The Wave

After five days, count'em FIVE, of showing up and listening to Ron share his finest quips, anecdotes, warnings to tenderfeet and various ways to demonstrate the lottery is a losing game . . . I won! I embarked on a short trek I waited months to tackle. It's not the hiking, I learned, but how much trouble it takes to get a permit. I may never again whine about Mount Saint Helens permitting. The Wave is said to be the current top billing for folks in Europe. I saw my share of Swiss, Chinese, Japanese, locals and passers through like myself. One South Korean was said to have tried 11 days before returning home only to return a second year and try unsuccessfully for another 5, to win a permit. I felt very lucky, and that is all it is given most permits go to at least 2 and many to 4~6 peeps in each group. When a larger group won a permit there was always a collective sigh from the room. When Ron asked to see hands of those who'd already visited the wave a collective hiss followed. After two days of this routine I began to show at the last moment since I knew the ropes.

Learnings:

The basics, as of today, are . . .

- 10 'walk up' permits are awarded by lottery each weekday (at least in off season).

- Up to 6 persons are allowed in each group.  This means as few as two groups may be awarded permits in a given day.

- Permits for the weekend (at least in off season) are drawn on Friday.  This means there are 30+ awarded on Friday, not the usual 10+.  The reason for the '+' is because the office doesn't recommend hiking alone and when there are applications for groups larger in number than permits left for that day's drawing the official has the option of increasing the total day's award to 11 permits.

What all this means:

Assuming some of those 'walking up' for a permit aren't aware of the weekend awards on Friday, the crowds should be smaller on Fridays.  NOT.  At least of the five days I applied Friday had 38 applications.  Monday had the least, about 10.  The applications seemed to increase as the week wore on but that's possibly just chance.  It is a lottery in fact.  I suspect your odds for winning are much better than an actual state lottery but they're not great in any respect.  BLM Link

Caveats: 

What I've heard is . . .

- One bloke, hiking at night, presumably lost, moseyed right off a cliff.

- Two summers ago 3 died, two of dehydration after wandering in the desert, lost.  Two had ample water with them but after heat stroke set in they couldn't think to drink.

I've done a dozen miles around the North Coyote Buttes and there are plenty of hazards even for a conservative outdoor trekker.  The sandstone is slick even when dry.  I slipped once on sandstone which had lichens on top.  The sandstone is NOT stable.  One may think it is because of the size of a given boulder you use for a step only to realize they flake, they crumble, and they shift of course.  The terrain CAN be confusing, similar slabs, ridges and sand all around, IF one doesn't keep their bearings, literally.  I took bearings for all four cardinal directions, noting terrain features for each and so was never confused which direction to move.  As in any outdoor travel it is vital to keep the goal in sight, if possible, while watching the immediate path beneath one's feet.  In Coyote Buttes that is all the more important because the terrain can vary every few feet from sand to stone to something between.