The Wave Arizona {Part 1: Because it is just THAT GOOD!}

 

{the final destination}

The Wave is one of the most magical places to experience on this earth & only 20 people are allowed in a day. On January 4, 2018, my family had the privilege to hike this pristine beauty! Found in the Coyote Buttes, just south of the Utah border, it feels like you are on another planet! This article will give you the best guide to navigating the permit process & what to expect on your hike if you too desire to hike The Wave {which I know you will}.

{my lucky girl}

Like I said, to hike The Wave, you must first obtain a permit in Kanab, Utah at the visitor’s center for The Grand Staircase Escalante. We were 5 of about 85 people that day, trying their luck at the in-person permit lottery which would grant 10 people to hike the following day {the other 10 entries come from the online lottery}. Due to our travel itinerary, that was the ONE & ONLY day we could try to win. So, we had Sunshine Girl hand in our application, since she has had a great streak at winning contests in her lifetime. Five slots were taken & Sam & I looked at each other: if we were not called next, we would not be able to go! Low & behold, our lucky number 18 was called!!! I squealed in delight {the women next to me were on their 9th straight day of trying to win & had talked about how interesting people’s reactions were … most are dead silent & some are animated … I figured, hey! this is a HUGE deal, so why not be happy?! which deeply embarrassed my children}. Anyways, when the park ranger announced we were a party of 5, the crowd boo-ed. Fun Fact: a total of 161,467 applied for a Wave permit in 2017!

{up, up, & away!}

We started out the day just before sunrise, as we wanted to capture the best light for photography & of course, we wanted to be out there as long as possible — once in a lifetime, people! I made everyone “layer up” and, of course, the clothing was stripped down within the first half hour. Hiking & sunlight will do that to you!

{go THAT way}

This is the one & only trail marker you will see on your hike once you are out there. And, it cracks me up because DO YOU SEE A TRAIL??? NO?!!! That would be due to the fact that THERE IS NOT ONE! The hike itself is not very difficult; the danger is due to the fact that you are IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT where everything starts to look similar. When you win the lottery, you are given a pictorial guide from the park rangers to guide you, and thank God for Sam because, to me, all of the buttes just started looking the same. {We also took a GPS system, which did work, but they tell you not to count on it working accurately}

One of our favorite parts of being there was the stillness. After being at the Grand Canyon & Horseshoe Bend, to be away from PEOPLE was a dream!

There was a little uphill “climbing” that was involved & the tricky thing about that was the fact that everywhere there is a thin layer of sand, so it is slippery.

The joke of the day was asking what “butt” we were looking for.

 

There were bird tracks everywhere once we got closer to the wave {where the sand was a bit deeper than the wide rocks we walked over}. It was fun to see. Then, we had to climb up a “wall” & once you were on top, you were near The Wave, which is actually very small area.

And, here is the beginning of the wonder!

Who knew that the desert could be so beautiful?!

Ahhhh, a taste of Heaven!

I think I literally took 750 photos on this hike alone. Can you see why?! Everywhere you look, there is a new color, new texture & unique movement. I loved how the light changed throughout the day. This is in the shade & you can start to see the harsh desert light creep in.

This adventure was literally a dream come true & I am forever grateful that I got to experience this with my beloved family.

More photos soon…

Grace & Peace,

Julie