I am up around 7:00, eat, pack, and leave just before 8:30.
I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday afternoon and seem to be making good time. I meet a father and son who came down from the high access area. I give them directions for finding the Petroglyphs near Nankoweap Creek. Just before reaching the rock slide, I get my last view of Mount Hayden.
It's only a little ways past the rock slide until the trail heads abruptly uphill, makes a few turns, and then comes out by the trailhead. I retrieve my water, food, and clothing cache, meet up with Keith, and we head downhill toward the car parking area.
Keith and I wonder if you could keep going straight and traverse this ridge ahead of us instead of descending all the way to the creek bed and then being forced to climb all the way back to the top of the ridge. We decide not to be trail blazers and continue down the normal trail. The trees in the creek bed are absolutely gorgeous.
Once we climb to the top of the ridge, it's not too far until we reach the car parking area.
We have lunch in the shade, pack our stuff in my car, and start driving toward Highway 89A. In a few minutes, we meet Bob headed our way. He has brought beer, so we have a small celebration in the middle of the road. They head to Vegas and I head toward Oklahoma. MAIN INDEX | HIKING INDEX | BACK TO DAY 6 | FORWARD TO POSTSCRIPT
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