Fear And Intolerance The Deadly Combination

Fear And Intolerance The Deadly Combination

Well the recent violence in Norway is just another in a long line of violent events that the world has seen throughout history. In reading the comments that come after many of the on-line news stories of this event I see that people are always trying to link the guy Anders Behring Breivik to some group. I guess they do this because they want to have some understanding and with that some ways to control or predict this in the future and maybe prevent it. Some of the people commenting latched on to the fact that he claimed to be Christian and the people claimed religious extremists are always the ones doing this stuff. But we don’t have to look far to find people doing the same thing who are not religious at all such as Timothy McVeigh who said science was his religion (an Atheist), or Jared Lee Loughner who appeared to have no belief in God at all. Other claimed it was people with the right wing point of view that Breivik had that breeds this violence. But one of the people that knew Jared Lee Loughner in high school said “As I knew him he was left wing, and quite liberal.” Some of the news agencies quickly claimed that the event must have been done by Islamic terrorist, before they learned the suspect was Norwegian. And of course this event does not play into the theory that the racist guy that comments on my blog, has that paints black people as the ones who we are to fear.

This kind of thinking just plain lacks logic. Well Breivik is a 32 year old man so we should fear all 32 year old men. No that’s not it, but he is a white Norwegian so we should fear all Norwegians. Nope that won’t work. He is Christian so we should label religion as dangerous in spite of the majority of people of faiths throughout the world that love, do good, and are peaceful. You see no matter what group we try to blame there are none that are responsible as a group. It is just misguided individuals from different races, beliefs, or ideals. Crazy comes in all flavors.

The one thing that they all have in common is an intolerance of people who look different, or think differently than themselves, and often not just intolerance but a fear. What is sad and ironic is that the people who are looking to link these violent acts to a certain group of people are thinking and judging a group of people with a broad brush of fear and mistrust and going down the same illogical thought path of intolerance and fear that often brought about the violence. This kind of judgment of others is based in PRIDE. Thinking somehow that you and your group of people are above this other group and somehow immune to this pattern of violence. But in reality this is just the kind of thought that leads us down these paths of hate, and fear and doing it and talking about it causes other to do it and eventually we have some crazy person who listened to our hate and fear rhetoric and takes it to the next level of striking out in violence against the perceived fear. Or in some cases a mob yelling hang him or crucify Him. I just saw a story of a fire bomb at an abortion clinic, and commenters are saying things like "makes me want to go burn a church". Yea that makes perfect sense. 

Once we get to a place where we are controlled by fear we no longer are really in control at all. Scientific studies have shown that when fear comes into our thoughts the ability to reason leaves. We become controlled by more primitive survival parts of our brain. When I read the messages of the racist who comes to my blog, he can’t even debate with logic. He says things like “Fear not @ssh0!3” and tells me the bible say to not be afraid more than 50 times, and then in the same sentence he tells me to be afraid of all black people. Yea, that makes perfect sense. You see the bible says about those who choose to turn away from the light that is God and go toward the dark “in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness.” And it say in the last days there will be those who are “ giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” So you see you can go to a point where you conscience is no longer in operation, and you don’t even see that what you do is wrong. So it is no surprise that when I write this stuff I attract this nonsense. The bible says it will be this way.

Fear has often been used by leaders to control the people, because it makes people unable to think clearly. They will often pick a certain group and use misinformation to vilify a group and then use fear to motivate the people to take action against them. Pretty soon they don’t even know that what they are doing is wrong, because they have no operational conscience. This is called a broken moral compass.

The problem is it starts off with pride, and then judgment of someone different, and then fear, and down the slippery slope to not even knowing how wrong we are in our prejudice of a certain group. And in the end we focus on our differences instead of our human similarity. I said this before “Looking for similarity not difference is the way to get along.” and that statement brought about a message full of name calling and profanity. Yep that seems level headed and logical. See what I mean?

I guess that is why Jesus said Fear Not. You can see in the example of Jesus that He did not fall for the segregation, hate and fear against groups of people that were part of His time. In his day it was the Samaritans, and women that were scorned and looked down upon, but Jesus went out of his way to travel through where Samaritans lived so He could talk to a Samaritan woman at a well and reveal to her who He was.

