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| Hiking | 8.10 Miles |
200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.10 Miles | 5 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.50 mph |
| 200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Garfias Wash --> Hells Canyon --> Horse Creek --> Return on Jeep Trail
I drove out to the trailhead with lights ablaze dodging burros and Javelina along the way. I found the turn-off with no problem, but it was dark and I mistakenly took the old one in the dark. As I geared into 4Lo creeping up the dips along the embankment edge, I tried to remember if the trip description had stated 4WD a must. At the top of the hill I realized there was a freshly grated road awaiting that could have been taken instead. 2WD the rest of the way.
Parked just uphill from the official TH and ate my dinner fireside. Closed up shop and let the breeze carry me to sleep.
Dreamt of Pappa Bartel.
Woke just before sunup- nothing spectacular- back to sleep.
With the sun now reaching over the hill, I fired up the stove for some oats, took in the surroundings, then hiked down the road to the registry. 2 entries were listed a couple days old- one BLM. I hiked the wide wash along downstream to the small drop with the still full pools. Nothing to exciting along the way. Found a solitary bat in the cave at the confluence of Horse Creek. I wanted to see Hell Canyon proper and kept going. Started finding big cat tracks in the wetter sand less than a day old. So many places for them to hide.
There was plenty more water after the cave and some fun work arounds as the walls closed in. I got to the exit and the end of Hell's shadowy landscape then turned it back around. I hiked to Horse and took it up. Only at the ending was it closed up brushwise to where higher ground was preferable. Back in the sand, the shade washed away with my new heading. There were more rocks to but going was easy. Just before the topo-listed well, I found some shade to snack in.
In search of the well I found the remnants of an old cabin and a couple curious leave behinds.
Shortly after, I scared up some cattle who, acting like they'd never had human contact (or maybe just mountain lion), wouldn't just turn around or wait me out, out of sight, and as a result became my hiking partners for the duration of the trip.
Nearing the spring, water was seen again but no swimable pools like I'd hoped. The water was coming out the tapped rock pretty well and my wash trail became an old road. When it began leaving the creek (the correct Horse Creek Trail route), I decided to add a little more to my trip and just hike the creek until it met with the road on its own at Horse Creek Tank. We all made it to the road without too much trouble and as I sat under one of the trees around the tank lunching, we talked about our journey together. There may have been some singing too.
After our long goodbye, I began hiking the road back to the truck. I passed the registry at the official Horse Creek TH. One solitary truck passed me with only a head nod shared. I enjoyed that the road was almost entirely downhill.
I got back to my vehicle, packed up and took Castle Hot Springs out the opposite way heading Southwest for a different view. I'd actually recommend this way since it was smoother and eventually wider. With no lake traffic, even though a longer distance, 55 could be maintained (if one was so inclined of course). |
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May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
Armchair Crisis Design |
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