Cottonwood Springs to Rockhouse Canyon Trailhead
(8 miles, +300/-2,200 feet).

It was colder last night than I expected, though we got absolutely no wind so we were both comfortable in our tents.  We awoke to a beautiful conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.

In an extremely unusual move for both of us, we decided to wait for sunrise before packing up.

This morning we decided to head down the wash until we got to the ruins in Rockhouse Canyon.

The Rock Houses were pretty cool.  There was less trash than I expected — it seems people have mostly left them alone.

I was especially happy to be there right at sunrise, when the light was so gorgeous.

After we finished exploring, we made our way down Rockhouse Canyon, once again alternating wide flat sandy washes with occasional granite dry falls.

The walking was easy, and soon we were at our only reliable water source for the trip: Hidden Springs!

I filled up a liter here, and though I had to filter it with my pack towel and treat it with Aquamira, it was surprisingly delicious!

After the Springs, the canyon really opens up and the wash meanders back and forth over a well-used jeep track.

We ran out of water about half a mile before the car.

And then we were back.  We saw not a soul, and both wondered why more people don’t explore this beautiful country…..