February 21
Another of the trails I saved in preparation for this trip was Redemption Trail. I read about this awesome slot canyon that I REALLY wanted to hike. I made it there, but alas, wasn’t able to hike it.
Read on!
GoPro’s Maiden Voyage
I decided this was going to be the first use of the GoPro. I mounted it to the windshield and made my first attempt at a time lapse video on the drive to the trailhead.
I think it came out alright. I sure hate that the mount is visible in the video, I’ll have a different approach once we get our truck when we get back to Iowa.
Anyway, Ash and I made the 10 minute drive southwest to the trailhead where there was a pretty significant difference in the weather. There seemed to be more threatening cloud cover and more wind at the trailhead than at the AirBnB. I was planning on going in a t-shirt, but decided to throw on the flannel I had stripped off on Monday at Garden of the Gods.
AllTrails lists this trail as an easy 3.6 mile out and back trail. The reviews often mention a deviation from the marked trail, starting at about half a mile into the hike. If you take the dry creek then look to the left, there’s a very cool slot canyon that can be scrambled up to and hiked. I LOVE slot canyons so this was what I wanted to do.
The trail was nearby some low mountains that still had plenty of snow on them, though there was none to be found on the trail.
Ash and I headed down the trail and almost immediately, we were faced with a steep descent into the valley below. Going down? No problem. I immediately thought of what was waiting for me when we got back though. It’s a good thing Brandy wasn’t with us, she NEVER would have made it up this grade.
Anyway, we headed down, at one point, being passed by a mountain biker. We happened upon the dry creek and, per the instructions I’d read, started walking it.
Soon, we happened upon a magnificent rock formation.
This was it. This was the slot canyon so well praised in the reviews of this hike. As you see in the picture above, you have to kind of swing around to the left to get into it. As I did so, I realized it was about a 6 foot scramble up an almost sheer wall. Very few hand or footholds to help up. I certainly could have made it up, however I had a 95 pound boxer with me and he could not make it up.
We stayed in this spot for about 5 minutes trying desperately to find a way up for Ash, but alas, it was not meant to be. We could not make it up to the mouth of the slot canyon, which was a damned shame. What I could see looked SO cool.
We started back up the creek to make our way back to the car. Sure enough, once we found the trail, we were faced with the constant uphill walk to the parking lot where we got back into the car and made our way back to our temporary home.
Conclusion
While I was a tad disappointed that I couldn’t take the slot canyon I’d taken this hike to see in the first place, I’m still glad I was able to get out and get the activity in. I’m certain we will be back to Canon City and will have plenty more opportunities to get this canyon hiked.
In the meantime, pics from the hike can be found on my Photo Diary page. Make sure you follow along the rest of the trip on the main hub for the winter 2024 edition of our visit to Colorado.
Until next time!
-Phil