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| Hiking | 4.93 Miles |
282 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.93 Miles | 3 Hrs 37 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 282 ft AEG | 56 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | After receiving accurate beta from Joel that there was plenty of water out in the HC Wilderness I knew I was in for something good but little did I know just how good it was going to be!
I've overlooked and underestimated this place and after this trip I may not only realize I was wrong about misjudging but I may have even feel in love with this wondrous canyon!
Sometimes certain places strike a chord with me and this was certainly one of them!
I was just out here summiting Garfias and Hellsgate Mountain the 1st week of December but the condition of Castle Hot Springs Rd. coming from Morristown has suffered severe damage since then.
There are many more ruts and potholes throughout the road and numerous amounts of basketball sized boulders that tell a clear story of what happens when it floods along the road.
I had no problem making it to the actual TH with 4WD and a few times I had to stop to clear the road of large boulders.
A local ranch owner must have came out and cleaned up Cedar Basin Rd since the New Years storm though because there was definitive signs of massive rocks slides from the over hanging cliffs that would have caused a turnaround but luckily in this case it appeared recently repaired.
There was flowing water from the very start of the TH which made for even more excitement in my step than usual!
My dog was loving it as she sprinted back and forth splish splashing through the shallow but consistently flowing gentle stream.
I was amazed of just how beautiful this place looks with water inside of the canyon and it was safe to say at that point I had a huge feces eating grin on my face!
My dog and I encountered a pack of a half dozen Feral Burros about a mile into the hike, un-leashed she wanted to pursue in chase but I gave her a very sharp NO and she surprisingly listened and stayed by my side which is a rarity for my crazy boxer.
Just as I barely got into the actual Hell Canyon and when it really started to get good is sadly when I made my stopping point for the day due to being short on daylight and the 8-10 foot downclimb I was met with.
It's completely manageable to go up and down no problem but I had my dog with me and the main focus of the trip was to take my time with photos so I did not want to rush anything.
I dare say my exact destination was actually [ photo ]
Courtesy of the great @The_Eagle himself and although I didn't make it there I was still more than satisfied with my trip!
Warm early evening light reflecting off the water inside the canyon made for a truly idyllic and relaxing atmosphere the rest of the night.
I finally was able to get in some solid tripod time as well as got the pups out of the house for a much needed hike so it certainly was a win win situation.
I'll soon be back for many for more adventures in this small but incredible place and find myself long overdue for a backpacking trip to this sweet little wilderness.
***side note-There must be an error on homepage because its says "Dogs not allowed" and I was not able to select that option for this triplog. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
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