Hiking Zion to Arches ep 11: Dark Canyon to Fable Valley | 4K

[@briandickson6747]

Another great video! Just to say we hiked up and back down part of Youngs last October. On the way up we went past the tower to the dryfalls and backtracked to the tower before scrambling up as you did. But on the way down we continued on a trail on the ledge above the tower and beyond it downcanyon for about 500m. There was a good, rough cairned trail down a shallow gulley to Youngs canyon floor from there. That was an easier route. If going up then it seemed the easiest route was to look for cairns on the right RUC maybe 500m before the tower and follow those up.

[@Acrossutah]

Thx -- and thx for the good info. I think I see that drainage on Google Earth now. It's shocking how many trails are up on that rim (though many may be from bighorns). I kinda liked the final route that I took around the tower and up the ledge -- it was just all the trial-and-error spurs that were frustrating. :)

[@MaryannHazel]

I love your sense of humor you bring into your videos. Utah is such an amazing State!

[@bigbranch1]

What a journey .....great camera work.....makes my day...ever on...

[@gregorylollis4267]

Thanks again for another spectacular episode. Your ability to spot access and egress of the landscape is truly inspiring. I would not be so comfortable as you to the constantly changing trail during the planned route. You are a true craftsman of the Utah wilderness

[@anitamitchell3452]

Thanks for the update ... thank God the skies still look clear for you. We just got out first rain here tonight/ with lightning ... and temps are under 100 finally! Really enjoyed the video and loved the pools of water and the swims ... very nice. Take care ... be safe ... and I'll catch you next time. Let's go!

[@offroadpplumber4859]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing, Jamal!

[@utahdan231]

You are very adventurous hiker. I like your honesty. You show us every mistake. Thank you for this unknown part of Utah.

[@cybersincere]

Such a beautiful stretch! Thanks for sharing

[@JohnGetchel]

Fantastic! I wait with baited breath for each new video!

[@Acrossutah]

Thanks so much. The series it taking a bit longer than anticipated due to technical issues and other distractions, but... only three installments left! Well... then there's the normal "overview" video, the super-short highlight reel, and the full 360-degree video. So... still plenty to do! :)

[@WasatchWill]

Dark Canyon looks as divine and inviting as ever. Surprised by how much water still flowing through there with the dry winter. Something that's been on my list for a while is the Woodenshoe-Peavine Loop with a day/night spent down in Dark Canyon.

[@265chevy]

that was so cool i envy you thanks for taking me with you

[@StephanieTautkus]

These vids are absolutely too short!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly (they are too short), but thank you for doing all the hard work and sharing them with us.

[@Acrossutah]

Thanks so much! I'm glad to hear you say that as I was worried about sharing too much and it all being too LONG. But... on the other hand I wanted to post my full trip for my own personal "library" and to make it easier to point others toward specific moments/sections. I'm thrilled that so far the response has been positive for the longer format. BTW -- I will also post the regular "recap" video at the end for those who don't want all the details.

[@TheWasatchGearReview]

Another great edit Jamal!

[@Acrossutah]

Thanks again for watching!

[@Orban_rides1]

🖒😎👍 fantastic!

[@MojaveZach]

me and a friend saw a runaway balloon flying in the middle of nowhere like you did, and it happened to land right in front of us so we were able to pick it up, but it was still very strange nonetheless

[@Acrossutah]

Really -- that's crazy. I mean I guess they have to be airborne at some point to get out there, but it just seems so incredible to see one in mid-flight. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! 👍

[@BackpackerDiaries]

Epic as always. I love Dark Canyon, but I thought it was its own Wilderness Area surrounded by BENM until recently? Maybe that status has changed too? Thanks for sharing these Jamal

[@Acrossutah]

Dark Canyon has been a Wilderness Study Area for a while and still is fortunately. WSAs are a separate designation from parks/monuments/etc. Most of Dark Canyon was included in the original boundaries for BENM, but then later cut out when the monument was downsized. To remove the Wilderness designation would require an act of congress. That should never happen to Dark Canyon, but the Upper Paria corridor could be under this threat. Thx for watching and the comment.

[@potatothorn]

UNREAL. so nice that you are essentially in the desert but have all that water to play in.. crazy route.. dirty balloon.. and amazing you see one in flight im gonna have the balloon data folks over here take a look at this i think they'll get a sad kick out of it... hate the shrinking of monuments but don't worry- even though they said they did it for potential mining, it is all in our and the land's "best interest" .. sycophants, Ugh.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Hey Jamal, your videos are inspirational for me to get out of my hiking comfort zone here in AZ. I hope to make it out to Dark Canyon some day soon. Can you please answer me this question if you have the time: which 360 camera do you use? And do you stitch the 360 footage in post, or is it done in-camera? Thank you!

[@Acrossutah]

Cool -- thanks! The 360 footage seen in these videos was shot with the original Samsung Gear360. It was a decent camera for several years, but I hope to upgrade soon to a newer/better model. I stitch in post as well as manipulate the POV for my standard videos like this one. In fact, my app died for this camera -- so I had to shoot everything completely blind for this trip and was just hoping I got decent footage when I finally got to see it after the hike was done!

