Another Canyon @ The Wedge
With the weather cooling off a bit, I just had to get back to the Wedge for some more hiking. It's been 11 months since I was there last, and this time I took my kids. I chose a canyon near the end of the west spur road from the Wedge Overlook, and it turned out to be a nice one.
My first view of the lower part of the canyon (after climbing out of the bottom to bypass a dryfall)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9573.JPG
The kids waited at the dryfall for me to get back after looking for a possible route around it
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9575.JPG
I could only find one way down into the canyon, and it was a steep scramble just below this part
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9579.JPG
This is just past the steepest part. My oldest son slipped just after taking this photo and slid about 10 feet down before coming to rest against a bush.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9583.JPG
Once we reached the bottom of the canyon, there were several pools from the recent rains
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9585.JPG
Here's a view up the canyon. The first dryfall that we had to bypass is just around the corner to the left.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9587.JPG
We stopped here to rest in the shade. It's still a little hot in the Swell this time of year.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9591.JPG
Eventually we came to a place where there were a lot of spherical concretions in the Navajo Sandstone. They were similar to moqui marbles, but they're not as hard or iron-rich.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9592.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9594.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9595.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9596.JPG
This is near the end of the canyon, where it drops about 450' down to the San Rafael River in the Little Grand Canyon.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9597.JPG
Here are some views into the Little Grand Canyon:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9606.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9614.JPG
This is the view along the canyon during our exit hike
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9628.JPG
After getting back to the truck, I drove to the end of the spur road and took a photo looking down into the canyon we'd just been in:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sr...0/IMG_9641.JPG
The round-trip distance was 2.5 miles and we spent about three hours hiking. In another month, it'll be even better weather for hiking in this area and I've got plans for a few more hikes there.
