Route Editor
Route Scout
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DESTINATION Agua Fria River via Badger 42 Photosets 2025-06-02 2023-04-22 2020-03-15 2018-08-19 2018-01-06 2017-04-29 2017-04-14 2016-05-23 2015-09-15 2014-04-20 2014-04-13 2014-04-08 2014-04-06 2014-02-22 2013-12-29 2013-09-07 2013-05-05 2013-03-20 2013-02-24 2012-10-05
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| HAZ Member Bradshaws' 123 Photosets 2014-05-23 2014-05-20 2014-05-15 2014-05-13 2014-05-06 2014-05-05 2014-04-29 2014-04-25 2014-04-23 2014-04-18 2014-04-16 2014-04-08 2014-03-31 2014-03-31 2014-03-28 2014-03-25 2014-03-13 2014-03-11 2014-03-07 2014-03-05
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I went on this hike to see some of the cool pictographs and ruins. I got to the trailhead at 09:45. I've been here many times and this trip didn't seem any different. The hike started out great 
lots of flowers, butterflies, birds and water. Turned north at the end of badger springs trail. I went up stream for about 1.5 miles at that point I took a trail that showed up on my GPS to the top of the Perry mesa. From the top of the mesa I headed south. Perry mesa is as flat as a board so the going was very easy. I finally made it to the pictographs I was looking for and they didn't disappoint. This is where my hike turned in to a nightmare 
Now, before I get started 
I have no one to blame but myself. I didn't do enough research on this hike so I was TOTALLY unprepared for what was about to happen. From the pictograph wall I started my descent back down into the canyon. It was the roughest 2 miles I have ever traveled. Very, very rocky and many of the rock were loose. Some of the rocks that were loose were as big as a garden shed and the slightest touch made them move like they were made of styrofoam. This slot canyon had 4 or 5 sections of steep waterfalls that I had to climb through and one at the bottom that had I had to go around. At the bottom of this small canyon is where I ran out of water 
This has NEVER happened to me before. I had 3/4 of my water at the top of this little canyon but it was SO difficult that I burned though it. I was VERY,VERY LUCKY I had 3 water treatment tabs in my pack and even more lucky there was water flowing in these canyons. The lack of water and the difficulty of this hike drained my energy so bad that I had to stop every two or three hundred yard to rest. This hike took me twice as long as I anticipated and I use 3 time the water I would usually use on a hike this long. I ended my hike with absolutely ZERO water in my pack. At the car I had 1 gallon of water, 2 cold Gatorades and 2 frozen water bottles. The second I stop moving my legs began to cramp. I drank both the Gatorades an most of the gallon of water before I even sat down in my car. I've never felt so stupid or scared in my life. This will never, ever happen to me again....
