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| Hiking | 8.50 Miles |
1,554 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.50 Miles | 5 Hrs 10 Mns | | 1.65 mph |
| 1,554 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Having taken on the JF/Rogers Canyon loop (17.5 mi) from Woodbury TH last week we had very little time to dawdle at the ruins. To make up for it we decided on a return trip, only this time we added two more hikers.
Although we hoped to take more time and many more photos at the ruins, the trip in to the trail head took forever! We budgeted a little more than the amount of time it took us to get to Woodbury last week, but we managed to get behind a group of boulevard SUV's. It appeared the owners didn't want to get there precious blinged out SUV's dusty on the trip out to the trail head, literally crawling the whole way out. It was actually painful watching them almost stop for every small bump, and stop to decide if they actually were going to cross one deeper water section.  In the end they finally did (although I hoped they'd give up and go home). And do you think they'd have enough courtesy to move over to allow anyone else by? Oh no, they'd have to eat my dust!
So, with a full extra hour blown following the pristine SUV's and the possibility of the same thing happening on the way out after the hike, we limited ourselves on time. Still, we did enjoy the time at the ruins.
Good thing we shortened our time hiking, because just a few miles out on the road we came across a lineup of vehicle due to a van carrying equipment for a scouting trip had gotten too far over to the side and almost slid down into the canyon. Surprisingly, with so many scouts and leaders standing around, it didn't appear anyone knew what to do and if that didn't change soon, we'd all be out here until the cows came home (or they waited for a wrecker to come all the way out!?!).
Not having the time to waste, I dug out the ropes I had in my CR-V and walked up to the guys standing around the van and said if anything was going to get done we'd better get to it. So we hooked up a rope from the front of the van to a fully loaded Dodge 4x4 and another rope to a Suburban at the back to make sure the back didn't slide further down as it was being pulled forward. Then after digging dirt from in front of the van's wheels all three vehicles move as one until the van was back on the road. Now it was just a matter of getting out of the way so the whole lineup could go home. After seeing the whole thing you'd think the other drivers would have a clue that it's a good idea to stay away from the edge, wouldn't you? Unfortunately humans don't earn as fast as you'd think. There was another window van that had come back up and then turn around to go back down, but was barely rolling. So when we came to a spot wide enough for a full three vehicles side-by-side, I sped up to 10 mph to pass and what does the driver do but drive closer to the edge! And then he made the fatal mistake of looking toward the edge... and where you look, you tend to go. Thankfully the ground was so soft it stopped the van before it got to the edge. My first thought was to stop again and render assistance, but between now being hours past when we had to get back to Phoenix and the fact that all the other scout vehicles were still there, I figured they should have an idea what to do the second time. Maybe this time have the scouts themselves figure it out for the adults.
This isn't the first time I've seen adult scout leaders not having the sense that the scouts themselves should have. The worst was hiking in an area none of the leaders was familiar on a hot day and only a half dozen 16 oz bottles of water for a group of 20. And two of the boys already looked flushed after less than 2 miles of hiking... and they were going to go for over 6 miles! We asked the boys if we could give them some water but the closest leader said they had plenty.
Ok, I guess I'm beating a dead horse here... I know, I know, there will always be neophytes and some may not survive to propagate the species, thank goodness!
Photos are here:
www changephoenix com/10/2010-03-27RogersCanyon.html |
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