We arrived at the trailhead to Golden Canyon just before 10:00 and a few minutes later, we both had our new backpacks and walking sticks and were on our way. Today's blog includes a lot of pictures...for the most part, I'll let them tell our story...(Remember to click on the picture to enlarge)
The rock formations and colours are amazing...again, pictures just don't do it justice!
See me behind the big rock...
Red Cathedral....
Trail ends at the base of Red Cathedral...
Yup, that's the trail we must take to complete the Gower Gulch Loop...up we go...
Hmmm....not sure if I like this part of the trail...beautiful view from up here, just don't look down, Dianne!
Looking back down the trail. We passed other hikers going the opposite way...
We made it to the fork in the trails...Zabriskie Point is to the left. We will hike that trail another day, starting from the Zabriskie Trailhead. To complete the Gower Gulch Loop, we leave the marked trail and continue down the wash. "There is no formal trail here, just follow the wash down to the valley. Some rock scrambling is required to climb down a small dry falls."
Distant shot of Mine entrance top right...
Variety of colours on this hillside...
"A final 25-foot drop-off may be uncomfortable for some hikers. It can be passed on the right (north) side by following the narrow path around the dry falls. From the canyon mouth, a path heads north along the base of the hills back to the Golden Canyon parking lot."...Duh?! Yes, I think we will take the path to the right!
Looking back...must be a beautiful waterfall here when they have a flash flood...
Four hours and a six mile hike across mountains and through canyons, we arrived back at the truck. A great hike with stunning scenery! We haven't hiked much for quite awhile so this was a challenging start getting back into the groove again.
Needless to say, we drove home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon! This is Furnace Creek Inn...we will take a tour of it tomorrow.Looking towards Sunset Campground from the turnoff by the Furnace Creek Inn...
There was an absolutely gorgeous sunset tonight...
Now this was a fabulous hike! We love all these variations along the trail, especially rock scrambling. Can't wait to get back west and start climbing! Thanks for adding so many photos. I get my hiking fix now by following others.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics- BUT after spending so much time in the desert we are really enjoying being back in the South with all the GREEN. Sorry it didn't work out for us to catch up in AZ again this year. Happy Trails until we meet again.
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