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| Hiking | 7.27 Miles |
2,696 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.27 Miles | 4 Hrs 25 Mns | | 2.11 mph |
| 2,696 ft AEG | 58 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I spotted this canyon from up on the rim last summer and followed up with some map research. Saturday was a perfect day to check it out after kicking off Arizona Beer Week with breakfast in the Wilderness.  Needless to say, that put a solid delay on going anywhere, and I wasn't on trail until 2pm.
My mapped plan was to descend through the narrows and then climb up Oak Spring Canyon to meet up with the AZT/Oak Spring trail back to the TH.
I was really pleased with the water flow in the canyon, as I hadn't expected there to be much. In fact, I suspect that much of the year there are only standing pools of water in here rather than a nice flow. This canyon can definitely flash though. Luckily you can see if there's flow in Pine and the watershed is only a few miles across, so no distant thunderstorms can sneak up on you in summer.
It was only after I spotted three climbers rappelling down the several-hundred foot cliffs on the side of the canyon and got back home to research it that I realized that "The Narrows" of Pine Creek (as they are called on maps) is known as Isolation Canyon in the climbing community. Suddenly, I knew all about the place ... I just hadn't realized that's where I was!
I managed to keep my feet dry until near the end, when it was just easier to cross a pool on foot than attempt some kind of bypass. There are some really special spots in these narrows including some very good size waterfalls. Two places involved some climbing, and I was happy to find ropes in place to help me along.
Because of my late start, I realized I wasn't going to have time to complete my loop as planned. So I bailed up a very steep slope and headed for the power lines that lead back to Pine. I don't recommend this route as it is very steep and thick with brush that eats hikers. I did startle a healthy looking bear on the ridge, and it lumbered down into a side canyon. So that was another highlight of the day!
I made it back to my truck just as it got dark, and then crossed the street to meet up with Karl, Kathy, and Kyle at THAT brewery for a few minutes. 
For somewhere that is so ridiculously easy to get to, I was surprised to see only one previous post on HAZ through here. I'll definitely be back. I'd like to see it in summer green, and also see how the water flow changes in different seasons. |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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