She was surprised that he would talk to her because she recognized that He was a Jew and she knew Jews did not talk to her kind. In John 4:9 she said “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. The result when Jesus crossed this social line of bigotry was He created the first woman evangelist, who shared with the others in her town about Jesus the guy who “read her mail” and about Him being the Messiah. You see Jesus was not about intolerance of others He was inclusive not exclusive. He was not about hate, He was about love. He was not about judgment of others, he was about grace, and forgiveness. And He and anyone that truly follows Him are not about violence, because he taught us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. When the woman encountered this love that did not look down on her kind she ran to tell the people of the city. John 4:29, she said “Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” And I today say the same thing to you COME SEE, and that is for ALL people not just the ones who look like me or think like me. Come and SEE, could He be who He claims to be?

Strange Man, Jerry Garcia Band 5-21-76

 

The Verde Valley (I Live In A Cool Place Part Two)

I live in a valley called the Verde Valley that is located right in the geographical center of Arizona.  The Verde Valley has several nice small towns or cities that are spread out through the area including Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Cornville, Clarkdale, Jerome, and of course Sedona .  The most known of these cities is called Sedona. Sedona is a well known tourist destination due to the beautiful and unique redrock landscapes.

Sedona is also known for being the access point for the Oak Creek Canyon recreational area, with famous Slide Rock State Park.
http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/05/slide-rock-state-park-arizona.html
http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/06/slide-rock-state-park-arizona-part-two.html

Along with Slide Rock there are countless other great places in the canyon for swimming and hiking. One of my favorites is called The West Fork of Oak Creek. http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2010/07/west-fork-of-oak-creek-arizona.html


  The Verde Valley is known for it's beautiful scenery. This next photo is a view of Cathedral Rock from Red Rock Crossing, one of the most photographed locations in all the southwest.  It is found at the Red Rock Crossing/Crescent Moon Ranch Picnic Area of Red Rock Loop Road.

But the Verde Valley has so much more than just Sedona and the redrocks, being surrounded by several wilderness areas including Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/07/wet-beaver-creek-widerness-arizona.html , Clear Creek Wilderness http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2010/08/west-clear-creek-wilderness-az.html , Munds Mountain Wilderness, Red Rock-Secret Canyon Wilderness, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, Fossil Spring Wilderness http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/06/fossil-creek-arizona.html , Woodchute Wilderness, and the Cedar Bench Wilderness.  The valley also has several National Monuments and state parks including Montezuma Castle National Monument including Montezuma Well and Montezuma's Castle, Tuzigoot National Monument, Slide Rock state Park, Dead Horse State Park, Red Rock State Park, Jerome State Historic Park and Fort Verde State Historical Park.  These areas along with the vast areas of National Forest http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/05/exploring-mogollon-rim-country-of.html offer countless hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Here are some links to some of the many mountain bike trails in the area.
http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2010/11/mountain-biking-in-sedona-az.html
http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/03/mountain-biking-at-dead-horse-state.html
http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/06/mountain-biking-mount-elden-flagstaff.html

The Verde Valley also has several protected archeology sites that are run by the National Forest Service  including Honanki, Palatki Heritage Site, and V-Bar-V Heritage site, where you can visit Indian ruins and petroglyphs. http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/09/palatki-and-honanki-ruins-near-sedona.html  

Along with that it has many undeveloped archaeological sites to discover as well. With rock art and ruins that can be found almost anywhere you go throughout the area.  Here is some rock art found in the West clear Creek area. Another little known but great location to see some petroglyphs is Red Tank Draw http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/07/red-tank-draw-petroglyph-site.html .

Here are some examples of the many Native American ruins that can be discovered that are undeveloped and not on the maps.

I have found so many of these types of sites that I have lost count of how many, and they are in every part of the valley.

The Verde Valley also has miles and miles of designated scenic drives. This is a winter time view along the beautiful but rugged Schnebly Hill Road.

