Day 2: Sumner Wash to Clear Creek campsite, 6.7 miles, ~1200’ elevation gain/1350’ elevation loss

Today we would hike along the Tonto Platform before dropping down to Clear Creek, where we would camp for two nights. The elevation distance between Sumner Wash and Clear Creek campsite is only 150 feet on paper, but that is deceptive as there is cumulative gain and loss when you account for all the ups and downs. The mileage is under seven miles and the elevation gain is spread out among most of that, so it’s never strenuous climbing. The final descent is about a 650 foot drop and it is pretty steep. Going down there were several places that felt narrow with what I call a “slidey slope” (aka a long slope with small rocks and nothing to stop a long slide into nothing) and I took pause, but otherwise the trail today was straightforward.

The trail is exposed to the sun and there are few places where you can find shade. We started early enough the sun wasn’t too much of a problem. We did find a nice shaded spot in a wash to break for lunch and by the time we started up again, it had clouded over and the sun was not a concern. There was one other tent pitched when we arrived at camp and we grabbed a spot that had four smaller campsites together and a “kitchen” that was perfect for our group. The other hikers were not in camp when we arrived and we were hoping they had hiked to Cheyava Falls and could give us beta, but alas, they had gone up a different side canyon where they saw a different waterfall. We would have a decision to make tomorrow about what we would do with our layover day. In the meantime, we enjoyed our afternoon and evening at camp.