Coyote Buttes North - Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs

[4Feet]: The last hike of our excursion to southern Utah is The Wave at Coyote Buttes North, which is actually the main course of this whole trip. Unlike other hikes, The Wave is extremely restricted for the numbers of visitors daily by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Only 20 permits would be granted to 20 lucky applicants per day via the lottery four months in advance. Luckily, we won the lottery back in August. The morning temperature in Kanab was only 11 degrees Fahrenheit (-11 *C). Considering the season and the elevation (about 6,000 ft), the chilly weather did not surprise us. Fortunately, it warmed up quickly after the sunrise, yet we still wore as many layers as we could. The trailhead was merely 47 miles from Kanab. We started late and arrived at Wire Pass Trailhead around 8 o'clock. Starting with an open sand path so-called trail, the wide path later led to a significantly narrower trail zig-zag over a small hump. Everything was sandy until the sign of "Coyote Buttes North; permit required'. The real adventure appeared to be after the sign. The view became widely open. White, yellow, orange and red rocks were layering gradually toward the far vicinity. Each big and small rock owned its very characteristic shape and surface lining. Soon after, we encountered one and the only struggle - the direction. Coyote Buttes North Permit Area is within a backcountry, undeveloped wilderness area and does not contain any developed trails or facilities. There were no trail markers or cairns. We had to hunt for the footprints on the sand to ensure that we don't get lost in the desert. Why didn't we follow other hikers? Coyote Buttes North is just a small part of the 112,500-acre Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Imagine the odds of encountering another human out of those 20 hikers in this big land in an early morning. After 3 miles of the hike, we saw our destination in the distance. We couldn't actually see The Wave from far back, but we recognized the outside landscape from the pamphlet. To actually see The Wave, we climbed over a sandy hill and then dropped down into the bowl, rounded a corner, and then there it was in all its glory. It was a moment I will never forget. Easily to say, it is the most visually striking geologic sandstone formation we have ever experienced. We barely spoke above a whisper at first as we were the only ones there and we wanted to preserve the sacred silence of the moment. Seeing it in photos and actually being there are two very different things. The red and white stripes curved and flew in a mesmerizing pattern. It doesn’t seem natural, yet it is. There were swirls and lines and ripples like a disturbance in water. The orange-red color looked unreal with strips of white weaved intricately throughout. There were tangible hard ridges that cast short shadows and added texture to the formation. The Wave left a beautiful ending to our excursion to Utah though we should stay there a bit longer so that we could further explore "The Second Wave" and "Big Mac." Nevertheless, we will surely come back to Utah and Arizona for Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and more mysterious rock formations in the Colorado Plateaus on the near future. 12/21/20