On Sunday I got up and decided to explore Dane Canyon. I started at the junction of U-Bar and Barbershop, and hiked down to Dane Spring and Cabin, before continuing to the where U-Bar drops into Dane Canyon. From here I headed upstream, enjoying the nice rock formations. For the most part the canyon was dry, but there were some nice pools, usually adjacent to the cliff areas.

There were quite a few yellow flowers, nearly every single one with it's own butterfly on it! I was making good time, but hadn't really planned or mapped my route and was not progressing as far as I thought I would. I had left Kai in the back of my truck, since his blindness and age make hikes like this no longer feasible. I didn't want to leave him more than a couple of hours, so when I saw a huge rock cairn leading up a well-traveled path out of the canyon in the general direction of my truck, I decided to take it.

I would have liked to explore further up canyon, but ultimately, I was happy to do some more off-trail exploration until I found the Barbershop trail and cruised back to the truck. Kai was asleep in the back and didn't even know I was back until I woke him, so I felt a lot better about having left him alone!