windows on either side, a roof attachment over my head, four tires below my feet, and a Lynyrd Skynyrd eight track blasting through the speakers.

I was not entirely sure what was in store for me over the next three months, but as I took my next inhale and smelled the sweet scented sand of the Utah desert, I knew it all just felt right.

In May of 2015, I left my position with a ballet company in Charlottesville, VA and moved into a Toyota Tacoma in southern Utah, land of incredible hikes, prehistoric mysteries, and Edward Abbey’s literary inspiration. I had taken a job as a seasonal field technician for Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance, surveying the Grand Staircase National Monument for archaeological sites impacted by cattle grazing on public land.

After spending a year on the opposite side of the United States, I was ecstatic to return to the place of the bluest skies, the brightest stars, and the dramatically displayed prowess of earth’s geologic history.

Maisie Schwartz cartwheeling after hiking the Peek-A-Boo and Spooky slot canyons on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Maisie Schwartz cartwheeling after hiking the Peek-A-Boo and Spooky slot canyons on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Typical Day

The typical archaeology workday is the best ten-hour day one could ask for. After initial office preparations, such as printing maps, gathering GPS data, and filling canteens, we (the three-person crew) hop into our government issued, white Chevy Silverado and head into the bumpy, dusty, and sometimes downright frightening roads of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The ominous names of many of the dirt roads never fail to remind us of the dangers we could fall prey to, as had travelers before us. Take, for example, Carcass Canyon, named for the array of Boy Scout carcasses pulled out of the small canyon about forty years ago when their jeep stalled on the slick rock road.

Carcass Canyon is located near Sooner Slide, named thusly because one would ‘sooner slide’ back down the road than make it to the end.

Skutumpah Road is one of the main roads in the GSENM as, when dry, it is the most efficient connection from Kanab, UT to Escalante, UT. The road crosses Bullrush Hollow, a canyon in which the careful eye sees a truck suspended in a narrow slot fifty feet from the canyon rim. The bridge over the slot used to consist of halves of a large log.

Vehicles precisely lined their tires up with the log platforms and carefully navigated across the canyon. The ill-fated truck successfully crossed the log bridge, but stalled heading uphill on the opposite side and rolled backward.

The tires did not line up with the logs upon the hasty and uncontrollable reverse, and the truck plummeted into the canyon, crushed and

Flash flood induced waterfall east of Hole-In-The-Rock Rd on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Photo c/o Kate Magargal.
Flash flood induced waterfall east of Hole-In-The-Rock Rd on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Photo c/o Kate Magargal.

forever suspended by the rock walls. The slot has since been graded over and the truck now plays a key role in supporting the piece of Skutumpah above.

This Time, With Flash

Once in the field, we revisit previously recorded sites and survey for new sites. We document our findings and assess cattle impacts. I am constantly astounded that a cow cannot descend a flight of stairs, yet can find its way up and down the side of a canyon and defecate on the scenic, prehistory-loaded plateau above.

Long days of surveying lead to unique conversations, many o

of which are hypothetical discussions of emergency procedures such as escape from lightning, predator, or flash flood. While we rarely encountered storms we could not outrun and came across few animals, we did face a flash flood. While leaving the monument via Hole-In-The-Rock road one Thursday, we were stopped by a 150-meter segment of road washed out up to my knees.

Dramatic archway in the canyon.
Dramatic archway in the canyon.

East of the road, the force of the water cut through the soil to create a spectacular seven-foot tall waterfall with water pouring in from all angles and rushing away down the wash.

After drinking in our visual fill, we returned to the road and used careful, long-term analysis and not-so-careful, last minute decision-making to take the plunge in our trusty Silverado. We miraculously reached the other side with little trouble and returned to the office soon after.

Nightfall

At the end of the typical workday, we are tired, sweaty, sun-drenched, and smelly, usually having hiked about eight miles. We cook dinner, often eggs or hot dogs, over our Coleman stove, drink a few beers, and fall asleep under the stars.

There is nothing like staring into constellations or counting shooting stars while waiting to be lulled to sleep by the vast silence of the earth. Should a sleepless night arrive, I seek comfort in the music of the coyotes, their howls piercing the darkness.

Especially after hours of archaeology, I think about how many others have spent nights right where I am lying, some having come through just a week before, some having lived their a thousand years earlier. What were their stories? What did the canyon walls give to them? The Utah desert never fails to capture and intrigue, no matter the hour of day or night.

Finding Myself

An archaeologist’s weekend is similar to the weekday, but with less documentation and more exploration. Some of our weekend adventures included hiking the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel and Uncle Jim trails, visiting Kanab Canyon (a canyon quite possibly more spectacular than the Grand Canyon simply because of its colorful desolation), and hiking Boulder Mountain in Boulder, UT. The summit of Boulder Mountain is just under 11,000 ft. Though we progressed quickly, the hike was challenging.

We started off among the butterscotch-scented Ponderosa Pines in air noticeably thinner than the locations in which we had been throughout the rest of the summer, all at about 6,000 ft, and the air decreased in oxygen content as we climbed the steep trail.

I felt I I felt immense satisfaction upon reaching the summit, as it was a hike I could not have completed a year ago, not only because I was not as accustomed to hiking at altitude, but greatly because I would not have had the attitude to push myself to the top.

Looking down at our Toyota neighborhood parked at The Clamshell campsite in Fredonia, AZ. The campsite is named for a nearby rock art panel that appears to depict a clamshell.
Looking down at our Toyota neighborhood parked at The Clamshell campsite in Fredonia, AZ. The campsite is named for a nearby rock art panel that appears to depict a clamshell.

My summer in the desert allowed for much personal growth. I took the field technician job to run from my life as a ballerina, the life that filled me with doubt and fear of failure.

Working as a field technician, I came away with much more than I had expected when setting out in May. For one thing, I learned and improved many practical skills, most related to navigation and fixing cars.

More importantly, however, due to the sense of freedom and self-sufficiency I gleaned from desert life, I found a confidence I have been missing of late.

Left to Right: Blake Vernon, Peter Yaworsky, Maisie Schwartz, and Kate Magargal. Couldn't have asked for a better bunch of wilderness junkies to spend the summer with.
Left to Right: Blake Vernon, Peter Yaworsky, Maisie Schwartz, and Kate Magargal. Couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of wilderness junkies to spend the summer with.

I found the strength to recognize dancing no longer makes me the happy and empowered person I want to be. And now I have finally found the words to thank you, southern Utah. For without you, I would not have found me.

Volunteer 

If you find the archaeology lifestyle intriguing, it is worth noting that Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance and many similar companies have extensive volunteer opportunities throughout the year. I developed my love of archaeology by volunteering on a series of projects and, consequently, the field technician position fell into my lap. Research, support, and connect with local archaeological organizations in your area and who knows what adventures might come your way!

Project Facebook page

Maisie Schwartz

Maisie Schwartz is an ex-ballerina, Canadian-American adventurer whose writing and further photographic work can be found on her blog http://inmygingernature.wordpress.com/.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Latest posts by GoNOMAD Contributors (see all)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to Top
Skip to content