| | -
-
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
2 |
-
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 1.53 Miles |
473 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.53 Miles | 2 Hrs 26 Mns | | 0.81 mph |
| 473 ft AEG | 32 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | A friend who likes to take pictures asked if I wanted to come along on a daytrip to Coal Mine Canyon. It's a long way to go but he sweetened it a bit by saying we could walk a ways down into the canyon.
I've been there twice before. First time we just happened to catch it near dusk and got a good intro to it's beauty. [ triplog ] Second time made a quick stop with some friends (including the one who invited me today). [ triplog ] That one was useful because we learned the Navajos were opening it up to visitors. On both of these trips all I did was walk around the top edge and take pictures.
Anyway today, as we drove through Cameron at about 9AM I wanted to stop at the tribal office where they give permits to ask about another site I have in mind (and re-confirm CMC is open). But it was closed - no surprise to me as I often find it's hard to get answers, but I also read there'd been trouble in Cameron the night before (a murder) so that might explain it.
When we got to the unmarked CMC turn-off there was a gate across the road, but it wasn't locked so we went in. No people there today. Last time there it looked like some development might be underway, but we couldn't see any progress. There are some concrete picnic tables and some simple hand railings marking the trail into the canyon, so we went down.
It's steep. Poles and/or handrails are barely sufficient to make a safe descent on the initial part of the dusty trail. We were not looking for (or capable of) a jameslcox44-type septugenarian daredevil adventure but we did plan to check the trail out. It continues down with some nice close-up views of the towers and from a vantage point near the bottom I could see a trail ~75' below going to the left. But when we got down, that trail left looked less used than just staying in the narrow wash bottom and going forward-right. I scouted ahead (staying in the wash) and sure enough hit a big pour-off. I tried a very steep faint trail to the right but decided that wouldn't work for us. So back we went with some worry about uphill struggles on the steep bits. But reality was easier than the anticipation.
If I overlay our (tiny) track on the couple existing ones I see on HAZ I see Chumley branched left just before the pour-off. The 2009 track is likely aspirational rather than actually walked because it has a low point density and flies right over the big cliff where we turned back.
Anyway, my advice for the next guy is to go left when you hit the bottom of the narrow wash: it's bound to take you further. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
