day 1

Dist: 7.82 mi	Points: 250	Calories: none
Time: none	Speed: 0.0 mph	Pace: 0:00 / mi

day 2

Dist: 6.06 mi	Points: 181	Calories: none
Time: none	Speed: 0.0 mph	Pace: 0:00 / mi

th

Location: 33.613285°, -109.328835°

104-0462

Location: 33.613503°, -109.328392°

panorama 1

Location: 33.607361°, -109.326218°
panorama 1 goes here

Rain

Location: 33.585655°, -109.290657°
It started raining at lunch, so we pitched the rainfly and took a nap for about an hour.

ppt 0059

Location: 33.602505°, -109.247475°
camp

ppt 0060

Location: 33.613255°, -109.328499°
beer

Camp

Location: 33.602505°, -109.247475°
We found this horse corral and fire pit, just beggin us to stop for the night: so we did.

Beer

Location: 33.613255°, -109.328499°
The was probably the best tasting beer I've had all year. Finally back at the car, two solid days behind us.

Lost Lunch

Location: 33.598480°, -109.289604°
We stopped on the rim for lunch, and to hopefully find our way back to the trail. Spotty GPS coverage along with a topo map that didn't have very fine lat-long marks didn't help, but we knew the trail was along the rim on the way back, so we just headed west and hoped for the best!

Trailhead camp

Location: 33.614414°, -109.329002°
Since we arrived so late, we had to camp the first night just off the trailhead to get some sleep before an early morning tomorrow.

Trailhead

Location: 33.614029°, -109.329002°
This area is a primitve (wilderness) area so no mechanical vehicles are allowed past the fence. Many are surprised to find this means no bicycles as well.

Trail

Location: 33.610451°, -109.328812°
The trail started out nicely...this wouldn't last.

Trail

Location: 33.609676°, -109.328323°
More trail. Getting a little rougher but still very well defined.

Hwy 666

Location: 33.608807°, -109.327362°
Highway 666? We were following trail 93, but I found this sign a little odd.

Uprooted

Location: 33.608902°, -109.327454°
The forest had a fire in 2004, and many of the burt trees were down. This one took quite a bit of earth and rock with it.

Creek

Location: 33.606331°, -109.324936°
The creek makes an appearance below us. We'll be following it for a while.

Creek bed

Location: 33.605171°, -109.323555°
Another creek joined up. Very pretty.

Creek bed 2

Location: 33.605171°, -109.323509°

Strange leaves

Location: 33.603184°, -109.321640°
What a strangely shaped leaf for a wildflower to have!

Strange leaves 2

Location: 33.602806°, -109.321190°
More of these strange leaves...

Leaves of three

Location: 33.601379°, -109.319878°
Let them be! A case of poison ivy just an hour in to a 2 day hike would be bad news.

Creek crossing

Location: 33.597340°, -109.316795°
MB making her way carefully across the creek. No problem!

Snack break

Location: 33.597294°, -109.316772°
We stopped for a snack near this picturesque waterfall.

Trail 70

Location: 33.597294°, -109.316689°
After our snack we continued down trail #70.

Pod Plant

Location: 33.595860°, -109.314034°
Heres a weird fuzzy pod plant that I thought was cool.

Creek crossing

Location: 33.593826°, -109.307533°
The first tough creek crossing we made. Lots of fun, just hope we don't fall it.

Waterfall

Location: 33.593048°, -109.307251°
MB and I stop for a quick timer shot. Too bad I stood in front of the waterfall.

Creek

Location: 33.592014°, -109.304001°
The creek was just bursting with water all day!

33.59271, -109.30715

Location: 33.592705°, -109.307144°

Wet feet

Location: 33.590981°, -109.302185°
Another crazy creek crossing

3 in a row

Location: 33.590202°, -109.300896°
The third ridiculous stream crossing we had do to in just a couple hundred yards. This picture is great because you can crealy see the trail on the other side, a luxury that would not be present the entire hike.

Scenery Change

Location: 33.590118°, -109.298737°
After all those crossings, we went up in elevation a little and the poison ive dissapeared in exchange for some new scenery.

33.59004, -109.29874

Location: 33.590046°, -109.298737°

Twirly Tree

Location: 33.588650°, -109.295891°
This cool tree was sticking out of this rock face, right next to the hoodoo. What a neat place.

Hoodoo

Location: 33.588566°, -109.295799°
A very neat rock formation, called a Hoodoo.

