Got Out - August 22, 2005

By: hypenhide Mood: energized Date: 09/06/2007 23:45:50 Music: None

In my somewhat feeble attempt to get out of the city for the weekend, Isabel and I packed a change of clothes, the air mattress, some ragged river clothes and Mi'chia and headed out of Phoenix on Saturday morning. Micky and Berta had informed us (just the weekend before) of quite a magnificent water fall on the Salt River. Anxious to give Isabel the river experiences that I had as a child, we headed out in my badly in need of a tune-up 91 Honda Accord. Stopping in Globe (at the WalMart even!) for sandwich fixings and a ground tarp on which to sleep, we made it to the place that Micky and Berta described. Well, almost, we took the turn off of Highway 77, just past the Salt River Bridge and drove 3 miles on a dirt road until we could drive no more. You need a 4x4 to forge a tributary of the Salt and I wasnt going to play stupid in my car. So, we played in the river and mud for an hour. Isabel named an island after herself and took great pride in getting to it.

Its been years since my feet braved the river rocks and I had great difficulty crossing the shallow water in flip flops. Aside from the insects (I think they all bite), the sun (I forgot the sunscreen) and the fact that no one knows where we are (I hope my car doesnt die out here) this promises to be a great weekend. Isabel, Michia and I are already covered in mud.

It is awesome here. The canyon walls are broken and jagged. Cacti speckle the landscape, and though the river is loud, you actually feel it rather than hear it. On the trips to the rivers I've been on before, there have always been friends and/or family present. We've had stories and music and good food. Being here today makes me nostalgic for those days and those people. But being here with my daughter is so special. Her mud pancakes and stick shrines make me smile. I am reminded of the simple pleasures which kept me entertained for hours at a time when I was her age.

It took some convincing but I finally got Isabel back in the car and a mile upstream to a campground that we passed on the way in. We got camp set up ok, but the minute that I sat down; I was swarmed by millions of sand fleas! I feel like a Masi woman; you know the ones with flies all over their faces in the National Geographic pictures.

The evening brings many bats out to feast. We can hear their tiny sonar chirps. I wish they would munch these pesky knats; there is a gazillion to one knat to bat ratio, and NOTHING is working to keep the bastards away!

I am glad that we brought MiChia; last night was an adventure. I had bought a huge ground tarp (20 x 10) and Isabel and I constructed somewhat of a shelter. But not owning a tent, we just camped under the stars. Due to my general anxiety disorder, I became pretty paranoid about what might get us during the night. MiChia did her part in scaring off critters a couple of times. Oh and the moon! It was brilliant. I did get some pretty good shots of it rising, full over the ridge. I woke quite a few times throughout the night and every time, the canyon was glowing in the moonlight.

Isabel and MiChia were the first ones up. They took off on an adventure and let me sleep. By 9:00 when I finally got up, we downed some granola bars and took a short walk. We searched for evidence of Koyos from the night before. For those of you who dont know, a Koyo is the lost soul of a deceased river traveler. They live in or near the river and eat heads. Any head will do; fish, human, dog, it doesnt matter. I told Isabel not to worry; they are so ugly that they dont come out on nights when the moon is full because they dislike their reflections on the water. Sure enough, we didnt find any evidence that the Koyos had been feeding last night.

Isabel was anxious to get back to her island, so we packed up camp and headed back to the place that we had played the day before. I talked Isabel into hiking to the falls. We got disgustingly dirty; it was so much fun! It was a nice little hike, about 1 mile. I got sunburned but MiChia turned out to be quite the rock dog. She high-tailed it over boulders bigger than I am and didnt hesitate to jump off the other side. I am fairly impressed with Miss Isabel as well. She is always trying to prove her independence to me, so I let her do so on this hike. She did good, kept up with me and found her way through the current when we crossed the stream, balanced on tree bridges and scurried over boulders with as much resilience as MiChia. I am really looking forward to taking the both of them on the Salt next spring. Were going to do the whitewater rafting adventure when its running good with snow melt.