Now the adventure really began! We knew that dropping down into the Paria meant crossing the river several times - Kent told everyone to expect four, but as it turned out it was closer to eight - you just can't trust that guy!
But really, how hard could this be? On a hot summer day, probably no big deal, but in December with the sun going down - well, this might be a problem. Still, no choice unless you want to hike back the six miles we had already come.
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What an amazing view!
We are about to descend the Box Trail on our way to the river.
You can see the trail's namesake, as the Paria cuts through the Cockscomb formation. |
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We knew we had to cross the Paria.
Tom "thinks" . . . or he hopes there's a better way! Nope! |
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Kent was the first to cross in flip-flops!
Burr, need we remind you . . . this is December!
Allison had a better idea . . . bags tied up with bungees
They worked pretty well . . . for the first few crossings. Then holes became an issue!! |
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Tom decided to try bags, too.
Chipper was pretty sure he was hiding some treats in there! |
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| The Paria Box was so neat! |
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| We definitely didn't expect ice or snow! |
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| Once again, we can see Red Top . . . it seems to be following us! |
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| Not sure if Kent can feel his feet or not? |
Michael Kelsey's book, "
Hiking and Exploring the Paria River", tells of a Hidden Cache that can be found at the top of a drainage to the south of The Box. We decided we needed a break from the river crossings and we would make one final push back up to the rim of the canyon to explore this place of interest. Kelsey has done an excellent job researching the history behind the Cache and it is worthwhile to obtain a copy of his book to read his findings.
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| Hiking the side drainage up to the Hidden Cache |
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| Rumor has it that a German spy kept his supplies in this steel box |
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Just beyond the steel box was a cave of sorts . . .
One could easily walk right past it |
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Very ingenious if you ask me . . .
Nice masonry work and a door that still latched |
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| A view of Kent & Tom from the inside looking out |
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Inside the cave were soot stained walls & roof . . .
and a heavy duty metal box |
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| Wires hanging from the roof |
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| Lola & Chipper are checking out the air vent for the caves fireplace |
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After exploring the Cache, it was time to head back down to the river
The sun had set behind the cliffs . . . it's getting to be late afternoon . . . oh, no! |
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| Only a few more crossings to go and 'it happened' . . . Kent lost a flip-flop! |
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It almost looks peaceful . . . don't let it fool you!
(Kent ended up with about fifty paper cuts to his hands and feet as he
broke ice searching for his beloved flip-flop) |
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Tom had enough! He "hightailed it" the last ¾ mile to his truck.
(He had frostbite on a toe from a previous hike and was experiencing excruciating pain -
a three hour ride home with heat on his feet and he was good as new!) |
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I guess you could say we have come full circle or scratch circle! Actually, that pretty much describes Kent's legs, feet & hands . . . yep, full of scratches, cuts & bruises.
Bags are better than flip-flops! |
What a great hike . . . one for the ages! If you're interested in making this trip, and doing the same route as we took, please click
here for Tom's Peakbagger post (complete with GPS tracks and a topo map) or for a close, but slightly different variation of our route, you can use this link to
Todd's Desert Hiking Guide. Here's a
link to a good map of the area that Todd provides.
Also,
Desert Drifter made a YouTube video of this interesting place. You can click
here to view it.
Click
here for a link to Part 1 (Yellow Rock).
Click
here for a link to Part 2 (Red Top).
