March 1, 2010; Hike to Painted Canyon with Sid and Vera

MAR 1, Monday; hike to Painted Canyon
Sid and Vera came over at 10 am and we left right away for the Painted Canyon, approx 14 miles south of here, towards the Salton Sea. We drove on a gravel road for about 3-4 miles, entered the canyon and parked at the end of the road. There were already a dozen parks here.
We began our hike through the canyon. Right away, the walls on each side were straight up with cracks forming different little hiding places. On the way, we found one cache stuffed in a crack but soon lost our reception from the GPS up above as the canyon became too narrow. We stopped for lunch as Sid needed food for his sugar level and so did we for that matter.
As we walked in, we found a side canyon that was marked as the Ladder canyon so we took it and soon began to climb. The walls on each side, approx 400 feet tall, were squeezing us and we soon came to our first ladder. We climbed down, yes climb down, then continued inside and came upon our second set of ladders and this time we climbed up and on to the third set. It was incredibly beautiful and breathtaking inside this canyon. There were a lot of “OHHHHHHH and AHHHHHHH”!! The canyon finally opened up and we soon arrived on the ridge above. WHAT A VIEW!!!! WOW! We could see the Salton Sea in the distance, the canyons surrounding us and the mountains around.
We took another break, found another cache, took lots of pictures then, because we didn’t know our way around and where all the trails were leading to, we decided to return the way we came up. The descent was a little bit faster and we finally arrived on the canyon floor safe and sound. By this time it was 2:30 so we decided that it was enough for one day, went back to the truck and drove out. Of course, on the way out, we found 4 more caches.
We had Sid and Vera for dinner and Val cooked Italian spaghetti which was delicious. We reviewed the day and all agreed that it was a wonderful and worthwhile trip. We also learned that this was the FIRST hike that Sid had been on that was this long. And he never complained once, actually, he was the driving force behind us!
We recommend this to anyone coming here or near the Salton Sea.
Of course, I’ve uploaded lots of pictures of this hike!