BACKPACKING MULEY TWIST AND HALLS NARROWS
by Rich Henke

Capital Reef National Park, located in the southeast part of Utah, is a little visited gem. Its principal feature is a huge uplift running north to south called the Waterpocket Fold where the earth has tilted at a 45-degree angle. The fold consists of strange rock formations and dozens of slot canyons. Guidebooks describe 2 hikes in the southern part of the park named Lower Muley Twist and Halls Creek Narrows. As day hikes, they are quite long; 17 miles and 22 miles respectively. Lack of water often discourages backpacking but if one is willing to carry water, an interesting loop can be done which combines the 2 objectives.

On Nov 18, 2001, Andy Stump, Armando Menocal, and I met at Halls Creek Overlook, all in separate cars coming from different directions. An hour's drive on a gravel road is required to reach this remote trailhead. This would be the exit point of our 5-day hike. Armando and I feasted on sautéed vegetables and lentils on rice in my van waiting for Andy who arrived late at night. The following morning, we left two of our vehicles at the trailhead and drove the third car up the Burr Trail to the Muley Twist Trailhead. By 11 am, we were hiking south down Muley Twist Canyon, a beautiful dry wash with huge walls of Navajo Sandstone on all sides. After an 11-mile day, we camped in a huge undercut called Cowboy Cave where inscriptions from the 1920's covered the back wall. It was a dry camp; we each carried 4 liters of water.

The following morning we followed Muley Twist Canyon until it intersected Halls Canyon. But rather than turn north to complete the standard loop, we continued south to link this hike with the Halls Creek Narrows. We obtained water at a reliable water source called Muley Tanks that morning and again carried water for our expected dry camp that evening. We explored a side canyon to the west where the Brimhall Double Bridges are located. The 1-mile side trip ended at a huge 200-foot dry waterfall. We continued south with our backpacks following the dry watercourse of Halls Creek. We were confined in a valley with 800-foot cliffs to the east (left) and the sloping Waterpocket Fold on the west (right). Our camp that night was next to some small pools of water so we would not have had to carry 8 pounds of water, but it is better to carry water and not need it than to go thirsty at night.

On day 3, we continued to just above Halls Narrows. At this point, water starts to flow in Halls Creek as it cuts west into the Waterpocket Fold. It forms a narrow slot canyon hundreds of feet deep as it twists and turns for 3 miles. Our original plan had been to backpack through the narrows and camp on the far side to be in good position to explore some other canyons further south. But today we had met a backpacker returning from the narrows (the only person we saw for 5 days) and he told us about having to swim one of the pools in the narrows. This was a big surprise to us - we expected wading up to our waists but had not brought gear to waterproof our packs. Plus the idea of swimming frigid cold water in November was not particularly appealing. So when we found a protected overhang just above the narrows, we decided to camp there. We would hike some other side canyon today and hike the narrows tomorrow as a day hike without our big packs. And maybe, just maybe, we could figure out how to avoid swimming. We picked an interesting looking slot canyon on our topo map and spent the afternoon exploring it. We followed it west as far as we could and almost found a route out that would have reached the top of the Waterpocket Fold. But technical climbing on loose crumbling rock must be approached with caution.

On our 4th day, we left out protected camp under the overhang for Halls Narrows carrying daypacks. It was cloudy and cold and the idea of a swim was still not appealing. But the hike was breathtaking. It was easy to follow the tiny flowing stream as it wound its way through the 300-foot gorge. Golden cottonwood trees dropping fall leaves were interspersed along the stream. We crossed the stream many times, but only ankle deep. We all wore shorts with neoprene socks and various types of wading shoes on our feet. About 1 mile from the start, we had to cross the stream waist deep and the water was really cold. We stopped for lunch and thought, "Now where is that deep pool?" Finally just before the end, we found it. The canyon narrowed to 10 feet wide and the water below looked very deep but there was a sloping ledge running along the right side. To reach it required a 15 foot climb up a smooth wall With Armando's help, I managed to stand on a small foothold about 6 feet above the water. With dry shoes, the 5.6 move above would have been easy. I wiped my shoes with my jacket, trying to dry them. At that point, Andy joined me on the small ledge and with me providing some support for his wet feet, he was able to mantle up and soon we all joined him, hooting and hollering. No swim in 40-degree water today!

15 minutes later, we exited the canyon and turned north, following a trail that bypassed the narrows back to our camp. Since it was early in the day, we packed up and started the hike back to Halls Creek Overlook. We stopped at dark and finished the hike the following day, our 5th. Back at my van, we toasted each other with the 3 beers that were waiting for us. It had been a great hike and best of all we avoided the swim.