While Richard and I are having breakfast this morning, a husband and wife come through camp west bound.  We are completely at a loss as to where they camped last night as there is no way they could have come all the way from Cottonwood Creek and gotten here this early.  We talk a little while with them and find out they camped about a mile north of here at a spring that they mistakenly thought was Grapevine Creek.  We leave camp around 9:00.

Leaving Grapevine Canyon 4-2-2018 @ 9:07	Leaving Grapevine Canyon 4-2-2018 @ 9:07	Trail in Grapevine Canyon 4-2-2018 @ 9:22

     In about forty-five minutes, we are approaching a drainage coming in from the right with a lot of green trees.  This must be the spring the husband and wife discussed earlier this morning.

Lichen 4-2-2018 @ 9:32	Approaching the spring in NE Grapevine 4-2-2018 @ 9:45

     The spring does have quite a bit of flowing water, but only one very small campsite.

Spring in NE Grapevine 4-2-2018 @ 9:52	Spring in NE Grapevine 4-2-2018 @ 9:52	Spring in NE Grapevine 4-2-2018 @ 9:52

     The farther north we get in Grapevine Canyon the more pronounced that interesting point on the other side is.  I continue to be surprised that it does not have a name.  There is some very minor exposure in this section of Grapevine when the trail is a little close to the edge in a few places.

	Interesting point in NW Grapevine 4-2-2018 @ 10:18

     As we reach the north end of Grapevine Canyon, the views across the River to the north are quite good.

Looking north across the River 4-2-2018 @ 11:21	Looking north across the River 4-2-2018 @ 11:21	Looking north across the River 4-2-2018 @ 11:21

     In just a little while, we come to a large cairn.  Richard indicates that this cairn marks where you can take a small trail all the way down to the River.  I have never done that before, but Richard has gone part way down it.  Someone told him that you get cliffed out just before reaching the River.

Cairn marking route down 4-2-2018 @ 11:41	Colorado River 4-2-2018 @ 11:42

     After we round the corner and turn back south toward Cottonwood Creek, the northwest arm of Horseshoe Mesa comes into view.  This is one of those places I've experienced many times when the Canyon lulls you into thinking you are almost there.  Unfortunately, in just a short distance, the trail turns west and southwest for almost a half-mile.  We then have to cross over an east-west drainage and trudge back to the east that same distance until we can see the Cottonwood Creek camping area again.

	NW arm of Horseshoe Mesa 4-2-2018 @ 12:40

     Around 2:00 we arrive at Cottonwood Creek.  It looks like the Park Service has installed a new sign since I was last here.  This sign is an all-wood sign, unlike some of the synthetic material signs you see occasionally.  I would not think an all-wood sign would be as durable and long lasting as the synthetic ones, but it might be a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Approaching Cottonwood Creek 4-2-2018 @ 12:44	Almost to Cottonwood Creek 4-2-2018 @ 12:52	New sign at Cottonwood Creek 4-2-2018 @ 2:01

     We pick out a campsite and spend the rest of the afternoon talking to a young couple.  He has hiked here several times, but this is her first hike.

My tent on night four 4-2-2018 @ 5:30	Richard's bivy on night four 4-2-2018 @ 5:30

     Tomorrow we are going up the west side of Horseshoe Mesa and hiking out the Grandview to Grandview Point.

MAIN INDEX | HIKING INDEX | BACK TO DAY 3 | FORWARD TO DAY 5