HDT 2022 Day 9, April 9, Saturday
Start S4 mile 0.6 along Flint Trail dirt road
End Dirty Devil Escape Route 0.6 from S4 mile 18
Miles walked: 18
A short roadwalk leads to the wash for Rock Canyon, where I discover a small pool of water almost hidden by tumbleweed. The water is brown the color of tea, but not silty, and filtering does not lessen the color much. I hope the good minerals outweigh the bad ones, as I gratefully take 3 liters.
The climb to the rim of Rock Canyon has, as a finale, a rock climb up a narrow chimney that cannot be done with your pack on. I tried pushing my pack ahead with my trekking pole, but that did not work. All HDT hikers are asked to bring a rope to haul your pack in these circumstances. I use my bear line, doubled, which works fine
For about 8 miles we go on a cross country route up and down shallow washes and across small ridges, trying to avoid the huge elevation changes caused by the mini canyons in the area. This area is called the Red Benches.
You can see examples of how erosion undercuts the layer underneath the big slab allowing it to stick out by itself.
Next the route follows along the Dirty Devil River, with water that is silty and undrinkable. As the river bumps up against the walls on each side of its deep canyon, the hiker has to keep crossing the river, avoiding salt cedar, willow thickets, and quicksand. And you want to cross where the water is not to deep, harder to tell when the river is so silty, so trekking poles are a big help here.
I take an alternate route that leaves the river after only about a dozen crossings, Leading up to a location called Bench with a View. This is the site of an old miner’s shack, and an old bench overlooking the canyon his part of what remains.
I stopped here and put up a tent, as I run out of daylight. On the ground next to the bench are little bits of mineral that put out an intense point of light. The remains of a uranium mine is nearby– wonder if that means anything.
