Willow Valley-West Clear Creek Thru Hike

[berkforbes]

After doing the Royal Arch Route i feel like i should be doing much bigger, better trips and hikes to satisfy my hunger for adventure. That being said i have always wanted to do a west clear creek thru hike. i found a good write up on herehttp://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=938 and i want to bang this out this summer, sometime in june i think would be best. Only problem is im not even going to think about doing this alone. Its at least a 6-7 day trip averaging about 6-8 miles per day and requires some serious canyon/outdoor know-how to accomplish. Not to mention those 6-8 miles per day will be some of the hardest fought miles you can conjure up. If anyone is also willing to subject themselves to this trip sometime in mid-late june let me know and we can start to plan the specifics out. Serious takers only, i would strongly recommend reading the write up from the link i posted as well as the epic triplog attached to it. Hopefully we can get maybe 2-4 people who want to join and explore some of the most remote and rugged country in Arizona.

[chumley]

Will you be bringing Chupa and Cabra? (or was it Beavis and Butthead ... I forget)?

[berkforbes]

Haha, this is a no goat trip, unfortunately. They wont be ready for a good while, maybe 9-12 months.. No way they would make it even if they were old enough to pack..

[nonot]

It's locked until you set a date, but I am interested. I currently have one conflict in June though.

[berkforbes]

When in june works best for you? I work M-F so i was thinking like the 19th thru the 25th, but im pretty open really..

[toddak]

Anytime from mid-June to whenever the monsoon gets underway is going to be fantastic in this canyon paradise. I doubt I'd join you for the whole thing again, but I'm always up for doing the Willow Valley segment down to Maxwell or Tramway. If I'm available for the dates you end up picking, I'd be happy to help with logistics, spotting a car at Bull Pen and shuttling to the start or whatever. Keep me posted.
Todd

[berkforbes]

@toddak
That would be really cool of you, ill definitely keep you updated.. Hopefully we can get some takers on this or at least a few people who are willing to do segments with me, id hate to go at it alone

[FreespiritAZ]

This sounds awesome. I have work and school, but I have a couple week break from school starting June 20th going until July 5th. I was planning on taking a week of my vacation time from work and going on a nice adventure. If you end up deciding to do this trip in the time I have off, I would love to go! I just need to start assembling the appropriate gear....The last backpack that I went on, I borrowed the gear. I could always do that again.

[berkforbes]

@FreespiritAZ
Cool i will keep you updated as the time nears.. Gear you will definitely need will be a hammock and rain fly/tarp (dont even think about a tent), good water shoes (vibram toe shoes seem to be the best option to me right now, or the new Teva ITundras look pretty solid also) and some type of water guard for your pack..

I am trying to talk my dad into dropping in at calloway and resupplying us with food and what not, and also meeting us at the bull pen turnaround point (8 miles from end of canyon) with some beers and steaks! We'll see how that goes

[PLC92084]

The gratificationist/adventurer part of me really wants to do this. The practical part doesn't see it happening. With the exception of a hammock, I'm pretty confident I've got the necessary gear . Have to figure out if I can arrange some time off. Let me know when you nail down the dates...

[FreespiritAZ]

Oooooh yes beer and steaks are good I have been thinking about getting a pair of Vibrams for a while and I think that this trip would be a great excuse. If your dad could resupply us with food that would be great, that way we could lighten the load on the way in

[te_wa]

Angelo does this trip every year. you should contact him to see if he's got plans..

[oceanwithin]

A humble note about Vibrams: break them in or you will be miserable.

[FreespiritAZ]

@oceanwithin
How much breaking in are we talking?

[berkforbes]

@TErd-WAd
Who is angelo? terd wad lmao

@PLC92084
Ill keep everyone updated once i can nail down a date, glad there is finally some interest..

@oceanwithin
I was reading about that, seems like they do take a bit to get used to.. good lookin out, im sure once i buy mine i will wear them all over for
the first couple weeks, and then the week before the trip ill wear them daily..
@FreespiritAZ
Lighter loads are always a plus, and a cold beer after a long day in the canyon always makes things better!

[berkforbes]

Ok, im gonna throw these dates out there and see what everyone thinks. june 19th thru the 25th/26th.. I dont wanna come back and have to go back to work the very next day, so id prefer coming back friday or saturday depending on how long it takes us.. Let me know what everyone thinks, im flexible with the dates for the most part, im just trying to take as little time off work as possible and being i work M-F i only wanna use 5 days of PTO, and work in the weekend before and after..

[FreespiritAZ]

Those dates work perfectly for me!

[nonot]

can't make those dates, might be able to attend a part of it though.

[berkforbes]

Nonot, PLC, AL, what dates work for you?

[joebartels]

tomorrow