Here's the list of who went on the hike:
Submission from Kathy Sharp:
I had advertised this hike as an in-and-out hike, but everyone who went was comfortable with doing the trip as a one-way hike, so we left my truck at the Sunset Point exit (off I-17) and all piled into Seth's Blazer to go to the Badger Springs exit. The trailhead now has a real parking lot with boulder demarcations and all.
This is a nice hike to do if you just want to get a taste of easy canyoneering: scrambling over smooth water-polished boulders, lots of rock hopping, and some wading. Be sure to check out the information from last year's trip (stream flow conditions, for example) before you go, though. For someone like me whose route-finding abilities are not the greatest, a good map and GPS provides great peace of mind, too.
Steve and Dave did some exploring near the mining equipment up on the side of the canyon. Steve found a small tunnel the miners must have dug. Seth was our trash collector for the trip; at one point he had such a nice collection that I had to take a photo. The Toilet Duck (toilet bowl cleaner) was a great finishing touch.
Last year we were quite a bit further along the river than we thought when we turned around. We would have had enough time to do the hike as a one-way trip. I think the in-and-out hike may be more fun, though, because hiking through the mostly dry Sunset Point wash in the heat wasn't as much fun as walking by the water. You can cool your feet in the water and enjoy all the little waterfalls.
Thankfully, we ran into some other hikers who told us about a trail that starts on the south rim of Sunset Point wash. (The trail starts south of the wash.) Otherwise the hike up the wash would have taken a lot longer; there were lots of vegetation and rock obstacles. I must admit that Dave impressed me with the bit of climbing he did before we resorted to the trail!
We left AG at 7:08 a.m., started hiking from Badger Springs at 8:05 a.m., and reached Sunset Point at 2:40 p.m.
All of us except Dave were wearing REI nylon pants with zip-off legs. And Lisa, Todd, Steve, and I had just bought new pairs at a recent REI sale. Lisa and I were wearing matching brand new olive-colored pants, and Steve and Todd were wearing matching brand new sand-colored pants. Thus Dave's comment below.
Email from Dave Nelson:
Great weather. Great experience! I'm sore today, but it was one of the most enjoyable hikes I've done in a long time. Next time I promise to wear official canyoneering pants. Thanks for organizing the trip.