Laurent, Scott, Brian and I, along with 3 dogs (Sonora, Blade, and Agave), headed to Salome Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest this weekend to hike/swim/rappel through Salome Jug. I’ve been hiking, backpacking, swimming, climbing, and rappelling plenty of times before, but this was my first time combining them all into the form called “canyoneering”. Salome, being relatively accessible and easy, is one of the best-known canyoneering areas in Arizona.
We arrived at the trailhead to Jug Trail #61 late Friday afternoon. There were quite a few gnats and other flies, which were easily repelled with a heavy dose of DEET. We hiked the 2-3 miles to the head of the jug in about an hour, set up camp right by the creek, and enjoyed the sunset. Once the sun was down, the flies disappeared and the night filled with noises of crickets, frogs, and the gently flowing stream. We ate our dinner under a brilliant starfield, and we even spotted a couple satellites.
The next morning we took our time getting up and eating breakfast (except Laurent, who was off taking photos). The pools in the jug don’t get much sunlight and can be quite cold so we waited for the mercury to rise a bit. We set off at about 9am and immediately started swimming. A lot of the canyon was swimming through a long pool to the next waterfall, then passing the dogs down to the next pool. Each pool was surrounded by tall granite cliffs, and the canyon itself narrowed to less than 6 feet in places. Fun stuff!
After about 2 hours of walking, wading, and swimming, we reached the 20-foot waterfall near the end. Bringing the dogs was fun, but they made this last rappel very tricky. Laurent and his dog Blade went first, followed by Brian, me and Sonora, and finally Scott and Agave. This step took a while because we had to pass the webbing back up the cliff for each dog.
Towards the end, two other groups showed at the waterfall: a threesome that looked like they had no business being in the canyon (two morbidly obese men and a woman without any ropes, harnesses, or other protection), and a guided group with 360 Adventures. One of the guys in the threesome who had been taken there before (with ropes and harnesses) decided to traverse out to where he could jump. He took a step towards the edge, slipped, almost hit his head on the ledge (a la Greg Louganis), and did a 20-foot backflop in the pool below. He also nearly hit a shallow boulder in the pool below (you need to jump out a bit). I thought for sure we were going to be a part of a rescue operation with this clown, but fortunately he received nothing worse than a very painful slap on the back. His friends obviously did not want to follow that lead, so fortunately the guys from 360 Adventures lowered his fellow ill-prepared friends down the waterfall. The day’s lessons: safety first and know your limits!
After the waterfall, there is a long swim out to where the jug ends and the canyon opens up again. We hung out by the creek, had lunch, and hiked back to our campsite under intense sun and 100 degree temps. Once back at the campsite, we all took a siesta in the shade to beat the midday heat. Later that afternoon we played with the dogs in the large pool by our campsite, throwing various sticks and logs for the dogs to fetch. We had a second dinner and crashed out shortly after dark from a long, exhausting day.
The next morning we were up at sunrise and hiked out early to beat the heat. We were at the trailhead by about 7:30am and stopped for a big breakfast in Globe. Another fun-filled, exciting adventure, and I can add canyoneering to my list of favorite outdoor activities. We were already going through Laurent’s canyoneering guide book and discussing future trips!
I’ve combined Laurent’s pictures and mine to one album and will add Brian’s when he gets them to me. Enjoy!
