GSENM-Mamie Creek

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GSENM: Part 3 of 4

After a leisurely breakfast, our plan was to hike about a mile and a half down Death Hollow Creek before beginning our ascent out of Death Hollow. We donned our water shoes and set off on our morning expedition.

Patrick had advised us to follow in single file using the exact path of the hiker in front of us. We should use our trekking poles to explore exactly where we wanted to take our next step. After the first hiker, sediment would make it difficult to see the creek bottom and he did not want any of us to twist an ankle or take a header into deeper water. It was a chilly morning, and the water was numbing, especially while we were still in the shade of the hollow.

The walk in the creek was slow and methodical, but the views of the canyon walls as we wound our way down the creek were beautiful. I should mention that the reason this creek walk was necessary was that the hiking path was totally overrun by poison ivy. It was already changing to fall colors, but that did not make it any less troublesome.

After about an hour and a half, we took a break and changed back to our hiking shoes for the long and difficult ascent out of Death Hollow. We bumped into another hiker who had plans to continue to hike up Death Hollow Creek some 12 miles. As he left, he half joked for us to remember we saw Trevor from Texas in case he went missing.

Patrick was hoping to get to our next campsite on Mamie Creek in the early afternoon so that we could take a day hike up the creek to a natural bridge. The ascent was long and grueling on the exposed slickrock. I stuck to my plan to go slow and steady to conserve energy for the inevitable ascents and descents throughout the rest of the day’s hike. I lagged behind, but do not believe I held the group up as we took more than an hour to hike out of Death Hollow.

The trail was relatively tame for the next two miles. We made good time toward our next campsite. In the early afternoon, we began our descent to Mamie Creek. It was a significant loss in elevation, but not nearly as steep as Death Hollow. We made camp without the drama from the previous day. As the four of us setup our tents and took a break, Dan and Patrick once again focused on setting out lunch and filtering water.

After eating a leisurely lunch, the group grabbed a water bottle and headed up Mamie Creek (without gear) toward a Natural Bridge. The creek was dry with the occasional pocket of water. At one of these pockets we saw a small snake attempting to exit from the water up a nearly vertical incline. The snake made progress, so we were confident it would make it out as we continued up Mamie Creek. After about 45 minutes, we reached the natural bridge.

As you passed under the bridge it emptied out to a larger area. I imagine at one time, it created a medium sized pool of water, but currently there was only a 15 x 30 foot pool of brown water. Patrick informed us that he has brought many expeditions to this natural bridge and swam in this pool. No one has yet been able to touch bottom he told us. As we explored the area and took pictures, discussion turned to who, if anyone, was going to jump into the pool.

Alice boldly declared she was going to do it and carefully made her way to the edge of the pool. Patrick gave instructions to jump to the middle of the pool where there was no apparent bottom. After a brief pause, Alice jumped in. She swam to the edge and made her way out of the pool. She declared the water was shockingly cold given the desert environment. Alice’s bravery broke the ice and Dan was the next one to take the leap.

I stated to the group “I wouldn’t jump in that pool for a million dollars.” My statement did little to dissuade anyone in the group as they all began to take turns. Finally, Patrick, the last holdout, got ready to jump in the pool. I decided Amy would be extremely disappointed in me if I sat this out. I took off my shirt and made my way to the edge of the pool. As my fellow hikers gave me encouragement, I jumped in. I wasn’t brave enough to go very deep. I resurfaced and quickly made my way out of the pool. It was very refreshing to rinse away three days of trail dust. Patrick and Dan returned to the pool and tried to touch the bottom, but were again unsuccessful. Given the darkness of the pool, I give them credit for even trying.

The group lingered near the pool basking in the sun to dry off. I was lost in my own thoughts as the sun continued its journey across the crystal blue sky. Finally, Patrick gave the signal that we needed to return to camp. One by one, we climbed through the natural bridge for the return hike. I was the last one through. I gave a final look back and whispered my nightly missive to Amy, “I miss you, Love of my Life” and turned to leave.