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| Canyoneering | 9.15 Miles |
800 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 9.15 Miles | | | |
| 800 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Canyon Hiking - Non-technical; no rope; easy scrambling; occasional hand use | | A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit |
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| no partners | | I hadn't been out to Fish Creek at all this season (where does the time go?), but Toddak's recent triplog inspired (and reminded) me to get it on my schedule right away and I was glad I did.
The wildflowers along the Apache Trail were just beautiful. I love driving that road and it always puts me in a good mood (that is, at dawn when I'm the only one out there... afternoon is quite another story.) and all the colors made it that much better. There was still water flowing over the road at Tortilla Flat, but it was moving pretty slow. The nice roadwork they recently did there is history from all that whitewater in January. It's right back to the same mess it used to be.
I didn't have a shuttle, so I hiked this out and back. Fish Creek still has plenty of water, although much less than this time last year. I don't know why that is, since we got so much more rain this winter than last (didn't we?). Anyway, there was enough to make an enjoyable trip, but not so much that wading through it was ever difficult. There were also more opportunities for land travel than I recall from last year, so I made pretty good time (when I was actually moving - I took a lot of breaks to hang-out.) Having spent 3 full days here last April, I expected to recognize what was around every turn. I tend to forget how much these canyons change when the heavy water roars through them... last year's islands and beaches get washed away as fallen trees collecting flood debris act like dams, diverting the water flow and redesigning the entire landscape. Out with the old and in with the new - everything changes. If you don't like today's version, please check back again next spring for something completely different.
The only wildlife I saw all day was three coatimundis, but they were much too quick to get a photo. The only people I saw were at the edge of the water right by the parking lot on my return. It was a couple of tourists who were trying to walk on the rocks without getting their feet wet, so I'm sure I was quite a spectacle as I appeared out of nowhere, splashing right up the middle of the creek in hiking boots.
After grabbing an ice cold Mountain Dew from the cooler in my truck, it was now time for the long, agonizing drive back on the 'afternoon' Apache Trail... behind trucks pulling campers, cars towing boat trailers and everyone from Minnesota. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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I'm at home in the wilderness... it's civilization I have problems with! ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") |
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