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| Canyoneering | 10.00 Miles |
200 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 10.00 Miles | 8 Hrs | | 1.25 mph |
| 200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Canyon Hiking - Non-technical; no rope; easy scrambling; occasional hand use | | B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit | | IV - Long, full day, bivy possible |
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| no partners | | Shoes, shoes, shoes....
Our group of 5 hikers arrived at the West trailhead at 7am. Made our way down to the water and started splashing our way across the creek. Despite my warning that this is a "wet hike," two in the group began to remove their boots for the crossing, then proceeded to put their boots back on once across. My buddy Rand mumbled, "This is going to be a long day." Well, we didn't get much further before they realized we would need to cross the creek again. One of them went for it, but the other sat down again. This time she reached into her pack for a change into sandles. The sandles thing didn't last long, and soon we were waiting for her to get back into her boots. It was a slow start, but once we got past the shoe issues, we started making good progress. Two in our group wore Teva's (one with socks, the other without). That didn't last long, and at about 3 miles in they had enough of the gravel under the feet. They decided to stop and let the other 3 of us continue. I continued on with the other two in the hiking boots. They got quite a workout lifting those heavy waterlogged boots for the rest of the hike. We got as far as Horse Camp before we decided to turnaround and rendezvous with the others we had left behind. We did a bit of side exploring into Virgus on the way back. We startled a resting blue heron, followed three ducks for awhile and came across a couple of white frogs. Many hawks and vultures, yellow finches, and cardinals were spotted along the way, but no fuzzy creatures with the exception of a skunk carcass which did not smell all that pleasant.
Your enjoyment of this hike is heavily dependent on your choice of footwear. At minimum, you should be in a lightweight pair of running shoes with socks (bring extra socks). I was the only person in the group who did not have to fuss with shoe problems. I wore sealskin socks which are like a wetsuit for your feet. Over that, I had my Merrell water shoes. You will still get sand and gravel in your shoes, but the socks shielded my feet from any discomfort. We came across several other hikers struggling with the gravel in their Tevas. Wear similar footwear, and you will likely be stopping repeatedly to shake loose and remove sand and gravel. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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| This is my gym. I have to travel down a bumpy road to get there. There are no treadmillls, no machines, and no personal trainers. I walk..I run..I breathe the fresh air. I can go any time I want, as much as I want and there is no membership fee. |
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