North Salt Wash

[Udink]

Yesterday my kids and I hiked down into North Salt Wash and then up a little side canyon between Saddle Horse Canyon and McCarty Canyon. We hiked for about five hours and covered five miles.



http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fcastlecountry.org%2Fgeo%2FNorthSaltWa sh.kmz&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,86.572266&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14
http://castlecountry.org/geo/NorthSaltWash.kmz


The first part of the hike was a steep scramble down into the bottom of North Salt Wash. There are very few places to get down the vertical canyon walls into North Salt Wash, but luckily I'd stumbled across this spot several years ago while trying to get onto Sid's Mountain. Once we were in the bottom of the canyon, we hiked upstream until we reached the side canyon that I'd been wanting to explore, bushwhacking and making an easy water crossing along the way. There were several big dryfalls in the side canyon that couldn't be scrambled up, but with some tricky routefinding I found some ridges on one side of the canyon that we could scramble up and then drop back down into the canyon above the dryfalls.


At the rim of North Salt Wash
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgPlH2PwyI/AAAAAAAAPE0/F5xrEDIE13I/s640/IMG_7486.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w-WFpdgeZ9V1DMSbjlTQcA)

Scrambling down into the canyon
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgPpWd3B5I/AAAAAAAAPE8/BgazAX9pITI/s640/IMG_7489.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N8EPVEAjSE4C2xHMvamDRA)

Almost to the bottom
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgPw7YeDiI/AAAAAAAAPFM/eD_0tlS0_Ww/s640/IMG_7503.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i69ftWmvgCHu7eFfOS-6gQ)

Walking in the bottom of the canyon
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgP6S378zI/AAAAAAAAPFc/k82hn9mBdEo/s640/IMG_7515.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ilYKC12WOAp7-CZ8j_9XxA)

Hiking through some cottonwoods
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgP-XpCChI/AAAAAAAAPFk/n-VSK4Dx4aQ/s640/IMG_7526.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NIrAiyNk0yLrGM5F2zhBCQ)

Starting up the side canyon
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQAFCRrPI/AAAAAAAAPFo/1dP5o3UrxgE/s640/IMG_7529.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tuOWI2CalcWgJJpB2XmzIA)

Water seeping out of a cliff
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQCchj_-I/AAAAAAAAPFs/hARd8l_4YOA/s640/IMG_7530.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZFkf7U94AIkOIEoSMSYkqQ)

Almost to the first dryfall
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQNFLPi3I/AAAAAAAAPF4/XEH1joKiQF4/s640/IMG_7543.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kXorkSw5VLGeQo5yiN6F3g)

Above the first dryfall
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQPRUxGzI/AAAAAAAAPF8/LyLTLS1tPCQ/s640/IMG_7551.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jpSWRPjj1gLe2E6t9bxGgg)

Odd concretions in the Navajo Sandstone
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQTfaugAI/AAAAAAAAPGE/ykJ96Fj9Ke0/s640/IMG_7563.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CM98CsMLEhXwV9OJkt7J4g)

The second dryfall
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQUEOI_YI/AAAAAAAAPGI/bDxe34MmiTY/s640/IMG_7570.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7RniNyl9WLNSVqUSSYAWlw)

Concretions
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQWpc9c2I/AAAAAAAAPGQ/Sl-DUosy9oQ/s640/IMG_7583.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C7xFobGrI1t-jmbSyzR6lA)

More scrambling to get around a dryfall
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQeByDmII/AAAAAAAAPGk/h0Q7pOGvdCI/s640/IMG_7596.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vtYOMz4cDxAULJof8FQmlw)


Past the dryfalls it was fairly easy hiking for a while. Eventually we came across another dryfall that I couldn't climb up easily. It might be doable with a partner assist or by stacking up some rocks, but the kids were getting tired at that point, so we turned back. There was still another mile or more of narrow canyon above our turnaround point, and someday this fall I'll go back (without kids) to check it out.


In the side canyon
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQgfQRVKI/AAAAAAAAPGs/Shae8JOTncw/s640/IMG_7599.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7cLwsYK8dSxy6CoOAnakAw)

Easy walking past the dryfalls
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQjO9cnCI/AAAAAAAAPG0/7ZxRkMFE3pk/s640/IMG_7604.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yRw9DvaNtQAJbLGkEQzraQ)

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQkAWGPFI/AAAAAAAAPG4/XBfkEzvZphQ/s640/IMG_7606.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vtp7WULm7fgMqjKnIOfh9w)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQmG15bLI/AAAAAAAAPHA/PpWK3rdB5Z0/s640/IMG_7615.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_c9Kb9qpDt6gDE0QqKxnCQ)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQnSITPBI/AAAAAAAAPHE/bQhfWTNtVJk/s640/IMG_7617.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/udhLaq2UbvThmJUbMnLIMw)

Another dryfall that stopped us
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQpr1Zm4I/AAAAAAAAPHM/ubFquUcGywk/s640/IMG_7637.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pSAi2IkqmItH0Xsa2ynCgg)

Hiking back into North Salt Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQuT6kgpI/AAAAAAAAPHc/dZnDFhRd9vM/s640/IMG_7664.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VptkcHTu7CwPDyj8x4hzhg)

North Salt Wash pano
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQwdrAXeI/AAAAAAAAPHk/vGC9Ut4WIDg/s800/IMG_7668_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/G2OpFVfmSI4NpJkYWBcVIA)

After the water crossing
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQywzs60I/AAAAAAAAPHs/uxURahNnlOc/s640/IMG_7678.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k2kY5o7rT5KzlFWi8z_lUQ)

Petroglyphs
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQ0v7z9-I/AAAAAAAAPH0/oYQr_qMHPsM/s640/IMG_7688.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T0oaFg6cgoqPLe1i0inNfg)

Scrambling out of the canyon
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQ2Y-JG6I/AAAAAAAAPH8/Y8DFBDImJCg/s640/IMG_7692.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hgKKYsmaODlJ1uz_cBbCoQ)

More scrambling
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQ298YGmI/AAAAAAAAPIA/vcui0f763RQ/s640/IMG_7701.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tkazH3-wctE5a2iLOpAq8w)

Pano taken from the canyon rim
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQ4h2QPsI/AAAAAAAAPII/df--mJaKomg/s800/IMG_7717_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uXxGgxNume2oqlegJMWLOg)

A look up the side canyon from the trailhead (at 10x zoom)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TKgQ6twxWgI/AAAAAAAAPIU/We5uWnV6xuM/s640/IMG_7728.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EtAS4Zjwjem-kf-_7kOm6w)



NorthSaltWash
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/NorthSaltWash#

[ibenick]

Great trip report! :2thumbs: I'm feeling another trip to the swell coming on...

[oldno7]

Very cool TR.
Looks like a great outing with some great partners.

[rwpontius]

Looks like a great hike with some fantastic country.
RP

[accadacca]

How old are your boys? I need to tag along sometime with my 8 year old. Looks like you guys hit all the sweet spots. :clap:

[Udink]

They're 7 and 9. They've been working up to longer and longer hikes and bike rides, but it's been tough motivating them. They never want to go at first, but after we get home from a trip they're always glad they went.

[pixie1339]

Another great trip report, as usual. You have some amazing scenery in your backyard!

[trackrunner]

nice :2thumbs: