Day 24 - Aravaipa Canyon

Aravaipa is one of the prettiest canyons in the world and it is basically unknown. Only 50 people are allowed in per day making it feel like a true wilderness. I packed my backpack with all the overnight essentials-layers of clothing, shelter, food and water and set out to Aravaipa early Monday morning. I started the hike with a group of other people but quickly was alone in the great wilderness as I hike quickly.

The trail follows a creek bed on narrow paths through grass (pic 1) or through rock and brush but often the path just dead ends into the creek. You simply just cross the slow-flowing, ankle-deep water to the other side and proceed along the path. The 90 degree high temp midday mixed with the cool but not cold water made hiking through the creek refreshing and fun.

At some parts you simply had to walk through the creek as the canyon walls narrowed. Pic 2 shows me in my hiking gear through such a section. The creek would weave around east west north and south but getting lost was impossible as you simply just followed the creek. The canyon changed as I continued hiking up stream. Pic 3 shows a pretty middle section with cactuses high on the upper ridge. Pic 4 shows the end section with Bryce-canyon hoodoo-like walls.

After seven hours of hiking I finally made it to the end of the 14 mile canyon. I explored up the access road beyond and then came back and setup camp near the far entrance (see my modest but lightweight shelter in pic 5). I prepared dinner and was eating just as darker clouds rolled in and the sun was setting (pic 6). Just as I got under my tarp shelter a light rain started falling-- the first rain all trip.

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Day 161 - JMT Purple Lake and Tully Hole

We got our first glimpse of smoke far across the valley as we climbed higher. Up on a ridge after a morning climb, we followed a side trail to an open viewpoint beyond the trees. Selfie:) The smoke, while visible, seemed to give the mountains a blue glow-- like a highlighter to a sketch. You could still see the edges of the mountain ridges, the story of their creation. We could hike in this. But the smoke looked worse farther south. Or it was getting worse as time rolled incessantly forward. On day two we had ran into a northbound hiker we nicknamed Speedy Steve. Speedy Steve had hiked 18 miles a day through eight consecutive smoke-filled days, including atleast three "very bad days" when he couldn't see the surrounding mountains, the sun glowed a haunting orange and ash accumulated overnight. On the way to Purple Lake we ran into three dirty, beat up, tired north-bound hikers with a similar story. They had to spend one night in an emergency hut at Muir Pass to avoid the...

Day 41 - Escalante Coyote Gulch

This one or two night Coyote Gulch hike was an easy test of my newly learned navigation skills. Anxious to get started I awoke at 545 just as the sun was rising. I followed an obvious landmark, a tall thin spire called Chimney Rock, northwest to Hurricane Wash (a drainage running into Coyote Gulch). After a couple of hours of walking up over and around slick rock, I entered the famous Coyote Gulch. The walls around me raised up, darkened and th water flow increased--like nature hinting at the scenic beauty ahead. The normally crowded Coyote Gulch was fairly empty on this early Thursday morning, giving the canyon a very peaceful and quiet feeling-- fragile almost. Down steam, I ran into the famous Jacob Hamilton Arch and then thirty minutes further-- the Coyote Natural Birdge. Both were beautiful due to their see through the wall character, but both would be overshadowed in my memory by the Stevens Arch tomorrow. Pics. By 1pm, I had hiked for six hours...

Day 42 - Escalante Stevens Arch

The Stevens Arch is so massive that legend says daredevil pilots would fly through it. I was excited to see it! Having napped most of the afternoon, I awoke promptly at 545, packed up my things and hiked down to the Escalante River as the first morning light was pouring into the canyon. Hiking around more waterfalls and ledges and along the stream before anyone else was up was nice. My written directions said to look for sandy hill to my right which led up to my only exit from the canyon-- the Crack-in-the-Wall. I ran into the confluence of the Escalante River, a point which my guidebook noted was passed my exit route, requiring a ten minute backtrack. This was fine though because I had tons of time and wanted to see the Stevens Arch. I crossed the knee-deep Escalante River several times before the Arch came into view. Like a window in the Roman Colloseum, the Arch seemed almost engineered by man in this tall curving canyon wall. I hiked under the arch and couldn't eve...

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