And along with all the great outdoor beauty the Verde Valley has some real nice weather, with very mild winters.  The valley bottom is a little above 3000 feet in elevation and on the north is the edge of the Colorado Plateau, also known as the rim, on the south side is Mingus Mountain, The Black Hills, and the Verde Rim,  These higher mountain and rim areas reach heights of between 7000 and 8000 feet in elevation.  This drastic elevation change means the temperature will be much cooler at the higher elevation. So when it is hot down in the valley you can drive to the high locations and cool down in less than an hour. In winter we don't get much snow in the valley and it melts the next day if we do. But if you want some snow you can be sledding in 40 minutes by driving up to the mountain or rim areas.

    Another great thing about where I live is it is a short drive to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Southern Utah and the Arizona Rim areas northeast of Payson, making it the ideal base camp for exploring some of the Southwests best areas.

  I drew this map of my little valley to give others an idea of how the place is situated, and I think it could be a cool resource to those visiting the area. Anyway I hope you can come and see it for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Not sold yet? Check out "I Live In A Cool Place" Part One. http://arizjones.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-live-in-cool-place.html  

If you come to visit and fall in love with this area like I have, and decide to move here, when you buy a house be sure to have it checked out by Canyon Country Home Inspection  http://www.canyoncountryhomeinspection.com/  To help you feel confident about your new home purchase.

Red Tank Draw Petroglyph Site

In the Verde Valley as in much of the southwest there are many archaeological sites from past Native American cultures.  One of these spots that is not well known in the Verde Valley is a petroglyph site in a place called Red Tank Draw.  The Verde Valley has an abundance of archaeological sites and some are well known and developed, like Montezuma's Castle National Monument but many are not and this is one of the best that is not well known.  Red Tank Draw is a small canyon that has a small intermittent stream that only flows for part of the year.

Along the stream are some canyon walls made of Coconino Sandstone, that rise up to forty to fifty feet. Along these walls are some very fine examples of Native American rock art, called petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs are drawings that have been chipped or chiseled into the rock surface. These petroglyphs were made by the Southern Sinagua culture between A.D. 1150 and 1400 and is in the style that archaeologist call the Beaver Creek style.  Here at this site are a wide range of drawings ranging from what appears to be people, elk, deer, antelope, lizards, to crosses, spirals, and other symbols 

I really have no idea about the meaning or reason the the artists from this past culture had for these drawings. I'm sure some archaeologist has come up with a theory, or speculation but we can never be sure. This one of what appears to be an elk is just amazing.

Here is a panel with a whole heard of deer or elk, a hunters dream come true. 

This one is of some deer or elk mating, something I have never seen at any other rock art sites, but I'm sure there could be.

Here are some pictures of what appear to be small lizards that have been carved into the rock.

In this one location of the canyon the display is really fantastic. I have also seen some more isolated examples in other locations along the draw.

Apparently there are some more on some boulders where the main road from the highway crosses Red Tank Draw as it heads toward Wet Beaver Creek.

So here is how to get there.
This route requires high clearance vehicle. A passenger car will simply not make it, so do not even try. Drive south from Flagstaff on I-17 about 45 miles to the AZ Highway 179 exit (exit # 289). Leave the freeway here and drive 1.3 miles east on Forest Road 618 until you see the first forest road turn off to the north or left(a four way stop). This road will take you around a large hill. Look for FR 645A on the right and take it down to the edge of the Draw. Right as you approach the edge the road will turn left and head down into a low spot where you can access the Draw or wash. If you park on the rim where the road turns you just walk south a short distance along the rim and there is a steep trail that takes you off the rim and down into the canyon or draw where the petroglyphs are. Some people drive down into the wash (very rocky) and then walk about 100 yards south down the wash to get to the same place.

All archaeological and historic sites on the Coconino National Forest are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. These laws prohibit digging, removing artifacts, damage and defacement of archaeological resources on public lands, and provide felony and/or misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment up to ten years and fines up to $100,000.

Jesus and the disciples condoned slavery and I’m thankful!

