A Year Ago June 1: Paria Canyon

Entering the canyon we were greeted by this sign warning that emergency response is never rapid.

A year ago today Jeff and I woke up early in the Kaibab National Forest at a lovely (and free!) campsite along the Arizona Trail, threw our stuff into the car and booked it to the Lee's Ferry parking lot at the southern end of Paria Canyon. There, we assembled all of our food and equipment and waited for our shuttle driver, one Ms. Betty Price, to arrive and take us to the start of our trail on the northern side.

She arrived in her modified SUV (larger gas tank... not exactly sure if it was legal) and drove us an hour back the way we had come, sharing stories about the surrounding Navajo Reservation, local politics, and good canyons to fish. We got to the trailhead and were a little surprised. Like in Zion, the canyon forms around you as you follow the river. Unlike Zion, however, we were starting in a desert rather than a verdant meadow. The river wasn't even visible. It was hot.

I book it for the next shady spot of trail

Jeff and I zigzagged through the wider stretches of the canyon, trying to keep in the shade as much as possible. Alas, doing so did not stop me from getting very sunburnt on my exposed calves, arms, and back of neck. (incredible tanlines, really)

A few miles in we dropped our packs at the end of Buckskin Gulch--a popular slot canyon and major tributary of Paria. We hiked up that canyon about a mile and were truly impressed by the differences. Somehow thinking "canyon narrows" one thinks of these superslim slot canyons, but the narrows are in fact about 100 to 300 feet wide.

Buckskin Gulch, at times only a few feet wide

As the river grew from nonexistent to ankle-deep the plant life surged up around us. Springs trickled out from the canyon walls. Being covered in moss they were easy to find.

We camped a little further down from the Buckskin Gulch junction and had polenta with parmesan and marinara for dinner.