To Extremes

“To really live, you must almost die”
Frankie Laine-The Hanging Tree


Little Colorado River Gorge
Blue Spring-1 Mile- 2200’ Drop-A steep route with big exposure into an incredible gorge

Escaladores:

Dingo Dan
El Lobo Grande
Zo

Start: 4:00 A.M. December 21
Finish: Midnight December 22
Elapsed time-20 hours


After 7 hours of driving, including 3 ½ hours on the maze of back roads on the Navajo Reservation, we arrived at our descent point. Along the way we caught a glimpse of a herd of pronghorn antelopes racing over the ridgeline. Too Cool!

Horizons turn Inward

This steep route is an unprotected scramble/free climb into the Little Colorado River Gorge, to Blue Spring, the source of the little Colorado’s azure blue flow. The exposure is huge; you must be totally focused on your moves in a number of areas. If you have a fear of heights, this isn’t the place to be.


Blue Cathedral

We arrived at the bottom in two hours to find the bluest of blue waters gushing out of the river’s left bank of Redwall limestone.


The climb out was difficult but went reasonably well. The ascent took two hours. We set up our camp chairs on the rim and enjoyed our traditional cervezas. Fosters! That's Australian for beer!

We allowed too much time to elapse and were challenged to find our way through the maze of back roads in the dark. Dingo did a stellar job of getting us out of there.

In Flag, we stopped at the Beaver Street Brewery for Burgers and mas cervezas, then home.

This was another fabulous adventure with the best of the best. Trip rating, a solid 10.

Men Behaving Badly:

Zo: For thinking that he left his cell phone on the bumper of the SUV, when it was actually in his pack. Time lost -15 minutes searching the freeway for it.

Arizona Highway Patrolman: For giving pobrito Dingo Dan a ticket for merely speeding 33 miles over the speed limit. Time lost 15 minutes

Dingo Dan, always the explorer, for insisting on crossing the river over Lobo’s objections, getting his shoes soaked, which added to his jeopardy on the climb out.

Dingo Dan: For screaming into the gorge after getting out: “You tried to F*#K us, but we beat you!

Mooseman: For being a no show.

El Lobo Grande: For flaunting his gear, sporting a new REI hydration pack, convertible pants, and REI 1 windproof waterproof gloves.

Dingo Dan: For bragging about giving his wife backrubs.

Dingo Dan: For enjoying his hike up Syphon Draw with Jacobo a little too much. (the day before) Dingo kept mentioning how the two of them enjoyed watching the beautiful clouds together?

Women Behaving Badly

Shoppers (for their husbands) in REI that want to see every knife in the case and want to have every tool explained on a large Swiss Army Knife.
Two of them wanted the same knife, got into a fight, and the victor ran off with the prize. The loser then turned on El Lobo and blamed him for letting the other shopper take the last knife.