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| Hiking | 3.90 Miles |
2,160 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.90 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 0.98 mph |
| 2,160 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | WOW...what a conundrum of a hike. Been wanting to cross this one of the list for awhile and I am glad I can say I did. After reading many of the triplogs on this hike, I felt as though I was was mentally prepared for what should be a short, tough but rewarding hike. All very true, however, I was not prepared for how hard this short hike is.
The trail started off very well maintained and I thought to myself, "this trail isn't so bad, it's a climber but at least there is a well defined trail." We reached the first waterfall and spirits were high. It all went downhill (only figuratively though) from there. After scrambling through a tiny hole in a rock to get through the first waterfall, we scrambled over a very narrow ledge to get past the second, taller waterfall. This was a little dicey and I knew it would not be fun coming back down. From here, that well defined trail is a thing of the past and it became time to cairn hunt. Boulder hopping...not fun. Snow covered slick rock...not fun. A steep climb up a muddy trail with a seep flowing down it...not fun. Once you finally reach the last creek crossing and begin your ascent up the last hill towards the ruins, the real pain begins. Steep, slick and bushy to sum it up. Devil's Chasm is a real torture chamber of a hike. It starts off nice and only gets tougher, but the pay off is definitely worth the pain. Those ruins were amazing and the original inhabitants new the key to real estate...location, location and location.
Coming back down was all about not breaking our necks. Every step had to be well thought out and anything and everything that could be held onto was used. I would imagine this trail would not be as treacherous were it not wet from snow melt and/or covered in snow, but January seems to be the time to go if you're not into rattlesnakes. |
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Route Editor
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