Day 204 (HDT 20)

Day 204 (HDT 20): 26 miles

Even with having wet feet basically all day, it was an excellent day. We started out before sunrise in Hackberry Canyon. It was a little chilly, so I started out the day with what I can only assume was a stellar look. I had my coat on with my beanie on and hood up on my coat, along with my massive straw hat on top, and topped off with my hamburger helper mittens. I was still only rocking shorts cause I think of my legs as big hunks of meat therefore they don’t need any layers. Also they were still so caked in mud I wouldn’t have wanted to put my broga pants on.

We hiked a few miles in the canyon before arriving at a spring which was the source of the flowing water in the wash which would only grow stronger the farther we went downstream. I hiked maybe a mile hopping back and forth on the banks on either side of the wash and walking through brush before giving up and just walking in the water. I can only deny wet feet for so long before having to accept reality.

Hackberry Canyon was beautiful. There were amazing fall colors on cottonwood trees lining the wash and the contrast with the bright red rock walls and blue sky was marvelous. When we exited that canyon, it was a short cross country stretch before reaching the Paria River and starting to walk up that. And that was stunning! It was more beautiful red rock and walking in and along a meandering river in a wide wash. Today was one of my favorite days of the whole trail so far. It was truly beautiful.

The water in Hackberry Canyon was pretty gross when it first started, got better for a while after, and then got really bad, silty, and dirty near the end. We passed some cows in the later part so that might’ve explained it. The water in the Paria River was great. It was somehow clear and tasted fine. Sure, there were animal droppings along the banks but I’m not gonna let that get in the way of the fact that it was good, clear, and cold water. That’s a rarity in the Hayduke. You either don’t get water or you get water that’s so silty you can’t drink it.

We ran into 2 day hikers that were amazed we were doing the Hayduke.
We also met a day hiker that was overjoyed to see us cause he was kind of lost.

We passed by the Paira Movie Set today which was a little bit off trail. I guess a bunch of westerns were filmed there back in the day but it stopped being used, and then some goofballs burned it down in the 2000s.

We’re camping along the Paria River and it was a little challenging find a flat camp spot that wasn’t covered in prickly plants or stoned to hell by cows. But we made it work.

Song of the day: ten thousand fists-disturbed