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| Canyoneering | 14.70 Miles |
2,018 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 14.70 Miles | 10 Hrs 1 Min | | 1.90 mph |
| 2,018 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 16 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | A couple of observations regarding the hike description:
"This moderate canyon jaunt starts at the end of FR142B. Albeit bumpy it is accessible via a non 4x4 high clearance vehicle."
The trailhead is at the end of FR142J (not 142B). As for accessibility with a non-4x4, maybe, but the road is definitely rough--and unrelentingly so. High clearance is a must (with a good skid plate), and as it turned out the "high(er)" clearance of our Kia Telluride was not nearly high enough. We made it in about 1 mile before calling it quits. For reference, things get pretty bad at the S-curve in the road, where it crosses a drainage.
Our plan was to camp at the TH, but having made it only 1 mile into the 6-mile drive, we committed to turn our 3.6 mile hike into at least a 13.6 mile hike. No biggie, though.
The camp spot was pleasant, as was the evening. No wind and no moon, making for a lovely view of the stars.
The next morning, we got on the trail around 6:30. Before we left camp, a Forerunner drove by with a couple of women. We assumed we would see them at the TH.
The road hike was easy/fine. Arriving at the trailhead, we didn't see the Forerunner, but another family with two teen/tween kids was camping there. We visited for a minute or two and they complained about the biting gnats. Hadn't been a problem at our campsite.
The family was planning to head down later in the morning. We wished them well and headed down.
The route to the creek was surprisingly well defined. Very few spots in which it wasn't clear where to go. The hardest part is finding the correct and unmarked drop in point. We had the HAZ track downloaded, so it wasn't an issue for us.
The route down is steep in spots and loose, but we managed to make it down without any spills. I brought my trekking poles and they were useful for the descent. I also wore my hiking shoes down to the creek and then swapped them for Tevas. I left my hiking shoes at the entry point (and should have left my poles, too).
The path to the Hanging Gardens was magical. We took our time, with several stops to cliff jump and play around. I used a donut tube; my buddies used a large pool noodle and an open-water swim buoy. The latter were smaller/less weight, but required them to be more in the water, and through the narrows, they got a little chilled, and had to walk more on the slippery rocks, whereas I was able to float to the very end of the swimmers. My donut tube had a rope edge that allowed me to sling it over my back and clip it to my camelback, for hands-free hiking. I was very happy with my choice.
The White Box is a special place. and the swimmers generally were a blast. Likewise, the Hanging Gardens were even cooler than I envisioned.
Although we had enjoyed relative solitude through the creek, we did pass a group of three coming back from the Gardens after spending the night there. And a couple of groups were following us through, including the two Forerunner women, who apparently had made it to the TH after all.
We all converged at the Gardens, along with a couple of guys who had bushwhacked straight down to the Gardens on a less used route that arrives immediately upstream of the Gardens. I climbed up the route a little way. It didn't look too bad, and that is what the two guys also reported.
Just down from the Gardens is a deep swimming hole with a 25-30 foot cliff jump, which we tried.
Before leaving, we checked out the cool/hidden campsite above the Gardens. Great overnight spot.
The trip back was just as amazing, and with better lighting for photos :-).
The climb out from the creek was a grind--and hot, but didn't last long.
Just as we emerged from the canyon, our Forerunner friends were pulling out of the trailhead. We decided to ask them for a ride back to our car. They obliged. We piled in the back, and although it was slightly faster than hiking, it was still pretty brutal. In the end, I'm glad for the rough road acting as a barrier to entry.
Very cool place.  |
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