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4 days adventure and fun: From Wire Pass to Lee's Ferry - day 1 - day 2
With "From Wire Pass to Lee's Ferry" we celebrated our jubilee "20 years of traveling in the USA." This backpacking trip, was the first 4-day-trip, in our life. All my impressions to frame in words, is to hard for me. My English is like a back road, after a flash flood. I hope folks, you understand my kind of writing. :-)
Day 0: Page/AZ - Lee' s Ferry - Wire Pass
10:00 am, trip from Page Lake Powell Campground & RV Resort, Page/AZ to Lee' s Ferry long term parking lot. At noon should be the pickup by End Of The Trail Shuttles with Betty Price. After a mandatory stop at the Colorado River, we reached the parking lot.
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No cellphone reception. Two hiker from Colorado State, they returned straight from their Paria hike, kindly helped us. Thanks again guys. Short phone call with Bettys secretary, hers mother, the truck is in Page/AZ to the repair and the departure retards around 2 hours. Finally, Betty with hers roomy 2004er Chevy Trailblazer came. Luggage load up and: „UP, UP on the way“!
Betty is a very nice elder lady, who operates the shuttle service since over 20 years. She knows about the local roads, geology, flora and fauna and told some stories from the past. 05:00 pm or so, we reach the parking lot at the Wire Pass TH.
Now, tent build up and relaxing afterwards.
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We have a beautiful overview on the parking lot, to observe hikers on their way back from The Wave. Most of them were tired, but with a broad grin in the face. The parking lot empties. We come with a Canadian couple into a very nice discussion. They were in the Buckskin Gulch area, since they did not catch permits for the Wave. Like we, they love this area. Before they leave, they were very friendly and carried out our garbage bag, thus I have on the next day, to bear less.
Shortly after dark, we crawl away into the tent - good night!
Day 1: Wire Pass TH - Paria River, below the Confluence
The night was quiet, until 03:00 o'clock in the morning. A group that we later met again in the gulch, set up her camp. The day begins 05:00 am. Coffee cooking, a few granola bars for the breakfast and pack the backpacks.
07:00 am, start into the Wire Pass. The Buckbrush blooms and waste its sweetness on the desert air. The two known obstacles were, how ever, no problem. The jammed log in the narrows, jammed in the height for years, lies at the ground now.
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After altogether 1,75 miles, we reach the confluence with the Buckskin Gulch. The sun illuminates the wall at the alcove, on the right side, so that the snake of the petroglyph panel, who extends from the alcove to the end of the wall, is well visible.
The gulch is bone-dry, only the known pool still has some water. The big alcove is, after 3 miles, to see. Some alcoves are on the way to the first boulder section, however no one is as beautiful as the first one. We reach the section after 4 miles. A few scramble and we leave the first prominent boulders behind ourselves.
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After a short rest, it goes further in direction Middle Route Exit. The path of the gulch here, is changing between pebbly, sandy, and even uphill. It we more narrowly and darker in the gulch.
The walls partly are covered of Desert Varnish. The sandstone shows beautiful structures, according to the light in gray, brown, gold and red shines. It is a continuous direction changing, from the left to the right at the cracks.
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The notorious cesspool, shortly before Middle Route Exit, belongs to the past. The last flash floods "washed away" it. It becomes light. A known crack becomes visible, we reached the Middle Route Exit after almost 8 miles.
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It is 01:00 pm, time for the lunch and the petroglyphs, who I had overlooked 2009. Now I can view them - thanks to @ Tanya.
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We hike the next 5.5 miles to the confluence of Paria River, on known terrain. However nothing is, like in 2009. The gulch is really bone-dry and looks like an over cleaned, brightly polished. The reflections of the light are missing in the water, who brings the sandstone of the walls so singularly to the radiance. Circa 04:00 pm and another 4 miles, we reached Boulder Jam. Heh, what's that? Rope Mania.
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The debris vanished. We rappel into the Rabbit Hole and crawls to the other side. Cool. Time for a rest. Suddenly voices. We meet the 3-o’clock-campers of the Wire Pass. A nice small talk. I made a memory-photo for them, and they continue her hike. It becomes time also for us to hike further. Heya, some things don't change. The old wheel and the wedged barrel, still are there. Shortly before we reach the campsite at the confluence, seeps comes out from the ground of the gulch. This clear water has a leisurely flow to the Paria River. After 13,5 miles on trail, we crossed the confluence. The Paria has very little water. It's very clear.
We hike the river downwards, we need a campsite for the night. The first campsite is busy. A few yards further, on the left side and 0.5 miles below the Confluence, we find our campsite, above the Paria River.
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Almost 14 miles and 12 hours of hiking - time for the Dinner: Mountain House’s Chili Mac with Beef - yummy and a coffee as dessert.
With the Katadyn Vario, we refilled our water bottles with the water from the river.. It becomes slow dark. A little bit relaxing, a drink, that was it for today.
Day 2: Paria River, below the Confluence - The Hole
After a relaxing night, the day begins about 06:00 am with the accustomed procedure. Cook Coffee, for breakfast few Granola bars and Beef Jerky, later backpacks packing.
08:00 am and 12
