Aravaipa

[Arizonaheat]

How can I possibly describe this trip? It was absolutely fantabulistic, utterly awesome, stimulating to the senses from start to finish, full of adventure, loaded with flora and fauna……….

Cactuscat and Arizonaheat departed Monday morning around 5:30 AM and arrived at the West Trailhead about two hours later. The trip was only 102 miles from our neck of the woods, with great roads the entire distance.

We signed in at the register, displayed our permit, performed last minute gear adjustments, took some pre-trip self portraits, then we were off on our big adventure.

After leaving the parking lot the trail descends a short distance before leveling out, at this point you almost immediately make your first creek crossing. From this point on your feet will be wet. Cactuscat wore sandals with socks the whole way, I started out with sandals and socks, but opted out of them after a distance and put on shoes. The option is yours. Once you hit the creek it is up to you how you want to progress up the Canyon as there is no defined trail.

We made our way up the Canyon, taking in all the beautiful scenery surrounding us, a lush thicket of flora that included everything from grasses and flowers to towering cottonwood trees all displaying their lush “spring green” foliage, crystal clear water flowing down the creek bed in which you could see its many inhabitants, such as fish, frogs and other aquatic creatures, towering shear cliff walls displaying their many colors depending how the sun was hitting them, a brilliant crystal clear blue sky as a backdrop. It was like receiving an eye massage. To this add the music of song birds serenading you, water flowing down the creek bed, a gentle breeze rustling leaves…. Then there were the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds getting their fill of natures sweet nectar. I didn’t think it could get any better, but it did.

We slowly worked our way upstream toward our destination for the night, Horse Camp Canyon, a distance of about five miles. We made several stops to take in the beauty surrounding us. We found a gorgeous campsite along the main canyon about three hundred yards before Horse Camp Canyon departs the main canyon. Upon arrival to our campsite we dropped our backpacks off, sat down on a log and were immediately greeted by our host, Mr. Lizard who was sunning himself on a log that sat across from ours.
He put on a dazzling display of pushups letting us know who was boss around this place. Of course we were both highly intimidated and succumbed to his wishes by not intruding on his side of the camp. (More about him later)

We set up camp, took on some fuel, gathered what gear we needed , then we were off on our next adventure, a day hike up Horse Camp Canyon. The entrance to this canyon is pretty much blocked by huge house side boulders and thick vegetation, but if you can work your way around and through it the rewards are phenomenal. Once inside the canyon we were treated with a slick rock section, with a small flow of water cascading down it, decorated with colorful array of various wildflowers. It was breathtaking. To my amazement we even saw yellow columbine growing. As we worked our way up the canyon the going got tougher and involved some mild bouldering and climbing waterfall areas. There were several large potholes full of water, one was over 10 foot deep. We could not resist the temptation, so one of these gorgeous potholes became our own private swimming hole, complete with trickling waterfall dropping into it.
The water temperature was much more tolerable than Lower Barks, and not breathtaking. The view looking down the canyon was breathtaking though. We swam for about half an hour or so.

Horse Camp Canyon was absolutely beautiful and we wanted to work our way up the Canyon toward some caves we could see. This would involve some somewhat technical free climbing to navigate up and around a waterfall area, but something that was very doable, so after our refreshing dip off we went. (Remember this rule, especially this time of year when the snakes are active, always know where you are putting your hands and face when climbing. This is why trekking poles are so invaluable as you can use them as an early warning system that you are coming and see what kind or reaction you get) I know what you are thinking and yes you are right, but this part of the tale you will have to hear from Cactuscat first. My photo is a bit blurry from shaking. True excitement.

After the above situation, which you will hear more about, we decided we had gone far enough for the day, so we climbed back down and began to work our way back down the Canyon. It wasn’t three minutes later that we had our next magnificent encounter. This one was approximately a four inch long centipede. I told you things just kept getting better, and yes they continue to do so throughout the trip. We worked our way down the Canyon, absorbing all the beauty around us and reflecting on all that we had seen and experienced so far.

When we returned to camp, our host, Mr. Lizard was there to greet us. He was sunning himself on a rock by the fire ring, this time. Again he displayed his dominance by performing an impressive set of pushups. We had cocktail hour, and gathered enough wood for a small fire. (Which Mr. Lizard sat around with us, by making himself at home on a nice toasty rock that was part of the fire ring.)

Darkness was soon upon us and the night sky exploded into a dazzling array of stars. Being deep inside the canyon our field of view wasn’t to wide but what we could see was a true “star studded” spectacle. What a perfect way to top off a perfect day, star gazing

We awoke the next morning, and who came out to greet us? Yep, Mr. Lizard. We had breakfast, broke camp and headed for our destination for the day Vargus Canyon. This Canyon is down stream from Horse Camp Canyon, maybe half a mile and on the opposite side of the main canyon.

