| | | Aravaipa west entrance to Hell's Hole Canyon, AZ | | | |
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Aravaipa west entrance to Hell's Hole Canyon, AZ
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Backpack | 11.00 Miles |
200 AEG |
| Backpack | 11.00 Miles | 3 Days | | |
200 ft AEG | | 35 LBS Pack | | |
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Partners |
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| no partners | | This is my first triplog so pardon any errors as I learn the HAZ system!
The remnants of Hurrican Rosa hit Phoenix on Tuesday, Oct. 2, raising the water level in Aravaipa to 20 cfs by Friday, Oct. 5, the day our group of 5 backpackers entered from the west for a 3-day trip. While all 5 of us are experienced hikers, 2 were new to backpacking. We entered at 11 a.m. and because of the increased resistance from the raised water level, and all the downed cottonwoods from the Sept. flood, it was slow going. Several downed trees in the water created deep pools that we opted to bushwack around rather than swim through. We got to Horse Camp at 4 p.m. and set up camp at a lovely spot with an established fire ring. There were no fire restrictions this weekend, and plenty of downed twigs to keep our small fire going until "hiker bedtime" (8 p.m.)
On Day 2, we day-hiked east to the junction of Hell's Hole Canyon (very easy to spot) and back into Hell's Hole about a mile. Although we found some seeps and fern outcroppings along the canyon walls, we did not spot any flowing waterfalls. The hike back to Horse Camp was noticeably easier going with, instead of against, the flow of water.
Day 3 started as overcast with growing, dark clouds so we didn't linger in camp. By our last 1.5 miles, the sky opened up and drenched us for about 20 minutes, then became a gentle drizzle for the remainder of our trip out.
Over the course of our trip, we saw a tribe of 5 coatimundi (with a baby!), heron, a snapping turtle, lots of little frogs, bats, deer, caterpillars, a wolf spider in our camp, and a giant tarantula in Hell's Hole Canyon.
This is a trip I'd gladly do again in order to explore some of the other side canyons.
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
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