2023 Fall Gateway to Canyon Country

group – a couple with a pair
of dogs who must have gotten
an early start and were
starting their trek back to the
trailhead. With their departure,
we had The Wave all to
ourselves.
As the name suggests,
the rock formation looks
like brilliantly striated, undulating
water frozen in
time. Standing in its center
was like being encased in a
womb of flowing color. We
stood there for a long time,
simply absorbing the atmosphere
and unexpected silence.
Then we leapt into
action, checking out angles
14 Gateway to Canyon Country
and sightlines, and positioning
ourselves for the obligatory
flurry of photographs
to post online and prove to
the world that we had been
there.
Our solitude lasted for
about 30 minutes before
the hikers behind us started
arriving, at which point
my wife and I headed deeper
into the wilderness. There
are several named geological
features beyond The
Wave for which hikers can
aim – The Second Wave,
Melody Arch, Top Rock
Arch, The Alcove among
them – but we didn’t have
any destination in mind other
than prolonging the hike
and enjoying the colors, formations
and views in every
direction. Spending at least
a few minutes exploring
the area beyond The Wave
is highly recommended for
those who have the time and
energy to spare. We spent
about two hours walking a
couple extra miles, taking
photographs and simply sitting
and basking in our surroundings.
By the time we headed
back through The Wave,
the North Carolina group
had arrived and were engaged
in their own photo-storm.
My wife volunteered
to take a group photo
for them, which they greatly
appreciated. We also met
a woman in her 60s – a fit
hiker from Kanab equipped
with rubber-tipped walking
sticks who was working as
a volunteer checking permits
and dispensing information
about the area.
As we prepared to head
back to our car, we encountered
the couple from
Prescott at the top of the
steep, sandy slope just outside
The Wave. They were
accompanied by their three
kids, all of whom had
paused to empty the sand
from their shoes. As we
started down, we said hello
to another couple who had
stopped for a rest halfway
up the steep slope. It’s not a
long climb, but it can knock
the wind out of those who
try to go up too quickly.
Now that we were oriented
to the area, on the
return trip my wife and I
wandered a bit from the
straight-and-narrow path
we had taken on the way
to The Wave, checking out
the expansive views to the
east and exploring some
side canyons to the west.
We got passed by the volunteer
from Kanab several
times – she was hiking
much faster than us, but
she stopped several times to
talk to groups that had started
their hike later in the day
and were still heading out
toward The Wave.
Meanwhile, the afternoon
temperature had crept
into the low 80s, but a cool,
moderate breeze kept the
air feeling just about perfect
for hiking. By the time we
got back to the car, we had
walked about 8 miles in 6.5
hours – four of that actually
moving, according to the
app I use to track my hikes,
and the remaining 2.5 standing
still and gawking at the
landscape.
On the drive back to
Page, I mulled the fact the
hiking to The Wave didn’t
mean I had lost the opportunity
to pedal my mountain
bike to Alstrom Point. I’ll be
56 for a whole year – plenty
of time to tackle the ride.