Exploding mushrooms

Location: 33.586838°, -109.291916°
I've never seen shrooms like this before.

33.58658, -109.29189

Location: 33.586578°, -109.291885°

Backwoods

Location: 33.588081°, -109.294273°
Not really a trail here, so we just follow the creek

panorama 2

Location: 33.586391°, -109.291359°
pan 2 goes here

Colorful forest

Location: 33.586426°, -109.291367°
This red vine draped across the green moss on the tree paints a vivid image of the lush forest.

Samson Bridge

Location: 33.586208°, -109.291420°
MB crosses the creek on a log that I had to use all my stregth to push to its position in this photo.

Chupacabra?

Location: 33.586201°, -109.290855°
I saw a sahdy figure sitting up in the distance.

Chupacabra Zoom

Location: 33.586231°, -109.290886°
I was able to zoom in a little closer on the mysterious creature before it dissapeared into the woods in the blink of an eye. Was it the chupacabra?

The "Trail"

Location: 33.587715°, -109.266426°
After it quite raiing, we started hiking again. We wandered around, lost and looking for the trail. When my GPS came back, we realized we were much farther than we thought. Although the "Trail" is still a little rough.

Across the canyon

Location: 33.587521°, -109.266136°
A nice view of the cliff ridge to the south.

Found

Location: 33.587521°, -109.266235°
My GPS picked up again here, and it turns out we were much farther along than we thought. Our blind wandering through the forest paid off!

Alligator Juniper

Location: 33.591789°, -109.259155°
MB points out a very cool tree - an Alligator Juniper

Another Alligator

Location: 33.591984°, -109.259346°
Right next to the first one was this large, twisted tree. Very cool, even if a little bit creepy.

South View

Location: 33.591690°, -109.259247°
Now that we have escaped the twisting river and have gone up a little, the view to the south is spectacular.

Oak Tree

Location: 33.593243°, -109.254982°
Believe it or not, this bush is actually a type of oak tree. Look at the acorn that fell off of it.

Water

Location: 33.602551°, -109.247322°
MB took this picture of me down by the creek pumping water. before we start hiking today.

Camp in the morning

Location: 33.602551°, -109.247612°
Those clothes didn't dry out at all.

Camp creek

Location: 33.602745°, -109.247711°
This is the creek just north of our campsite that I pumped water from for our hike back today.

One last creek shot

Location: 33.603035°, -109.247810°
One more picture looking up the creek that ran past the corral we camped at before we head out for the day.

The "Trail" forward

Location: 33.608273°, -109.263130°
This is the "trail" that we had to follow up this canyon. Looking forward.

The "Trail" backwards

Location: 33.608078°, -109.263229°
Same place, looking back at where we came from. Pretty rough trail, but it would get worse.

Washed out

Location: 33.607204°, -109.271858°
You can see where the trail continues about 15 yards up. These trees fell and the rain completely washed out the trail, so we had to climb around.

Trail 74

Location: 33.608219°, -109.255157°
We're making great time, already at this trail merge.

New Aspen Forest

Location: 33.603909°, -109.279419°
The forest has a fire in 2004, so the aspen saplings were everywhere. This is one of the last pictures I got before we lost the trail.

33.60179, -109.30113

Location: 33.601791°, -109.301132°
this is where we found the trail again.

Lost Log

Location: 33.600807°, -109.287567°
We don't see a trail, so MB decides to take this log in the general direction of the Rim to the south. Hey, it's much easier than fighting with all that underbrush!

The Trail!

Location: 33.602066°, -109.301140°
We stumbled across the trail after wandering west through the woods for 45 minutes. What a welcome sight!

Chupacabra 2

Location: 33.602940°, -109.305794°
Our creepy visitor makes an appearance on day two for just a minute before he dissapears into the woods again.

Trying to find the trail

Location: 33.601097°, -109.292801°
We had to hike through miles of terrain like this before we got lucky and found the trail again. At least all the yellow flowers are pretty.

South View

Location: 33.603909°, -109.309578°
The view from the top of the rim was beautiful. We were at 9000+ feet, and the mountain tops across the canyon are salted with clouds.

Horny toad

Location: 33.607594°, -109.313843°
We know we're getting close to the car and the end of the hike, so we take a minute to appreciate some of the smaller wildlife in the area.

Strange fungus

Location: 33.611183°, -109.318787°
Very cool looking.

MB Crossing

Location: 33.594017°, -109.307640°
MB Crossing the creek on this log. The water is really running, and MB did a great job of keeping her feet dry...this time.