Just outside St. George, Utah is an area called Red Cliffs Recreation area.   The slickrock canyons, ragged bluffs, canyons, and mesas of the area sit on the edge of the desert.   Some narrow canyons have been cut by streams flowing out of the Pine Mountains on the way to the Virgin River.   An interesting hiking trail/scramble leads up one of these canyons.

We started at the wilderness campground next to the creek and followed the wash upstream.   The red sandstone canyon walls closed in  and the cliffs became increasingly high and steep.   Around a corner, pools of water were full even after a hot summer.   A waterfall spilled into these pools and presented the first scramble of the day, but not the last.   We found ourselves in a slot canyon and the only choice was to wade/swim through the potholes to get upstream.   After some of this, we were blocked by a waterfall which we couldn’t climb, so we worked our way up the slickrock canyon bluffs to go around the barriers.     The rock was good for scrambling, but steep and tricky.   We were on our rear ends a number of times.   When we returned downstream, we swam back down through the potholes, arched over narrow slots (feet on one side and hands on the other), and scrambled down many awkward spots.   We only hiked 4 km in all, but every meter was slow-going and challenging.   Hike, scramble, or adventure?   Take your pick.   Just lots of fun…