
Just after leaving the first car, we continued on foot. Park Creek seen on the left. We left the road when it started to ascend away from the drainage.

One of many little obstacles within Park Creek's upper reaches.

The first rappel, optional. We scrambled down off the rim somewhere in the center of this photo (Class 2/3).

Below the first rappel that we bypassed, gorgeous canyon walls.

We avoided this second rappel as well via a brushy Class 2/3 gully behind me. The rap itself was set up off a tree in the center of this photo.

Cool narrows within Park Creek.

Park Creek opens and narrows as it descends, the interesting pinnacles along the cliffs a nice touch.

Within the drainage, usually pretty tame.

At the top of the required rappel.

Our first rappel of the day, a nuisance cliff band.

Continuing down Park Creek.

A short obstacle.

More pretty rock features.

A particularly interesting narrow section within Park Creek.

View back within this short narrow section.

Friends scrambling into this small canyon.

Avoidable pool on the left.

Shawn avoiding the pool.

Looking back into the short narrow section.

More fun obstacles as we near the end of Park Creek.


Granite! Little obstacles brought us through the short section of granite.

And finally, we made it to the drop out of Park Creek.

View back at the sculpted granite. The rappel into the arch pool is on my right.

A view of the pool with arch, Upper Salome Creek seen below.

Matt rappelling into the pool.

Shawn coming down, the arch visible above.

Shot of the pool and rap. Behind me is the rap out of the pool.

View up at the rap out of the pool with arch.

A short excursion up Salome Creek to a small waterfall.

Onward, down Salome Creek.

Pretty formations as we descend Salome Creek.

Narrows at the junction with some side-canyon called Dupont Canyon.

Onward down Salome Creek, lots of big boulders to hop over.


One of many small waterfalls along the way.

More granite! We know what that means :)

Cool sculpted granite.

And, the narrows! This is the start of the technical portion of Upper Salome Creek.

View back at a down-climb just after entering the narrows.

A couple of pools ahead, wetsuits on!

Looking back.

A little drop into a pool.

View back.

View back, just before the slide.

At the end of this portion of narrows at a slide.

Shawn sliding out of the narrows into an extended swimmer.

View back toward the narrows. Gorgeous.

Onward through the deep granite drainage.

A short down climb and swimmer.

View back at the swimmer.

A simul-rappel. We set the rope right where I'm standing. Left is a chasm for one person, on the right down the waterfall is for the other person. The swim goes under the massive boulder in the center.

The simul-rappel.

Close-up of the rappel.

View back toward the swimmer.

Wide shot back toward the swimmer.

Avoidable pool (left, where it's shallow).

Big boulders to hop over.

Amazing sculpted granite.

Yet another damn beautiful little waterfall.


Approaching the last rappel.

View into The Grotto.

Matt rappelling into The Grotto. The last 10 feet or so can be slid.

Shawn coming into The Grotto.

Swimming through The Grotto.

A little jump (or down climb) into another long swimmer. The Grotto is obscured just behind Shawn, who's currently jumping.

Wide shot of the swimmer.

The final obstacle in Upper Salome Creek, a short slide. Workman Creek junction seen center.

View of the slide waterfall.

Wider shot of the end of the technical stuff within Upper Salome Creek.

Junction of Salome Creek (left) and Workman Creek (right).

Starting up Workman Creek. Immediately, more obstacles.

Ascending Workman Creek.

A short swimmer, quite cold since we had already removed our wetsuits. Shortly after the swimmer was our chosen Class 4 escape on the right.

The waterfall of Hell's Hole. This impassable obstacle means we have to find a way out of Workman Creek.

Our Class 4 scramble choice.

View down at the crux.

View back into Workman Creek. A social trail led us back to above the waterfall.

Above the waterfall, we continued up Workman Creek.

A social trail popped in on the right just before a red narrow canyon.

View into Workman Creek from above along the social trail.

Along the social trail above Workman Creek, which is visible on the left.

The social trail leads along the rim for the majority, except near the end.

The social trail dropped us back into Workman Creek, where we picked up the official Hell's Hole Trail on the right.

Along the Hell's Hole Trail.

View back along the Hell's Hole Trail.

View down into Workman Creek as we make progress up the switchbacks.

View back as the Hell's Hole Trail leads away from Workman Creek.

Ascending along the Hell's Hole Trail into the hilly central AZ mountains.

Trail junction. Keep along the Hell's Hole Trail.

First descent along the trail, back into Workman Creek.

Descending back into Workman Creek along the Hell's Hole Trail.

The trail crosses over the drainage and ascends again. View back as we ascend out of Workman Creek. After this it got too dark, but the landscape was mostly forested and the last couple of miles was all tree-covered.
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