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| Hiking | 13.11 Miles |
3,054 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.11 Miles | 9 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.50 mph |
| 3,054 ft AEG | 1 Hour Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I have wanted to get back to the Widforss Trail to do Oza and Widforss since we bagged The Colonade in June. Oza, which is Paiute for ¨long necked basket¨ is a striking summit that is hard to miss from any of the popular north rim vantage points and Widforss was recommended to me as a fun summit with a nice class four scramble.
I set off from the Widforss Trail around 4:30 a.m. It was a real treat to watch the sunrise for a second time along the Widforss Trail this summer. Oza really popped in the early morning light. The off trail portion to the, ¨tip off¨ of point for Oza was pretty moderate. A few ups and downs, but generally a pleasant stroll along the rim. A blocky descent takes you from the rim down to Oza´s neck. Then a sometimes steep, sometimes loose and sometimes brushy traverse takes you past Oza´s north tower to the steep gully that leads to the summit. There were several options for the final steep push to the summit, but the best route is generally cairned well. Nobody had signed the register since last August, which was not overly surprsing, one group/person per year seems about right for this summit. I did not spend much time on the summit, before retracing the somewhat tedious approach back to the rim. After reaching the rim, I reunited with a couple of liters of water I had cached and then continued on to Widforss.
I chose to navigate along the rim to Widforss Point vs backtracking to the trail. Most of the off trail hiking was again mild by canyon standards, but I did have to navigate a .1 mile or so patch of New Mexican Locust that was pretty brutal. The final scramble/traverse to the narrow block saddle of Widforss was a little tedious, but not too bad. I chose the ridgeline class four scramble to the summit. I found the scramble a little heady, especially solo, but nothing too noteworthy overall and it was short. I chose the class three option mentioned in the Summit Selects book as having a, ¨possible death block.¨ The death block was definitely present, but I treaded lightly and enjoyed the unique tunnel descent. After hacking my way back to the rim, I returned the way I came. |
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. Then as I entered the GCNP the Bison were all over the road 
. My first encounter with Bison. A little dark for my picture taking ability but it was quite enjoyable just checking them out. 
. I had two cookies from Jacob Lake for dinner and stayed Monday night at Lees Ferry Lodge and had dinner there at Vermillion Cliffs bar and grill. The rooms are ok with quaint fishing decor for all the fishermen I suppose that go to Lees ferry. I enjoyed the stay. The cheeseburger and fries were tasty as well. The young Lady working there was an NAU student who's dad works with the Condors which I thought was cool. It was a very enjoyable couple days on the North Rim and the surrounding area.
