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| Hiking | 3.00 Miles |
700 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.00 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 1.00 mph |
| 700 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | My MD said I could go ahead and hike as long as I did not exhaust myself too much. My chemo sessions really sapped me but I still wanted to get out. However, this time I really bit off more than I could chew!! We tried to go up stream on Upper Fish Creek from the Fish Creek bridge on the Apache Trail. We did not make it very far as it is not much like a creek bed but more like an obstacle course. I felt like I was a contestant on Survivor!! First of all one has to start out from the south end of the bridge and do a major climb up to some alcove-cave areas and then down to the creek bed. Otherwise from the bridge to the creek bed is a "long jump" as my photo will show.
Once you reach the creek bed things look good for about 50 feet. Then the boulders start and the brush starts. Route finding is not really the challenge as you always know the general direction you have to go-up the creek. However the various ways to get each 50 feet or so cause one the select the least challenging that involves the least bush whacking and boulder climbing. As you go father up the creek bed the going gets harder and the boulders get bigger and the brush gets more tangled. .
I realize that young guys in good shape could probably dance up many of the boulders bouncing from one to the next. However for me this short up creek jaunt was more difficult than the top part of Siphon Draw. At least there one can climb over the boulders without 5 to 10 foot drops on the other side.
Don't get me wrong. It was fun and the canyon walls are colorful and very high as my photos can show. But the going for me was very slow-and painful to my knees and shins where I hit many rocks. We did make it around several of the canyon corners and the scenery is spectacular where several places you really have to go through rock tunnels or up one side of the canyon for several feet before coming down. Add to that numerous pools of water that I call water hazzards and one gets the total picture of this tough route. Yes, I know that some hikers will wade through water and it might be a bit easier going up the creek doing that but there are places where big boulders simply block the way and you have to go right and left to determine where and how you can get through.
If you are in good shape and really like bush whacking and boulder climbing this hike would be a good one for you. Too much for me but I am glad I tried it up stream for a way before I turned around. I do not know how far we went nor how long it really took as we had to backtrack many times to find a way through that nature's maze!! |
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| Life is what is happening while you are making other plans. |
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