Narrow Escapes in The Southwest

Cooling off with some wet feet in the Zion Narrows in Utah. (Gary H. Anthes - Gary H. Anthes)

Canyon X is on Navajo Nation land about 15 miles south of Page, Ariz. It channels the Antelope Creek, the same seasonal creek that runs though Antelope Canyon, the beautiful but in my view over-visited slot canyon five miles downstream. The Navajo woman who holds the grazing rights to the land around Canyon X has given a guide named Jackson Bridges exclusive rights to visit the canyon. Saying he wants to preserve the serenity of the place, he won't take more than five people there at a time.

Bridges drove me cross-country over two miles of rough range land, through two locked gates, on a track so steep and deeply rutted I feared his tanklike truck might turn over. Neither the "road" nor the gates nor the canyon entrance were marked in any way.

It turned out I was Bridges's only customer for the day. He showed me the way into the canyon and then left me there for two hours. I happily explored and photographed, but much of the time I just stood gaping at the sinuous and sensual sandstone walls, glowing in fantastic colors from sunlight reflected off the rimrock far above.

I could see where water had recently pushed through the canyon wall-to-wall, but now hiking the slot was largely a matter of dodging puddles.

I didn't see any stars, but I can't remember ever feeling so privileged, so deliciously alone, so at peace with nature. I heard nothing except, briefly, the hoarse cry and whoosh-whoosh wing beats of a raven flying low.

This is the essence of canyoneering, I thought, what I had come to the desert Southwest for.

For additional canyon images, go to the photo gallery at www.washingtonpost.com/travel

Gary H. Anthes last wrote for Travel about Bodie, Calif.