After breakfast, we walk down Sowats Canyon and then down Jumpup Canyon until we reach Kwagunt Hollow.

Walking down Sowats Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 8:29	Going down Jumpup Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 8:41

     We find a lot of the usual desert plants on our hike today.

Beehive Cactus 10-4-2014 @ 9:06	Trailing Four O'Clock 10-4-2014 @ 9:36	Barrel Cactus 10-4-2014 @ 9:47

     At the Kwagunt intersection, we leave the bed of Jumpup and start up an established trail on top the Redwall.  The trail is easy walking right beside the edge of Jumpup Canyon.

Starting up the Redwall 10-4-2014 @ 8:57	Walking the Redwall 10-4-2014 @ 9:02

     The Redwall remains level while Jumpup descends quickly.  The result is that in no time at all we are quite high above the bed of Jumpup.  The view down shows just how narrow this section of Jumpup is.  That would not be a good place to be during a thunderstorm or in heavy rain.

Above Jumpup Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 9:13	Above Jumpup Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 9:14	Above Jumpup Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 9:14

     Upon reaching Indian Hollow, we turn up it and remain very high above the creek bed.  After going up Indian Hollow a ways, we take a break and I sit down beside a small boulder.  After our break, we find a rattlesnake on the other side of the boulder.  That was close.  Since it's fairly cool, we hypothesize that the snake slept through the whole thing curled up.

Small boulder 10-4-2014 @ 9:42	Rattlesnake 10-4-2014 @ 9:39	Rattlesnake 10-4-2014 @ 9:39

     We continue walking the edge of the Redwall as we make our way up Indian Hollow.  We are trying to find Steck's Obstacle Pool far below us in the bed of Indian Hollow.  It sometimes is full of water, but today is nearly empty.  Even though almost dry today, it would still be a challenge to climb the 10-12 foot high walls at the end.

Steck's Obstacle Pool 10-4-2014 @ 9:54	Steck's Obstacle Pool 10-4-2014 @ 9:55

     Richard Erbe sent me a picture of him from a prior hike in the bed of Indian Hollow at Steck's Obstacle Pool.  Needless to say, climbing out of that, wet or dry, would be very hard.  Note the normal water line about shoulder height. 

	Richard in Steck's Obstacle Pool

     There are still a few tough places to get past requiring some minor scrambling as we go up Indian Hollow.  The top of the Redwall remains high above the creek bed.  We can hear voices in the distance, but don't see anyone.

Walking the Redwall 10-4-2014 @ 9:59	Balanced Rock 10-4-2014 @ 10:04	Walking the Redwall 10-4-2014 @ 10:08

     The bed of Indian Hollow is rising toward the top of the Redwall the farther we go up canyon.  Pretty soon the Redwall meets the bed and we take a short break at that point.  The voices we heard are some NAU students swimming in a pool of water nearby.  They are members of an Adventure Leadership class they are taking.  I met another Adventure Leadership class at this same point a few years ago.

Indian Hollow 10-4-2014 @ 10:28	The Redwall in Indian Hollow 10-4-2014 @ 10:53

     It's only a few hundred yards until we turn up Ojojojo Canyon.  There is quite a bit of water flowing down it.  We take our lunch break beside a pool of water beneath a small waterfall just up canyon.  It's very pretty and in the shade.

Walking up Ojojojo Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 11:06	Lunch below the waterfall 10-4-2014 @ 11:39

     After lunch, we start the steep climb to get above the waterfall.  This is a little more work than I remembered from my previous times this way.

Climbing toward the waterfall 10-4-2014 @ 11:45	Looking down Ojojojo Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 11:46	Climbing above the waterfall 10-4-2014 @ 11:46

     Once above the waterfall, it doesn't take us long to reach Ojojojo Spring, which appears to be perennial.

Schott's Yucca 10-4-2014 @ 11:48	Near Ojojojo Spring 10-4-2014 @ 11:53	Cattails 10-4-2014 @ 12:09

     Although we encounter a little bush-whacking near the spring as we hike up canyon, the further up we go the easier the walking gets.  Near the northern end of the canyon, I show the group where a mini-flash flood swept my tent away several years ago.  I was lucky to escape that with only some lost gear.

Flash flood location 10-4-2014 @ 1:27	Flash flood location 10-4-2014 @ 1:27

    We exit near the upper end of the north finger and walk uphill to the east.  This time I am setting several waypoints in my GPS so I won't have any more problems entering Ojojojo Canyon from the top like I've had the last three times I came this way.  At the top, we take the established trail to the north through the notch in the hill.

Exiting Ojojojo Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 1:43	Exiting Ojojojo Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 1:44	Exiting Ojojojo Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 1:52

     We take a break at the notch and notice that same tent we saw yesterday is still on the other side of Kwagunt.  After our break, we are able to avoid going all the way back to the cottonwood trees by heading down to the creek bed and picking up the trail going north on the other side.

Someone's camp in Kwagunt Hollow 10-4-2014 @ 2:19	Someone's camp in Kwagunt Hollow 10-4-2014 @ 2:19

     When we are nearly to Sowats Canyon, we meet a lady and her dog out for a day hike.  She is the one camped in Kwagunt Hollow.  Since we are in the Kanab Creek Wilderness Area and outside Grand Canyon National Park, dogs are allowed below the rim.

Trail sign 10-4-2014 @ 3:23	A hiker with her dog 10-4-2014 @ 3:27	A hiker with her dog 10-4-2014 @ 3:28

     I had not noticed this interesting rock when we came this way yesterday.  It's a miniature rock arch.

An interesting rock arch 10-4-2014 @ 3:41	An interesting rock arch 10-4-2014 @ 3:41

     A little more walking on the Esplanade and we start the descent into Sowats Canyon and make our way back to camp.

Walking the Esplanade 10-4-2014 @ 4:00	Descending into Sowats Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 4:04	Descending into Sowats Canyon 10-4-2014 @ 4:05

     This has been a long day and everyone is tired.  I am definitely making tomorrow a layover/recovery day.

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