We were lucky with the weather, after the snow, we had great sunshine and almost warm. We went hiking in Fay canyon with Shawn:
We called this the wineglass, I guess we have been drinking a lot every day:
When this wet tree caught the sun, it steamed and looked like it was breathing:
Andy says: so many side canyons to explore some day…
Wineglass from the other side:
As we went up the canyon, there were formations on either side, but the east side was in the full afternoon sun. This one reminded us of a ship:
The trail ends where the stream and canyon split. We climbed on some cold boulders and kept going on the left (west) fork a bit further. A use trail climbed up the rocks for some spectacular views straight down the canyon we had just hiked up. I (Andy) think that is Courthouse Butte in the distance:
The tree with a seat and view about where the previous image was taken:
The canyon was split by a large formation, and we were clambering along its base:
I (Andy) went exploring up the other (right/east) branch, there was no trail, but I got to a point where I could see a thin waterfall coming down a side gully. I imagine it was from the recent snow melting and flowing very rarely, and I wished I could go see it:
Fay canyon has an arch on the side wall, halfway back down to the trailhead. It’s hard to see because it’s barely detatched from the wall that it formed out of. On the way down we went looking for the arch and actually found it, up a side trail, off the beaten path. Once under it, we could see the arch clearly:
The rocks behind the arch were inviting us to go climb them:
Under the arch and overhang, there were rock walls that were probably not from native inhabitants, and some wind-carved alcoves:
We decided to go up to the top of the arch, it was a bit of a climb, but doable and gave a different perspective:
The shadows were creeping up the canyon walls, time to head back to the car:
Shawn joined us for dinner, David made potsticker soup and pickled cucumbers – it was very good and enjoyable.
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