The Wave is not The High Sierras
Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2024 2:47 pm
I've been trying for a Wave permit for a long time. There's a 2%-5% chance to win The Wave lottery depending on if you try 4 months out, or two days out. If you try two days in advance your phone must be within their Geofence. We were doing some other hiking in the Vermillion Cliffs area of Utah/Arizona, and of course, had to try for a Wave permit yet again. We were fully expecting to see the word "unfortunately" in their post lottery email response, like all the other times before. We were shocked when we saw the word "congratulations". So even though this isn't the High Sierras, I felt compelled to share our excitement with other hikers who know the highs and lows of getting, or not getting, that one permit you've wanted your whole life. It's such a beautiful area.
For a six mile hike (without add ons), it's quite the hard hike. The terrain is very uneven, it's at elevation, the gain is 1k, and about 40% of the hike is through that fine desert sand, where two steps equals one normal step. It was a sunny, spring day of 63 degrees, and that turned out to be very warm. We knew we needed a lot of water, and we polished off 11 bottles total on the hike. I can't imagine what a 90 or 100 degree day would be like.
They've always prided themselves in having a totally unmarked trail. They give you a map with some pictures to try to help you find the little area where The Wave is located. Over the years people have died on that trail, and more recently two people got lost, and had to spend a cold night out in the open before they were found alive the next day. Because of the blowback, they've finally put up a mile post, and two mile post to help keep you on the trail. Even so, I would recommend doing what we did, hire a local guide.
For a six mile hike (without add ons), it's quite the hard hike. The terrain is very uneven, it's at elevation, the gain is 1k, and about 40% of the hike is through that fine desert sand, where two steps equals one normal step. It was a sunny, spring day of 63 degrees, and that turned out to be very warm. We knew we needed a lot of water, and we polished off 11 bottles total on the hike. I can't imagine what a 90 or 100 degree day would be like.
They've always prided themselves in having a totally unmarked trail. They give you a map with some pictures to try to help you find the little area where The Wave is located. Over the years people have died on that trail, and more recently two people got lost, and had to spend a cold night out in the open before they were found alive the next day. Because of the blowback, they've finally put up a mile post, and two mile post to help keep you on the trail. Even so, I would recommend doing what we did, hire a local guide.