Like Horse Camp Canyon the entrance is difficult to spot as it is blocked by large house sized boulders. We worked our way partially into the entrance, removed our backpacks stashed them, loaded our day stuff and were off. This Canyon offers excellent bouldering and magnificent scenery. We were immediately surrounded by towering cliffs, one sporting what is known as Bat Cave. A truly awesome site. As we worked our way up, over, under and through the Canyon (yes we even crawled) we were entertained by about seven hawks that were own the hunt not too far above the drainage we were in. This was a very challenging Canyon, but well worth the effort. Like Horse Camp it offered up some magnificent potholes full of water, one that was extremely deep and had fish that were around four inches long in it. It just amazes me that a pothole that is a mile and a half up a side canyon, can have a thriving fish population.
Oh yes, you bet we found another irresistible swimming hole, full of crystal clear water in which we took a morning dip. I will tell you right now this water was much colder than the day before as it had northern exposure instead of southern, but still not as cold as Lower Barks. We could have continued further up this Canyon, but it was taking a lot of energy to navigate as a lot of bouldering was involved, we thought it best to turn back and save the rest for another day. As we made our return the hawks swept right over our heads, startling us. Glad they decided we were too big to eat. I think they just wanted to get a good look at us to see who those crazy people were that went swimming , and climbed everything to get that far up the canyon.

So it was back to the entrance of the Vargus Canyon, then down the main Canyon to the trailhead . The trip back was just as impressive as the trip up. We were less than a mile from the trailhead, when I noticed a fine looking woman coming up the trail toward us, like she owned it. I wasn’t going to argue with this lady, that was for sure, she could have the trail if she wanted it, for this lady was a two foot long Gila Monster, strutting her beauty. She said, “ out of my way humans, I’m own a mission.” I did get a photo.

What a truly enjoyable couple of days, what can I say, this kind of stuff just totally stokes me up, I can never get enough. I’m addicted. Having a like minded hiking partner ( even if that means crazy, adventurous…….) makes it all that much better. I had a total blast.

I will try to get photos up soon.

[cactuscat]

As Arizonaheat described so well, it was a fabulous trip! We had been anticipating our Aravaipa Adventure for about two months, and it was worth the wait!
The weather was perfect, the water temperature was fine, and the plants and animals of the canyon were putting on great shows all around us.
We were treated to showy displays by columbine, thistle, poppies, and many other varieties of white, yellow, red, and purple flowers growing under the canopy of huge, impressive sycamores and cottonwoods.
I also noticed that all around us, the animals seemed to be thriving. I was pleased to add a new bird to my life list when I noticed the beautiful Summer Tanager in the trees around our camp. This bird can hide amazingly well in the trees for a red bird, but eventually I spotted it and was able to watch it catch and eat several caterpillers. We also saw a good variety of lizards, topped off by that huge Gila Monster. Our state amphibian the Canyon Tree Frog was well represented in the canyon as well. I was also charmed by the large, friendly population of desert fish in one huge, deep pool in Virgus Canyon. They brought me happy thoughts of one very charming Desertfish I know. Even the bugs were pretty interesting, like that bright orange centipede, and a very strange waterbug that looked like a cross between a horseshoe crab and an alien!
The most stimulating animal encounter though, was our inpromptu photo session with a Western Rattlesnake. We had both been quite aware of the possibilities of snakes, and been keeping an eye out, but coming face to face with a rattler is kind of a shock! I had just pulled myself up a short vertical section and glanced to my right straight into the eyes of a large, coiled rattler about four feet away. A second or so after we made eye contact, the snake moved and started to rattle as I was turning around and stepping back. Almost before the words formed in my mind, they were crossing my lips - "Rattlesnake, rattlesnake!" By the time I lifted my camera a few seconds later, my heart was jumping out of my chest and I was shaking pretty hard. I said a quick adios and thanks to the rattler before trading places with Arizonaheat, then took some deep breaths while he took his photos. The snake was rattling almost continuously by that time, and I was a little surprised at the sound of the rattle - it wasn't as loud or as harsh as I expected, it was actually almost delicate sounding. Certainly a sound that gets your attention, though! We then agreed that our Horse Camp Canyon exploration had been a huge success, and we could head back - high on adrenalin, and completely paranoid of more snakes.
The hike was relaxing, exciting, challenging and rewarding. I couldn't have asked for anything better on my first backpacking trip!

[Guest]

Thank you for such a wonderful story. Aravapi has been on my list for a long time. It has just jumped ahead of a few others.

[evenstar]

Great writeups! Thanks Heat and Cat! And my to do list grows longer!
_________________
John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

[Arizonaheat]

http://hikearizona.com/photocodeZOOM.php?ID=616&TNI=2

photo's are up, thanks Teva!

[evenstar]

'bout all I can say is "WOW"
_________________
John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

[maryphyl]

Great write up, marvelous pictures!! Brought back memories.
Thank you, Mary
_________________
Shikekeh hozhoogo naasha.
I walk in beauty.

[Nighthiker]

Great report including the pictures.

[cactuscat]

Kent - Our mystery plant is "Milk Thistle".

[evenstar]

[Arizonaheat]

Far out, that is the first time I have ever seen a plant like that. Now we know
_________________
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[cactuscat]