7.5 miles, slow but technically easy

Getting down through Young’s Canyon today was slow but beautiful. There were several more pour-offs to navigate around today, and the climbing can be fun but I hate to slow down all the time. I get in a groove walking and just want to keep moving forward. This is not just walking though, this whole route has numerous obstacles, and each one has to be figured out. There’s always a lizard looking up from behind a bush to see if you’re gonna bust a move.

The confluence of Young’s and Dark Canyons is deep and colorful, with spring water flowing from Young’s and a healthy flow already in Dark Canyon. Too bad it was a chilly day, because there were miles of beautiful clear water flowing through long, deep pools cut into the rock at the bottom. We walked on ledges just above the water for most of the way, and there were several pools you could jump into, and slides where you could follow the water through the rock.

We saw people for the first time today since about five miles from Squaw Flat Campground in Canyonlands, some kids of different ages, maybe a scout troop, and a big group of college kids.

We found a great camps spot on a ledge above the trail by the river, and we were treated to a late-afternoon dose of warm sun and a break in the breeze–warm enough to set up a camp shower behind a big rock in the sun.