Canyon Extravaganza Day II - The Subway

6:00 came early on Friday morning, but we were only about a half hour late picking up our friends Ange and Roland. At the trailhead we met a guy named Phil who is on a five-week solo tour of all the national parks in the western U.S. and he tagged along with us.

The hike started out in the woods and right about when it turned into slickrock we saw another rattlesnake! That's 2 in 2 days. Impressive. Soon after, we started into some pretty steep descending followed by the beginning of the river. The water was COLD. And thanks to my grace and a slippery rock, I made the first, and most spectacular, entry into it in a murky blackish pool.

The canyon slotted up pretty slowly, but it was beautiful. There were butterflies all over the place and lots of vegetation, and the sandstone walls around us were towering and majestic, to say the least.

We did a good bit of invigorating swimming, some of it through some pretty narrow passages. There were also a few rappels, but we did them without equipment (other than a rope, obviously.) It was kind of scary, because it meant that there's no harness to trust, just your own body (which in my case is downright terrifying.) But with coaching from the pros (Nate and Roland) and happy thoughts, we all survived and I, for one, felt pretty rugged.

Nate, Michelle, and Phil going for a dip.

He's so manly!

Roland, Ange, Nate, and Michelle

After the last such rappel we did some exploring and Roland found a place that was carved out behind a waterfall. We got to slide down some nature-made water slides, which was fun. The water was so clear and there were lots of pools where you could see right to the bottom. There were little waterfalls all over the place. It was so pretty.

Behind the waterfall.

Nate hot tubbing?

After thawing out on a sunny rock, we kept on, sometimes through the river and sometimes on the trail. We saw fish, snakes, leeches (!), beetles, butterflies, tadpoles, lots of teeny frogs, a bat, and dinosaur tracks, along with lots of beautiful flowers and plants. The algae was even pretty!

This bat scared Ange and Roland nigh unto death.

Dino track

Several hours later we found the exit. It was a little brutal for awhile, because it was steep and I was tired. Other than my minor freak-out session, compliments of mild heat exhaustion and fear of heights, however, we made it out intact with blisters, scrapes, bruises, and sunburn for souvenirs. And yes, four days later, I am still sore. It was an awesome trip. The first one I've done like it, and for sure not the last.

For more pics (and to see which ones we stole from Ange and Roland--thanks guys!), check out their blog here.

Stay tuned for
Day III - Keyhole, but not Pine Creek