off-trail destination up mill creek. november 2019.

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​Although today's hike was a shorter one, we had a special destination in mind. We'd been eyeing a certain rectangular hole in the canyon wall that has piqued our interest for a while now. We'd had plans to try to get to it someday, and that day had finally come.

​While we had our doubts about the possibility of getting into it, we were still hoping to find a way.

​One way to find out... get up there and take a look. So that is what we set out to do. We hiked in on the trail a bit and then left the trail to head up to the canyon wall to answer our lingering questions.
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There are lots of amazing views of the northern canyon wall in Mill Creek Canyon.
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No trail to follow here.
​We just pick our way along as we go, using caution on the loose rocks.
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Rock fields are always a little slow going for me, but we're making progress. :)
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Plenty of rock to navigate on the way up.
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I'm not the only one stopping along the way to take pics. ;)
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Getting pretty close. It's larger than I realized from the trail. We did get up to the wall below the hole, but as we suspected, it was too high up and risky to try to get into it. So we went around and up on the rock to the right of it as close as we could for now.
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Almost there. Coming around on the side.
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So, so close! This photo doesn't represent the size well, but it does show the relation of where we were sitting next to the hole. We couldn't find a way into it that we felt safe with at this point in time without additional help or gear. Maybe another day??

Our view looking further into Mill Creek Canyon from our rock spot next to the hole.
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Zooming in for a closer look at the snowy mountains.
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Enjoying some lighthearted conversation and views away from the beaten path. :)

​Looking up.

​Without climbing gear and Josh along, this is as far up as we dared to go. ;)

Looking down from our spot up above the trail and creek.
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To add some perspective, I've pointed out the creek below and a hiker that came along on the trail while we were hanging out above. 
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Heading back down a slightly different way than the way we went up.
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This way has less rock field and smaller talus to deal with. The better option for me.
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Looking back. Our distance is increasing as we make downward progress.
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Back to the trail with a feeling of accomplishment.
​The view that had intrigued me has now become another experience. :)