Escalante Backpack, April 2012

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The road into Early Weed Bench trailhead was truly awful. In several places, culverts were completely washed out and the rear bumper of Roger's Pilot drug in the sand of the resulting washes. There was no way our shuttle car could make the drive, which added an hour plus of road walking to the end of the trip.

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The view from the trailhead. Below are the slickrock canyons of Fox Canyon, TwentyFive Mile, and the Escalante itself.

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Busy trailhead!

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We're off! here's Roger following a faint trail.

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Without a defined trail, much of the way into Fox Canyon involves routefinding across the slickrock.

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Working our way down the slickrock slopes.

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Roger and Will work their way down a drainage

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At the edge. Still a long way down!

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Hands-on hiking here!

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Sometimes a slide seemed safer than walking down the steeper slopes. Here is Sue illustrating, as Terri waits her turn.

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Will is searching for a safe way down the final cliffs into Fox Canyon, below. In the end, the darker knob of rock at the upper left was our route.

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Terri, and Will below, looking for the route into the canyon.

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Roger is creating an extra foot hold, while Sue helps Susie with her pack on a steep section.

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Roger and Will nearing the canyon rim

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And here I am at the edge of the canyon

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Will leading the way down a shallow crack in the slickrock

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At this point most people took their packs off, slid them over the edge, while I grabbed them from below. Rock like this actually has great friction.

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Once off the sandstone, we found a trail leading down a sand dune to the canyon bottom.

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Have to watch out for poison ivy here! The leaves were fresh and oily.

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It took just a few minutes on the bottom of Fox to reach Twenty Five Mile Canyon. Here Roger is admiring some of the canyon walls.

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Part of the overhanging alcove

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Desert varnish on the cliffs

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We found a nice sandy bench with cottonwoods for shade for our first camp.