What to Wear? Aravaipa Canyon

Aravaipa Canyon is a scenic canyon in central Arizona. It is extremely difficult to get in. The drive isn’t far and the hiking is not steep.  The difficulty is not such a technical one. Rather, it is in obtaining a permit. If you are fortunate enough to get one, the trip is worth the hassle.

Aravaipa canyon lies on the northern end of the Galiuro Mountains. The west entrance turnoff is a few miles north of Mammoth on highway 77.  The last several miles of road are dirt, which would have been navigable to a higher clearance car or above on the day I went (I bet it gets pretty interesting during monsoon season).

The canyon is green and cool, with thick vegetation and lots of song birds. There are sandstone cliffs reminiscent of the Superstitions, Zion or the Grand Canyon. 

Aravaipa is a special place worth visiting. We hiked in from the West entrance a little past booger canyon and then doubled back when we discovered that the East Entrance permit holders already had dibs on most of the camping in that direction. Plus, as we hiked upstream, the canyon walls seemed to be getting progressively smaller. We ended up camping in a small site in between booger canyon and horse camp. There were sites as close as 3 miles in from the west entrance which would have been equally nice. The temperate weather allowed us to leave the rainfly off and take in the tall trees and impressive cliffs from a horizontal position and comforted by sleeping pads. As the sun set, ravens circled overhead casting lengthening shadows on the impressive cliffs. Overnight, the full moon illuminated everything.

The next challenge in backpacking or hiking Aravaipa Canyon is in determining a footwear strategy. There is no official trail, only sections of trail which are overgrown or blocked by driftwood or downed trees truncated by stream crossings. In places, the creek is the trail. The deepest crossing when I went was about 1-2 feet deep, with most crossings less than 1 foot. Looking at water lines, I suspect it can be higher at times. The water is too deep for high top waterproof hiking boots to keep out. I tried chacos, but got rocks in between my foot and the shoe every few steps. Lori got by okay with Tivas. Finally, I put on my hiking boots with a thin inner sock (synthetic odor resistant liner sock, Wigwam brand) and a thick wool outer sock. I folded the outer sock down over the ankle of the boot to keep the rocks out of the boot. I didn't buy any of this for the trip, it was just stuff I happened to have.

Walking with soggy feet isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The soles gave me the grip needed and the support prevented falls and twisted ankles. The double socks with outer sock folded down kept gravel out, prevented blisters, and functioned as a wick, helping purge water when walking on dry ground.

I saw some other people wearing old tennis shoes.  I would not recommend this. For the 20 or so people we saw, I actually saw two moderately seriously injured people. On day one, there was a guy with about half of his face bruised, the outcome of what I would have to conclude was some sort of fall. Then, on day two on our way out we talked to a guy who was barely moving who had lost his footing and sustained a nasty ankle injury. Both were wearing old tennis shoes. The thing is, there are loose, wet rocks both in the river and outside it, and moving water. You are ducking to avoid brush and hopping over, under, and around tree branches. All of this with a pack. I felt it better to saturate an old pair of boots than risk an injury, which, at least from my survey, is more likely on this hike than many others.

Also, I would bring a hiking stick or pole to prevent falls. 

The hike back was much easier. As it turns out, hiking upstream into the water is an insidious but not insignificant force to overcome. 

I took out my insoles and wore my boots the remainder of day two in a somewhat futile attempt to help start the drying process. Then, at home, I dried out my shoes with a fan which worked fine. Don't leave them wet or heat them excessively if you ever want to wear them again.