Day 5 March 18, 2008 Layover Day: Exploration of Upper Matkat |
Click on photos to see larger image. Today was our layover day. It was a crystal clear day -- a little too warm in the sun, a little too cool in the shade. We hiked up the right (south) fork of Matkat and soon discovered flowing water and lots of Cottonwoods. After a mile or so we came to a huge pour-off. Normally I would have thought that it would be impossible to bypass, but I believe this was the pour-off that Doc Thomas and Harvey did coming down from the Esplanade. Doc mentioned a very scary ledge that led him down to a grove of well-watered Cottonwoods. I saw a ledge that might have worked, but it was way too scary for me. We made it back to camp in just a couple of hours. We spent the rest of the day reading and resting. |