The Mazatzal range in central Arizona has always succeeded in luring me into it's wild terrain. With a few options to canyoneer, I became fixated on the rarely traveled Shake Tree canyon. There isn't much beta on this canyon available on the internet. HikeAZ has a few (5) trip reports detailing its offerings and for being a short canyon, there's plenty to satisfy the technical canyoneer's soul. The sparse consensus has eight rappels listed within its throws, but we experienced 10-11 rappels (we lost count, in all honesty). At this time of year, I would rate it 3B III, since there is some water, but definitely not any lengthy or tricky swims.
Initially I had planned to descend the canyon solo, seeking to get some solitude away from the intricacies of life. It's something I don't ever recommend to anyone -- there's always safety in numbers -- but I don't always follow what I preach. Hypocrisy, I know. Those who do venture on solo pursuits understand where I'm coming from. I enjoy the heightened awareness of always needing to be in tune with oneself as well as the multitude of endless variables associated with the environment and each situational risk. When my hermano expressed interest in attending one of these adventures with me, I couldn't help but want him along. In the end, it was far more enjoyable having him with me to work through each problem in the canyon as well as using the time to catch up with one another on our busy lives.
Ready to go, Mazatzal peak looms in the background. We assumed a quick pace on the Y-Bar trail, skirting the mountain south along the eastern side. We ran into some fun wildlife along the way, a garter snake, a toad, and several remnants of black bear left centered in the trail for our shoes to stumble into...
