After having driven seven hundred miles, leaving behind a snowy and cold montana morning the day before, it was warm when we exited David's vehicle on the Navajo reservation in northern arizona.
it was here we were to meet with long time friends (from various parts of the country) who once again would be joining us for yet another outdoor adventure.
Several of these guys have been meeting like this for more than thirty years, traveling to remote locations in maine, upstate new york, wyoming, montana...ect, ect, ect, whether backpacking or canoeing, the real joy was found in thier renewed bond of friendship and Christian fellowship.
for this trip it would be a four night five day journey through buckskin gulch and the paria canyon, beginning at wire pass trail head in southern utah and ending back at this very same parking lot in northern arizona.
they all took three different flights into las vegas nev, rented an suv and arrived shortly after we had .
after greetings and salutations the shuttle that would drive us north into utah arrived, we loaded our many packs into the back and headed off onto a very rough yet very scenic drive some sixty miles distant.
it was late when we arrived at the wire pass trailhead so we camped the first night there, in the morning we would start the difficult 14 mile trek through the worlds longest slot canyon where we would spend our second evening on an elevated piece of sandy ground.
the canyon is only a few feet wide in places, full of ice cold knee deep muddy pools with quicksand and flash floods a constant danger, there is no way out and no where to camp for at least the first twelve miles and no easy rescue in the event something should go horribly wrong.
But Hey!...nothing did go wrong!...so enjoy the pics!
waiting on the shuttle in arizona
setting up camp at the trail head
off in the morning
the crew left to right...Jim from washington state, Jim from Ohio, Denny from michigan, Jeff of southern Ohio, Tom from michigan, David from montana...i'm not in the shot
Into the canyon
indian art
after twelve miles we are out of the narrows and things widen out a bit
after a couple more miles we came to the confluence of the paria river and look for some high ground for the night
the paria river confluence
locating camp
...i love packs, so heres a few pack pics
this is mine
a spec ops recon ruck...with me own hudson bay style knife
a classic "Golite" love the simplicity of this one
the rugged "Gregory reality"
awesome bag!
reckon this is one of them ospreys
my little buddy likesthewoods favorite...ahhemmm....
don't know this one'
there are several springs in the cliffs along the route
its best to take advantage of them when you find them as they are not always reliable.
the water from the river is very silty and alkaline, clogs filters very quickly,but can be used in a pinch
gathering water from a spring
camp three
this is how i rolled for this trip
a usgi poncho as a bivey sack with a sleeping bag inside
Friends
often times the way was rocky and steep
here is ohio jim making his way down a bit of trail
these are my amigos David from montana and Jeff from ohio
two of the toughest hikers ive ever known and both former ultra marathoners
David has solo through hiked both the AT and PCT, jeff is a paramedic and SAR volunteer
Tom and Denny both from michigan
i have shared many a fire with these guys both of whom are Top woodsman
Tom is in great shape and always eager to lend a hand in any capacity.
at fifty years old, Denny (the baby of the groupe) is as tough and generous as they come.
this is Jim formerly from ohio now living in Washington state
my first trip out with this guy and ive absolutely no complaints!
he showed up in great shape both physically and mentally.
This is the other Jim
WOW what can i say about This guy...TOP NOTCH comes to mind!!!
He's a retired lawyer from ohio, (but i don't hold that against him) a solid friend, no man i know cherishes his wife, LIVES life and loves his Lord more than this guy!
awesome stamina...a true outdoorsman!
we did twelve miles on the third day and eight miles on the fourth day.
there were no problems to report and the weather was great with rain threatening only on the fifth and final day.
sunrise on the fifth day
lookin south towards the colorado river our destination
taking a much needed break in the sparce shade of a cottonwood
The Paria river
in july, august and september, this river will experience many flash floods caused by severe thunder storms in
the mountains many miles to the north and west...looks pretty tame right now.
thats me on the left...handsom devil....
thanks fer lookin...taker easy, but taker!...woods
it was here we were to meet with long time friends (from various parts of the country) who once again would be joining us for yet another outdoor adventure.
Several of these guys have been meeting like this for more than thirty years, traveling to remote locations in maine, upstate new york, wyoming, montana...ect, ect, ect, whether backpacking or canoeing, the real joy was found in thier renewed bond of friendship and Christian fellowship.
for this trip it would be a four night five day journey through buckskin gulch and the paria canyon, beginning at wire pass trail head in southern utah and ending back at this very same parking lot in northern arizona.
they all took three different flights into las vegas nev, rented an suv and arrived shortly after we had .
after greetings and salutations the shuttle that would drive us north into utah arrived, we loaded our many packs into the back and headed off onto a very rough yet very scenic drive some sixty miles distant.
it was late when we arrived at the wire pass trailhead so we camped the first night there, in the morning we would start the difficult 14 mile trek through the worlds longest slot canyon where we would spend our second evening on an elevated piece of sandy ground.
the canyon is only a few feet wide in places, full of ice cold knee deep muddy pools with quicksand and flash floods a constant danger, there is no way out and no where to camp for at least the first twelve miles and no easy rescue in the event something should go horribly wrong.
But Hey!...nothing did go wrong!...so enjoy the pics!
waiting on the shuttle in arizona
setting up camp at the trail head
off in the morning
the crew left to right...Jim from washington state, Jim from Ohio, Denny from michigan, Jeff of southern Ohio, Tom from michigan, David from montana...i'm not in the shot
Into the canyon
indian art
after twelve miles we are out of the narrows and things widen out a bit
after a couple more miles we came to the confluence of the paria river and look for some high ground for the night
the paria river confluence
locating camp
...i love packs, so heres a few pack pics
this is mine
a spec ops recon ruck...with me own hudson bay style knife
a classic "Golite" love the simplicity of this one
the rugged "Gregory reality"
awesome bag!
reckon this is one of them ospreys
my little buddy likesthewoods favorite...ahhemmm....
don't know this one'
there are several springs in the cliffs along the route
its best to take advantage of them when you find them as they are not always reliable.
the water from the river is very silty and alkaline, clogs filters very quickly,but can be used in a pinch
gathering water from a spring
camp three
this is how i rolled for this trip
a usgi poncho as a bivey sack with a sleeping bag inside
Friends
often times the way was rocky and steep
here is ohio jim making his way down a bit of trail
these are my amigos David from montana and Jeff from ohio
two of the toughest hikers ive ever known and both former ultra marathoners
David has solo through hiked both the AT and PCT, jeff is a paramedic and SAR volunteer
Tom and Denny both from michigan
i have shared many a fire with these guys both of whom are Top woodsman
Tom is in great shape and always eager to lend a hand in any capacity.
at fifty years old, Denny (the baby of the groupe) is as tough and generous as they come.
this is Jim formerly from ohio now living in Washington state
my first trip out with this guy and ive absolutely no complaints!
he showed up in great shape both physically and mentally.
This is the other Jim
WOW what can i say about This guy...TOP NOTCH comes to mind!!!
He's a retired lawyer from ohio, (but i don't hold that against him) a solid friend, no man i know cherishes his wife, LIVES life and loves his Lord more than this guy!
awesome stamina...a true outdoorsman!
we did twelve miles on the third day and eight miles on the fourth day.
there were no problems to report and the weather was great with rain threatening only on the fifth and final day.
sunrise on the fifth day
lookin south towards the colorado river our destination
taking a much needed break in the sparce shade of a cottonwood
The Paria river
in july, august and september, this river will experience many flash floods caused by severe thunder storms in
the mountains many miles to the north and west...looks pretty tame right now.
thats me on the left...handsom devil....
thanks fer lookin...taker easy, but taker!...woods
... oh and Washington state 
