| |
| Cogswell and Bridgers, AZ | |
|
| | Cogswell and Bridgers, AZ | | | |
|
|
Cogswell and Bridgers, AZ
| | |
|
| Hiking | 20.00 Miles |
6,400 AEG |
| | Hiking | 20.00 Miles | 11 Hrs | | 2.22 mph |
| 6,400 ft AEG | 2 Hrs Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | The weather was cool for May and I was itching for one last good canyon trip, so I drove up to the north rim for several days of car camping (oh, the luxuries) and hiking.
Given the vertical distance, I thought Cogswell Butte would be a full-day challenge. However, when you wake up to sub-freezing temps, hiking is comfortable even despite a 50-degree temperature change. I was also reminded of how much faster one can travel with just a day pack, and within 3.5 hours of leaving Monument Point, I was on the summit of Cogswell. For some reason I expected the summit ridge to be broad; it was not. Cogswell gets more traffic than I expected, because it’s fairly accessible from the river and the camps in the area. In places, I found a faint trail leading up the ridge.
I returned to the Esplanade before noon and was surprised to still feel quite energetic. I decided it was time to visit Bridgers Knoll, too. On my approach to the summit, I found cairns marking an old trail on the Esplanade higher than the current one. This trail was atop the highest band of Supai rock and traverses more shale than slickrock. I followed it a short ways north on my return to the main trail but eventually lost it in the blackbrush.
En route to Bridgers, I followed a broad ridge of Coconino talus. Eventually I approached thin Coconino cliffs, and rather than traverse to the talused break, I decided to look for a chimney system. The first level I ascended had large holds, but I opted to retreat when I nearly grabbed a rattlesnake. I suspect I saw it in my peripheral vision and my instincts caused my eyeballs to focus and notice snakey before I placed my hand. The little bugger was coiled in a shady corner and didn’t move as I shouted “bah!” then snapped a few photos.
This led to some scrambling that I was not fully happy with - considering my worn Vibram soles - but which was just shy of the “screw this, I’m turning around and going the long way” threshold. On reaching the ridge below the summit block, I traversed for a short ways before finding an easy break in the Toroweap boulders. Bridgers gets fewer visitors than Cogswell. After second lunch, I took the easy Coconino break down (it was indeed much easier) and was able to plunge-step down to the Esplanade.
When I returned to the rim, seven new vehicles were parked. However, I had missed all these hikers except for one group on their way out. Vehicles continued appearing in that parking lot over the next couple days, but the only other hikers I saw were a pair on the Hayduke Route. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
