May 7th, 2010, 18:36 hours
The OAUSA 2010 Navajo Expedition – 1,294.3 miles of driving, hiking, climbing, photographing and exploration over 239 hours, 43 minutes and 4 seconds (about 11 days). We encountered just about every sort of weather possible (short of a tornado or a hurricane), but somehow it always seemed like just the right weather for the moment (or the picture).
Many thanks to Dave of OAUSA for setting this up, the Navajo and our guides for their hospitality, and everyone else who participated in making this a wonderful trip. I would have to say the highlights for me were a 3-way tie between the Poncho House ruins on day 6, the snow/rain in Monument Valley on day 8, and Tom’s peach cobbler… all of these would be hard to beat.
All of the pictures from this trip can be found in the Flickr set.
Note: the geo-locations for many of the pictured sites have been changed to the local jail, since that is where you will be staying if you try to go out on your own and find these places without a local guide and permission from the Navajo Nation. If you would like to visit some of these places for yourself I suggest heading over to OAUSA to find out when the next trip will be.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, Canyon de Chelly, Colorado Plateau, Flagstaff, Indian Country, Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Overland, overlanding, Painted Desert, Red Valley, Utah
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May 1st, 2010, 17:07 hours
Betatakin was an easy hike down over a typical NPS-style trail with a restroom at each end. The ruins are fairly large, and in good shape at each end (a rock shelf gave way in the center taking much of the village with it). Unfortunately, you can only walk into a small portion of the collapsed area. The hike back up is a 750-foot elevation gain, but easy terrain. This is a great place to stop if you are unable to hire a guide, or lack a vehicle capable of reaching the more remote ruins. Both this guided hike and the adjacent Sunset View Campground we stayed in are free of charge.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Indian Country, Land Rover, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Painted Desert
Posted in On the Road | No Comments
April 30th, 2010, 19:30 hours
Lazy morning, felt good after the past week of at-dawn action. After a couple hours of relaxation and breakfast around a morning campfire we headed up past Goulding to drop off Carlos. If you are ever up in the Monument Valley area looking for a guide I highly recommend Simpson’s Trailhandler Tours, and specifically, Carlos.
The sheep out here do not look, and do not wait for anyone or anything… not even a convoy of 4×4s. 
After a quick lunch in Kayenta, we reached Navajo National Monument and set up an early camp. We’ll be hiking down to Betatakin tomorrow, as Keet Seel is still closed. It is cold up here on the mountain, and in typical NPS fashion no campfires are allowed. An early dinner and early bed are on the agenda tonight. Tomorrow’s hike to Betatakin starts at 09:30.
Gear Thoughts
I find myself waiting for the Helton-based shower rather than using the available Zodi system. While you do have to keep the vehicle running to heat the water, I find I much prefer the output of the marine pump, the variable (or off) flow allowed by the heat exchanger, and the added wind protection being right up against a vehicle. With the Zodi, there isn’t a lot of pressure and you must have the water on the entire time, as stopping the water will burn up the heating coils. This means it takes longer to get wet, longer to rinse off, and you waste water when you’re washing and don’t need it. I ended up using the same amount of water on each system, despite the higher output of the marine pump. The increased cost (tripple) is worth the added comfort and control, and vehicle dependence is really a non-issue when you consider the fact that the vehicle is probably going to be sitting there anyhow in a situation where you would use the shower.
On shower enclosures, at least in cold weather, I found I also preferred the PETT system’s tent over Outback’s Porta-Privy. The Porta-Privy has a large, always-open skylight that lets all of the heat escape – a very bad thing when you are showering in 40° weather. The PETT tent has three windows which can be left open or closed, and are designed such you can toss the shower sprayer into one so the excess water drips outside while you are drying off.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Helton, Indian Country, Land Rover, Monument Valley, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Painted Desert, PETT, shower, Simpson’s, Trailhandler Tours, Zodi
Posted in On the Road | No Comments
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