Jesus and the disciples condoned slavery and I’m thankful! (AZ are you crazy?)
A recent comment placed on an inappropriate post (Fortune Teller Part two) because it has nothing to do with the subject matter said this.
The children of slaves were innocent. They suffered due to the scripture regarding slavery in the Bible. This can not be denied. Did Jesus condemn the institution of slavery? He certainly didn't. His followers used language which gave tacit approval to it: Ephesians 6:5-9: Colossians 4:1: 1 Timothy 6:1-3 Does all morality stem from the Bible? No, secular society has outlawed slavery. Is the Bible literally true? If so, Ephesians 6:5-9: is the perfect justification for slavery. We now believe slavery to be unequivocally evil. Any Christian church will tell you that. Maybe slaveholders weren't really Christians? Is there vague language in the Bible which will "prove" my assertions untrue?
He most likely does not want a real answer and just wants an argument, but because he at least did not engage in personal attack as he did before (I’m somewhat certain it is the same guy) I will humor him and try to answer the best way I can. After all maybe he will someday understand. And God is not willing that any should perish. So one more try.

Did Jesus Christ and his disciples condone slavery? Yes, they did, and we must be thankful for it!
Thankful? Huh? Did I just say that? I must be out of my mind, right? Actually, I would be out of my mind not to be thankful. What? Well keep reading and see why.

One of the greatest apostles of Jesus was Paul, who had this to say to slaves and their masters:
"Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free. You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him." (Ephesians 6:5-9, WEB) (Please note: "Servants" in this passage means "slaves," or “bondservants” as some Bible translations have it.)

Regarding slavery, here is what Jesus said:
"If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people." (Matthew 20:26-28, CEV)
"Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else." (Mark 10:44, NLT)

The slavery Jesus and Paul spoke of is a very different type of slavery than we know. The slavery they condoned is serving people with absolute selfless love, regardless what positions we are in: doctors, teachers, employers and employees, parents and children, and yes in that time bond servants, and masters.
Jesus taught that the two most important commandments are number one, love God, and second, love others as you love yourself: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31, ASV)
Jesus never condoned the cruel and ruthless slavery that humans have brought upon one another, because if you love others as you love yourself you would never be a ruthless cruel slave master. It seems so obvious doesn’t it.

Now on to slavery as our western mind or perspective knows it or thinks of it.
In the Old Testament, God did permit slavery for Israelites, but that slavery was also very different than the horrible treatment of slaves we know from the slavery of blacks in America. For example, God ordered male slaves to be set free after six years of service; but if the slaves loved their masters and didn't want freedom, the masters could have them for life. If girls were sold as slaves, the masters should care for them as wives; the masters should treat them as daughters if they married their sons. The penalty for kidnapping and selling people would be DEATH. (Exodus 21)
On Hebrew slavery Leviticus 25:35-43 says this
‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.’
Notice that the sole motive for allowing ‘slavery’ is actually humanitarian so the poor can continue in the land, and that it is NEVER ‘forever’ like the slavery we think of. The type of slavery we think of was forbidden and you would get the death penalty for doing it as you will see if you read Ex. 21:16 and Deut. 24:7.
The only clear case of involuntary servitude that was allowed was in the case of a thief that was too poor to make restitution for goods stolen, and here is was strictly an economic measure to repay the wrong doing – see Ex. 22:3

But why didn't Jesus condemn the institution of the oppressive form of slavery of the Romans?
To answer this, we must understand why Jesus came to Earth in the first place. He came here to fulfill very specific missions in a short span of time. Simply put, he was command-oriented. That means he was set to accomplish only what he was commissioned to do by Jehovah God Almighty.
Jesus' coming was, first, to teach people about God's Kingdom, and, second, to die in order to save us.
And by accomplishing his mission, he really in turn will abolished slavery for ever (but this won't be fulfilled until God's Kingdom is fully established on Earth). Once the Kingdom begins to reign in full power on earth (and it will), there will be no more tears, pain, suffering, and everyone will be happy and in peace for eternity. This is obviously a bigger more all encompassing long term goal than focusing on this Roman slavery issue. This is typical of those who put God on trial they only see the small picture and the present time. Just like those who tried and crucified Jesus. They wanted a savior that would free them from the Roman occupation and when He could not be controlled and did not do what they wanted Him to do they turned on him. We do that to when God won’t do it our way and in our time, and the way we think it should be done. We put Him on trial bring up accusations such as the commenter said “. They suffered due to the scripture regarding slavery in the Bible.” But it is just not true or founded when you really think and really want to see the truth. We want God to free us of what we see as the problem, like slavery, or bigotry, Roman occupation, or human violence and the suffering that comes with it. But God’s plan will free us of all of that and much more, in fact He will free us of SIN, PRIDE, FEAR, HATE, GUILT, SHAME, GREED, BITTERNESS, RESENTMENT, SUFFERING, SORROW, REBELLION, LIES, INJUSTICE, ARROGANCE, and so much more. And most importantly DEATH ! You see when God’s plan plays out it will ALL be resolved

