16 miles

We had a pretty easy day walking up the Paria to Sheep Creek, then left the official route by staying in Sheep Creek a few more miles to where an earthen dam and road appeared. We walked the dirt road toward the highway, and hitched a ride into Tropic from just before the highway. Plenty of people were out there despite it being early/off-season. By hitching these miles (off-route), we saved ourselves a day of walking and will take two rest days! This will help our joints recover in preparation of some long days ahead.

We found a sweet little room at Bybee’s Stepping Stone motel, and enjoyed really good pizza from a place across the street.