[@WildlandExplorer]

@@Acrossutah Yeah I think you're probably the only hiking/outdoor KZbinr I've seen using them for panning walkthrough shots as if you had a camera guy with you. That's pretty creative - something I'd like to try myself. I've heard good things about the Insta360 One X, but I already have a gear acquisition syndrome that I am trying to treat. I can only imagine how awesome your 360 shots would be with one of the newer cams. Not that I am trying to encourage you!

[@Acrossutah]

Yeah -- the One X was on my list for upgrading this year, but now the One R is out and it looks pretty amazing too. Honestly the post-process for 360 has been a huge pain, but I think it's getting better with newer options. And... I hear you re: gear. Once upon a time (long before this channel) I found myself getting too preoccupied on hikes with technology/photo equipment and the need to capture the moment in its absolute best form. I realized it was impacting my enjoyment and thus made a conscious decision to let it ALL go and just hike. Then... I realized that that was an over-reaction and have now settled into a happy middle-ground where I take just enough gear to capture the trip, but not too much to hinder my experience. (though I still carry way more than most thru-hikers!) Feel free to write me via my site if you wanna chat re: tech/trail stuff. Others have asked for a blog post covering my production/post process and though I think it's a good idea... there just never seems to be enough time. 😀

[@Karen-dq8nw]

I don't get it, where the hell do all the balloons come from? I have done lots of backcountry hiking - mostly in Alaska - have never found a balloon. Is that a thing all over the southwest, or just in Utah? So weird and unnecessary. Thanks for picking up the trash. Gorgeous scenery, best unspoiled by trash.

[@emmber19]

Your inclusions are actually not inclusions if you wanna get technical. They're concretions--they formed around some kind of nucleus (sometimes fossil sometimes not) as part of a chemical process after the sediment was laid down, but before lithification.

[@Acrossutah]

Yep -- in hindsight I knew I screwed that up and that's why I added the on-screen text trying to clarify... but later realized that even THAT wasn't that clear/correct! Thanks for watching and the comment with more information. I used to really know my geology, but... over time some of the details have gotten fuzzy. 😀✌

[@emmber19]

@@Acrossutah Same. I've got a degree in geology, but I've been a plumber for long enough to forget almost all of it. Great video though, great channel in general. I'm headed to the Dark Canyon area in early June, planning to stay higher up for the heat.

[@lesliegreen3650]

Loving your videos Jamal -- have been binge watching!! How are you panning? Does your camera do that or are doing this with editing? I'm intrigued

[@Acrossutah]

Heya -- glad you've been enjoying the videos. In order to get the pan/follow effect, I shot those shots with a 360-degree camera on a tripod and then adjusted the POV during the editing process. The quality isn't as high as a normal camera -- but I really like the effect. Thanks for watching!

[@lesliegreen3650]

@@Acrossutah I just finished the final segment to Arches about 2 minutes ago. Fantastic series. I couldn't wait to get home from work to finish them. Heading out that way in April. Thanks for putting this together.

[@christopherrowley7506]

5:47 they're called 'inclusions' ... if my geo 101 class years ago serves me right

[@Acrossutah]

Yeah... I kinda botched that by intermixing "intrusion" and "inclusion" and then oversimplified with the conglomerate text factoid. So wish I could do "pop-up" corrections on KZbin! Thanks for watching and the comment.

[@StereoSpace]

Breccia rhymes with betcha.

[@Acrossutah]

Really, I didn't know that (obviously). I kinda mangled that whole bit. Thanks for the watching and the comment.

[@StereoSpace]

Thank you for producing this amazing video series, this may be your best yet. The photography alone is stunning and the places you've traveled are awe inspiring. Thanks for capturing and sharing this with us.

[@utahwanderlust700]

Cell towers are nice things to have, but they can't put them in Wilderness Study Areas.

[@Acrossutah]

Oh yeah -- I definitely wasn't condoning putting any out there! Technically at that spot I wasn't in a WSA as I was along the road. The various backroads account for those weird "spiderweb" lines through designated Wilderness (and WSAs).

[@utahwanderlust700]

@@Acrossutah I wouldn't mind a tower in the SMRA, or the GCNRA, but not the wilderness area. Probably wouldn't be a great site for reception anyway, down in the canyon itself! Sat phones get spendy out there for daily use.

[@lyndonreddick1888]

Dark cyn looks like little Grand Canyon or the "Wedge". And more insight into these pristine places that Trump Admin has taken- places that should exist in perpetuity for the public's benefit.

[@Acrossutah]

Yep -- the first time I was there I was really struck by how much it reminding of the Grand Canyon -- esp when looking up from the bottom.

[@utahwanderlust700]

You got that backwards bro. Trump gave it back to the people instead of handing it over to some bureaucracy behind a desk in DC. I was just in Dark Canyon last week and it was pristine as ever. It does not need Monument status. Wilderness is better protected than a monument.