Right now and to all eternity, those who choose to follow Christ become the slaves to righteousness, of Jehovah God and His Son Jesus, our Messiah. We serve with gladness selflessly, for God is the best master anyone could ever have. If you ask me, we would be crazy not to rejoice over this privilege we have! But God will not force you into being His servant, because He is not that kind of master.
In the end we all are slaves to something in our lives, some by choice, some not. I myself am a slave to my mortgage payment, and my other financial obligations. As Bob Dylan said “Your Gonna have to serve somebody.” “It may be the devil or it may be THE LORD, but you’re gonna have serve somebody”.
Me? Well I choose to serve the Lord because being a slave to Him allows the most freedom. And it is a lie from Satan the father of lies that tells you anything else.

Thanks again to the commenter who gave me something of value to write about even if it was not the intent, but God will always turn bad to good for those who follow Him.

Paria Rimrock Toadstools, Southern Utah

The Paria Rimrock Toadstool rock formations are on the south edge of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  This group of "hodoos" rock formations is just one of many that can be found in the exposed Entrada and Dakota layers of rock that runs from Lake Powell in the east to the Coxcomb Monocline. 

The toadstools or balanced rocks have an Enrtrada sandstone block on top that prevents erosion below it. I guess the layer below (Dakota sandstone) is softer than the Entrada sandstone and it erodes away except the stuff that is protected under the harder Entrada boulder causing the pedestal with time.  These are some crazy looking rock formations that just seen to defy logic, but here they are and there are more in other locations, this is just the easy to get to ones.  Here is a photo of the most notable ones as you come up on them from the south.

And then this one is as you get closer.

This next one gives you an idea of what the surrounding area looks like.

Just a little way northeast there are some more of these toadstool rocks.

So if you are traveling on the 89 or are going to hike Paria River Canyon that is just across the highway, and you have a little time, I think this short hike is well worth it.

This hike to the Paria Rimrock Toadstools is just an easy 1.5 mile round trip hike leading north from the highway to the hoodoos and balanced rocks. Drive north on highway 89 from the Glen Canyon Dam. Turn into the dirt parking area on the right just past Utah mile marker 19. The site is about 30 miles west of Lake Powell and 40 miles east of Kanab, Utah. Look for a series of white cliffs with vivid chocolate brown striping on the north side of US-89.

There is a gate and a sign in register.  The trail itself starts just inside the fence and is 0.8 mile each way, with mostly level and easy walking. It follows a sandy wash part of the way, then cairns (stone markers) lead you the rest of the way.

There is also a group of there "toadstool" rock formation closer to Lake Powell called the Wawheep Toadstools.  This is a series of several alcoves of these formations.  They are located at Wahweap Creek just outside of Big Water, Utah but the hike for these is much longer (9.2 miles roundtrip)  

This is a post of a trip into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that is somewhat near this hike. 

http://azjonesoutdoor.blogspot.com/2010/10/yellow-rock-and-hackberry-canyon-utah.html          And here is a post on the Paria River Canyon hike that is close by to this hike (just across the highway). 

http://azjonesoutdoor.blogspot.com/2010/11/paria-river-canyon.html  
http://azjonesoutdoor.blogspot.com/2010/09/exploring-buckskin-gulch-and-paria.html

Wet Beaver Creek Widerness, Arizona

I have written twice about a place called West Clear Creek and it has been one of the top ten most viewed posts in the last year. But there is another canyon that is West Clear Creek's little brother. It is called Wet Beaver Creek. Wet Beaver Creek runs from east to west and just like West Clear Creek it has many deep pools that you must swim to travel up or down the canyon. And just like West Clear Creek there is no trail in the middle part of the canyon and the going can be very difficult. But just like West Clear Creek the payoff is a remote wilderness experience of extreme beauty and solitude.

