JumpCreek_03

2007-12-24 My third trip. Not the charm. There was about one half inch of snow on the ground. I made up the mesa even quicker than the last time, and with fewer stops. 100 yards along th road is my marker where an animal trail slopes down the side of this gentl 60 degree descent. 200 yards along the road is about as gentle as it will get, and aiming for the gentler part, I ran into the animal trail. This I followed down to the stream, and which point it gets hard to go upstream. I went along the base to my left and followed what looked like how the animals go.

Somewhere about one quarter of a mile, or a third, upstream, my left foot ever so slowly twisted on a rock as I tried to set my right and in slow motion my left foot skipped down between the rocks and I twisted it. More brawn than brain, I tried to keep going. Thinking I must be close and dreeding the climb out of the canyon. But eventually the brush was too much of a hassle. Most of the limbs are dead and you can't count on them for stability.

I traced my steps, painfully, back to the slope I now had to climb. Animal trails are not very wide and the trail is sloped. Making it hard to set my left foot without twisting it more. The good news, your fot bends upwards and the pain is not excruciating. With determination I reached the summit. Along the way I was resting and a rock, larger than a bowling ball, decided to start tumbling down. It crossed the trail ahead of me. For awhile it looked like a porcupine rolled up and goign down. Sure glad I was not in its path.

Reachig the summit was a thrill because the effort was now behind me. But now my foot had to extend downwards and I was in agony. Aside from the icy snow, the ground below was muddy and wanting to give way with each step. I could see my footprints from the climb up, and it was taking three steps down for every two when I went up. So it took longer, and more steps, each left step hurting more and more. But I did reach the parking lot and made it to my car. Now the joy of removing my boot, changing to a penny loafer, and driving home. With no comfortable place to put my swollen left foot.

I carried everything up thethree flights of stair in one trip, decided a trip down to check for mail was worth it. It wasn't. I made the trip again and a cruel TWIST of fate, still empty. The photos below have some repeat shots from other trips, but with snow now. The sheer canyon walls show why you need to find the animal trails. I wish I could recognize the paw prints. Too large and roundish to be deer. A wild cat? They were a day old, so I was lucky not to run into it.

Next trip? Well, my ankle needs to heal and the snow needs to melt. I won't try that again. Then I need to go before the rattlesnakes come out. Supposedly the canyon is infested with them. It is one thing to hike out with a twisted ankle, quite another to come out with a snake bite.

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