Anticipation Building

Four hours before we leave! This is the weekend of our trip to Keet Seel.

Keet Seel is one of the best preserved ancestral pueblo villages in the Southwest. It is located 8.5 miles from the Visitor Center. The hike is rugged, strenuous and the trail is marked by mile post spaced about every 1 to 1⁄2 mile. The trail drops sharply (1000 feet) (305 M) from the canyon rim to the canyon floor on rocky switchbacks and sand dunes. Once in the canyon, the route then follows shallow streams and gradually rises 400 feet (125 M) over the last 5.5 miles (9 KM) of the trail. Walking through water is unavoidable so plan on getting your feet wet. The final two miles cross several deep sandy gullies.

Originally we had planned on leaving early this morning so we could arrive by 10 AM to take a 5 mile ranger led day hike to Betatakin which is near Keet Seel. However, we arrived home late a few nights this week and decided to save the Betatakin trip for another time. We're having a slow morning and will leave in the middle of the day so we can attend a 4 PM orientation that is required to receive a permit.

Exercise, nature, historical ruins, a good book, cool temperatures and another adventure with Juile (who just read 'rugged, strenuous' and exclaimed "you said it was an easy hike"). It's going to be a good weekend!