The Many Faces of the Honeycombs & Hike through Painted Canyon
I'm convinced. Hiking into a beautiful spot, enjoying the evening, and hiking out the next day is my style. MJ, Rena, my dog Alice, and I did just that, having the experience of a lifetime in the Painted Canyon and Honeycombs Wilderness Study Area. (MJ Winter’s Note: Vicki asked me to chime in and do kind of a ‘back and forth’ commentary to her notes of our shared experience, so here we go!)
Rena and MJ at Our Trailhead to Painted Canyon (MJ’s Note: It takes more than another hour of driving past this point over very rough terrain to make it to the start of our hike.)
We arrived at the trailhead. MJ had her Gaia trail map on her phone. But she recognized the surroundings from a previous hike here, and knew. She’d said she was double-checking since we were with her and didn’t want us to get off trail or anything. Rena and I laughed since we’d hiked together for years and got off-trail more than once. (MJ’s Note: I was really hoping my memory was accurate since I am terrible about starting my tracker when I’m supposed to. Having a saved and successful track recorded is a really good tool to use, and I highly recommend it. I just… don’t do it as often as I should, ahem. And yes, I do bring a backup tracking and SOS device… another one that I hadn’t turned the tracking on during that previous hike... And on that previous hike, I had lost my phone down in Painted Canyon… DON’T be like me!)
We hiked downhill toward the reservoir for a few miles. There’s not really a trail unless you count the cow trails, which we mostly followed through tall sagebrush and impressive rock formations.
Highlights included MJ’s stories since she had hiked the area previously with the Friends of the Owyhee group. She said the group spread out to find paths they liked. Rena and I trailed obediently behind MJ, like hikers more accustomed to well-worn trails. (MJ’s Note: Aw, come on, these two ladies are practically Teflon-coated… so tough, I was sweating, wondering whether I was slowing them way down with my plodding ambling gait. I’m a slowpoke and enjoy gawking at the rocks way too much.)
We had a good time eyeing the rock formations and naming them accordingly. A few of my favorites are included here. The fun was in being creative. Since the area isn’t traveled much, the formations weren’t previously named, at least not in a brochure as a landmark of some sort.
The Wailing Wall, Larry’s Ship (MJ has another name - The Santa Maria?) (MJ’s Note: the Endeavor! After the ill-fated ship crushed on the South Pole expedition in 1915… which is the book I’m reading right now. Kind of morbid, as things didn’t turn out too well for that ship, but this rock, well, it’s gonna last a heckuva lot longer than that one did.)
My dog Alice reverted to her first days of hiking with me and took off to chase a couple of deer. She was having a little too much fun, so spent much of her time contained on the leash. Border Collies are high energy and game for a good long run. The perfect dog for this type of adventure, as long as she has water, and she packed her own water and food for the day.
We left the Carlton Canyon area after a few miles and headed toward Owyhee Reservoir. It wasn’t long before we spotted wild horse dung piles, hoof tracks, and the trail widened out into what we dubbed the Pony Express Trail. Then, MJ spotted the horses. A herd of five, including a fairly young palomino foal nursing a bay mare. I couldn’t tell for certain who the stallion was, but perhaps a buckskin. They spotted us and moved along quickly toward the reservoir. (MJ’s Note: There was this magic moment, as we headed toward the dropping sun during “golden hour”, when we caught sight of the stallion kicking dust up on a hillside in front of us. The light through the dust as he tossed his head and stamped on the ground is something I hope I never forget; so beautiful. Although the environmental impact from wild horse herds like this is of concern, I couldn’t get past how special that moment felt.) The remainder of the day consisted of an easy hike down to our overnight spot.
The campsite on the reservoir was treed, and the water was clear and plentiful. We picked a spot and dropped our bags. (MJ’s Note: And some of us, well, namely I, just dropped to the ground gasping for a rest, haha.)
Alice and I walked to the reservoir to replenish our water and to allow her time to take a dip. I spotted a herd of cattle near the reservoir that took off quickly. I thought of my son and his comments on collecting cattle. It can be a challenge some years, and some cows will go rogue. They join the wilds and don’t care to be gathered. Then to the right were the horses. The same herd. The buckskin was keeping an eye on me. I got a few pictures with my phone but of poor quality. They soon departed, and we got our water.
It was enjoyable and relaxing to camp in this setting with easygoing friends. We listened to the coyotes and heard owls flying out from the trees overhead for their nightly hunt. (MJ’s Note: I got to “cowboy camp” in a bivy, hollowed out, watching the night sky and the moon’s path on the water. As we were all pretty beat, it didn’t take long for us to fall fast asleep under the stars, and even the howling coyotes barely caused us to stir. I did wonder whether my bivy sack would look like a spicy treat to an unseen cougar dropping down out of the rocks for her nightly drink, but luckily, no worries. If there were cats, the horse tracks obliterated any evidence.)
In the morning, we packed up and started the hike back through the most beautiful rock formations I've had the privilege to witness. Towering pillars of red, pale pink, tan to black. Some areas appeared dripping with paint. Hollowed-out rocks that had personalities with human and animal features.
We didn’t have the same energy level as the day before and took our time. The creek bottom was our best route, and once we left the Pony Express Trail and entered the Painted Canyon, cow trails were scarce. It was uphill hiking out but gradual until we got to The Boulders. (MJ’s Note: Oh Boy Did We! This is where my teeth really started to grind. I thought we had 6 sets of boulders to climb through, but I think we lost count after 10 or 11… or was it 20? I’m sure my knee said it was 20…)
The Boulders, a large creek bottom running through the upper canyon that the imagination fears seeing flooded with water. We tried to keep count of the number of climbs, maybe 8. Some required studying possible routes, removing our packs, and one meant air-lifting Alice. It was slow, but we got back on the sandy creek bottom again.
We dropped our packs once we reached the road to hike a couple of miles back to the rig. I don’t recall appreciating the comforts and ease of a vehicle quite as much as I did at that moment. MJ’s Note: We gratefully reveled in how luxurious it is to be able to press a foot-feed and have a vehicle surge magically forward… SO much easier than what we had just experienced! HEAVENLY.)
We drove back to the packs and were home by 8. I was worn out, filled with great memories, and felt rewarded richly. MJ was a knowledgeable and caring guide, Rena always the best sport, and Alice full of game. (MJ’s Note: Again, these ladies and Alice were so stalwart, it was a complete pleasure to hike with them…even over those crazy Boulder Patches! I can’t wait for our next adventure in the canyonlands and sagebrush of our beloved Owyhee.)
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