Ride 13 - Pinnacle of Gold Butte

We rode by "the Pinnacle" probably 20 times before we even noticed it. [A free Google Earth map of this route available at:  Pinnacle of Gold Butte]

Now, once we have, we cannot NOT notice it! It sticks up against the skyline "bigger'n yer thumb." And, of course, we had to go try and find it. That task became right up there with "we've got to find a way down to the Virgin River." [Neither of which, by the way, we have yet accomplished.]

We trailer'd down the "new" Gold Butte Road (according to the map), past Little Canyonlands and parked were we could see the thing. The problem was that the flats, unlike others we had seen, had no trails, except one lone cow trail.

We headed off following the cow toward the cliffs. The cow turned out to be a goat, jumped a couple of crevasses, and ended in a dead end. We came back around and took another shot at it, but the canyon that we were following turned in the wrong direction and we ended up behind it... sort of.

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

As they say, "the third time's the charm" so we made yet another stab at it. This time along the break line under the cliffs, but needed to break trail. The drainage ditches became, cracks, then crevasses then chasm's... which seemed to take all the fun out of it.

So, we went to "plan B": find the Virgin river. We did have a good time riding along the power line, finding old campsites, going through bushes, and looking at the river from the top of the cliff's; but, never found a way down which didn't involve carabiners and pitons.