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| Canyoneering | 38.00 Miles |
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| | Canyoneering | 38.00 Miles | | | |
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| no partners | | Let me write this triplog because before going to the Paria I was never able to find someone who wrote what is it about beyond sending beautiful pics and short sentences of type "cool" "awesome" and so on.
-Technicalities about mileage, food and water: We hiked from Whitehouse to Lee's Ferry (38 miles) in 3 days. You can leave your car at Lee's Ferry with the permit you got on the mail posted on the windshield. You can hire a shuttle service to Whitehouse (for us Betty Price was awesome, she gave us a little tour and explained many of the local feautures). We got there at 8:30AM. We started the hike with 12L of water each one. I didn't carry sleeping bag. We carried 1 tent (for 2) and sleeping pads. We had a cheap water filter (30 bucks in REI), and a gas stove. We made 9 sandwhiches for each one and carried some crackers to snack on. We didn't have a GPS, but we had a topo map of the area and a compass. We also had the Paria-Canyon hiker guide (you can print it from the web for free if you google it). Temperatures were about 100F in the canyon during the day and higher in the final 12 miles. At night there was some chilling and wind in the canyon due to thermal inversion, but nothing too serious. Water level was between ankle and knee deep most of the way, but some waist-deep pools by the end. We found a couple of big springs the second day, but apart from these you would have to spend three or four hours to fill a bottle because the rest give you just drops. We filtered water and drank all what we could from the big ones. We ended up with about 5L of extra water by the end of the trip for being too cautious. In any case I wouldn't bet all my money on the springs, they may or may not be there, and you may miss the important ones (there are no signs), so plan accordingly when you decide how much water you take.
-Shoes: My friend was wearing normal socks with hard hiking boots, which happened to provide him impermeability for 50% of the way. He ended up with his feet wet and a couple of blisters. I was wearing cheap running-like shoes from Target, and neoprene socks (not the thin ones they sell at REI but thick ones people use for kayaking). My shoes let the water going in and out. I had my feet wet for 90% of the trip (let's admit it, neoprene socks don't keep your feet dry regardless of what you pay) but finished with 0 blisters and feet in perfect conditions. The key point is stopping every hour or so and let your feet breath, get them dry and remove all the sand from your feet, socks and shoes. You will also end up appreciating having your feet wet in summer, since it will make the trip more enjoyable against the scorching heat.
-Terrain: The Paria Canyon is a fragile environment. We noticed lots of erosion due to foot steps on the mud and the banks of the river. Flash floods are the only means of renewing the Paria landscape as it was originally. However you don't want to be there if there is a flash-flood warning issued. Check thoroughly before going. From the confluence to mile 18 or so there is little chance of getting to high ground. If you don't carry a GPS it is difficult i) to know what mile you are at (the topo map is mostly useless with such tall walls), and therefore ii) it is difficult to calculate the water you should not drink. However, there are some milestones in the hike that you could identify from the topo map (like the confluence, the canyon that takes to Wrather arch, the bushhead canyon, the abandoned meander, and the final opening of the canyon). We actually calculated pretty accurately the mileage without a GPS. Also the 2-2.5 miles/hour as a normal rate works well for average-fitted hikers. However, we were not able to follow the high-water route as stated in the Paria hikers guide, not until mile 34 or so. We attempted some high-water hiking on the right side of the river along miles 28-34 but we found ourselves cliffed out many times and having to return to the river bed. This is fine, and I actually advice hiking on the river instead if possible, because you always have a chance for cooling down and the river is life, whereas up there is all dry. Nonetheless, you will find pools and the river chocked by large boulders in miles 28-34, which will probably slow down your rate quite a bit. When the river meanders and approaches Lee's Ferry, you will see a straight dry route that cuts through the meanders and get's you to the end pretty quick. A last advice is, please, do not leave your toilet paper in there. We saw plenty of toilet paper, specially as you leave the scenic areas and walk towards the banks. That's disgusting. And also, fires are forbidden. We saw a couple of fire rings where people seemed to have had parties. Instead of making fire you could carry a little gas stove like us, which serves for the same and is less dangerous (half Arizona is burning for inexpert fire makers).
-If I had to do this again, I would buy a much better filter, I would carry much less water, I would bring a poncho instead of a tent, I would buy a GPS and... damn it! I would be happy to come back, this place is STUNNING!!!
ps: don't forget to get a full rack of bbq ribs at the M-C Lodge after finishing your hike. That was the best part  .
ps2: Oh yeah, let me just add that for me the last 12 miles were awesome. People tend to say that once the canyon opens up the fun goes away, but it is not so! The open desert gives you the chance to see some geological formations and slides that are quite striking. I will never forget a couple of yellow-colored hills on the side of the river and the coal layers. I liked a lot the landscape in that part.
ps3: Oh wow, I almost forget. The bitting flies. There are a LOT of sand files and deer flies in there. They will eat your legs alive. I didn't carry any DEET and ended up with 2 million bites in my legs that later become very itchy. You will only know they are there when it's too late and they have already bitten you. I'm afraid that whatever you put on your legs won't work since you will get them wet by walking on the river... |
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