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| Riverwalk before Christmas, AZ | |
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| | Riverwalk before Christmas, AZ | | | |
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Riverwalk before Christmas, AZ
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| Hiking | 9.93 Miles |
910 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.93 Miles | 5 Hrs 49 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 910 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This one has been on the back burner for a while, and when I thought of it ... yesterday ... I didn't have a lot of time to research. In my half-assed scan of normal resources, I came up completely empty. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. So clearly, I am the first person to have ever been here! First descent!  And it was pretty nice. 
I grabbed a permit for the few miles I had to drive across the sacred land. Left it in the truck once I returned to Donnie's America. The road was borderline sedan-friendly. A few steeps were nice to have 4wd. Clearance was not really an issue. Running washes would make it challenging. Then again, it would make the trip a kayak, not a hike!
The bridge had washed out in what appeared to be a very long time ago. But it was largely intact laying on the shore. A boat tied to one of the old spans for when high water crossings require flotation. Not today.
Checked out an old ranch, some corrals, and made a half-hearted attempt to find a "ruins" marked on an old topo. But to no avail.
Met some friendly (non-feral) horses who wished I had better food. Managed to keep the water below mid-thigh all day, but some stretches of canyon were very cold. It is December after all! Was in it at least 50% of the time over at least 30 crossings. But part of the plan to make this possible called for doing it today, which was near 70. Walking was muddy, rocky, slippery, and wet. A lovely day! Most colors were past prime, but still a very picturesque autumn wonderland. Fascinating geology. This would be tough to do by foot with a whole lot more water. Timing is key.
Wildlife included a heron and several ducks. A beaver dam but no beaver seen. One set of bear prints that weren't recent. No feline prints despite a couple of kill sites. Signs of cattle, but none seen. Plenty of deer prints. Several turkey prints, and countless prints similar to raccoon or coati all day long. Not a single human print besides mine. Peaceful and quiet.
These might be some of the wildest mountains in the state. I like
Decided not to keep going. Christmas will have to wait for another day. |
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