The total distance to do a through hike of this canyon from Waldroup Place up on the rim to the trail head parking lot at the mouth of the canyon is 15 miles. This would require a car shuttle. Many people start at the trail head parking lot and then do a loop hike by taking the Apache Maid Trail up to the rim and then drop down into the canyon at Waldroup Place and then travel down the canyon and back to the Bell Trail parking area.
The majority of the people that visit Wet Beaver Creek are day hikers that come up the Bell Trail and stop at a swimming hole known as The Crack.

The Crack is about four miles from the parking area on a maintained trail. The first two miles is a wide double track or jeep trail, and the rest is a foot trail along a ledge or bench above the creek until you get to The Crack. The trail is called the Bell Trail and it was used in the old days to move cattle from the lower areas up to the rim for the summer.

To do the loop trip you will take the Apache Maid Trail up and around. After about two miles you will come to a trail on the left called Apache Mail trail #15. This trail climbs steeply up to the north rim of the canyon gaining at least 1200 feet of elevation and then gets very vague as it travels on intermittent jeep tracks east to the access point called Waldroup place at the east or upper end of the canyon. This is a long trek with no water sources, that will gain and loose altitude as you go and if you are going to go down the canyon it means you will be doing this in the hot summer months. It is about 9 and 1/4 miles from the trail head to Waldrop Place. It is about 2 miles from Waldroup Place to get down into the main canyon. Then about 9 miles down the canyon till you pick up the Bell trail near the crack and about 4 more miles back down the Bell trail to the car for a total of around 24 miles for the loop. I once drove around to Waldroup place and just started from up there and just returned back the same way. This is a rugged access with seven dry falls you have to find a way around. When you get into the canyon it is dry at first but as you head west or downstream you will soon find several springs that are the source of Wet beaver Creek and then right away there will be a few big pools you must swim to go any farther down the canyon. The travel in the 9 mile trailess part of the canyon is very tough and strenuous with travel average at 3/4 miles per hour. To do the loop you could do it in two days but most would take three to make it enjoyable.
Anyway most people just come up from the Bell Trail to The Crack for a day hike and swim.

The Crack is two deep pools connected by a short slot, and it has a unique natural red rock diving board.

There are also taller cliffs on one side that brave or crazy people sometimes jump off into the water. The Crack can be very crowded on hot summer days, but this is where most of the people stop. But if you keep going up the canyon you will find it to be beautiful, wild, and best of all there will be few people.

Now the walk up the Bell Trail is a dry and hot four miles with very little shade. And much of it is up away from the creek with the sound of the water below teasing you as you go.  In one spot along the Bell Trail there is a large basalt boulder with what appears to be Anasazi Petroglyphs.

This is not unusual in this area in fact just a quarter mile farther up the main road past the trail head is the V-Bar-V Heritage Site with one of the largest petroglyph panels in all of Arizona.   This part of the canyon is wide open but then starts to close in after a few miles.

At about 2.7 miles there is a trail to the right that goes down to the creek called the Weir Trail, this is tempting but will not get you to The Crack and the best stuff. Keep on the upper trail and it will take you up on a bench high above the creek.

And at about the 4 mile mark you will see a trail (The Bell Trail) heading down to the right toward the creek and one going straight. Take the straight one that will take you upstream to The Crack. The bell Trail will take you to bell Crossing and cross the creek and then will climb the steep canyon walls to the rim above.
Once at The Crack to head up stream you will just be boulder hopping, wading, and fighting through willow thickets and brush.

You will be able to see some paths that others have taken that are the "least resistance" and that will help but this is primitive route finding. You will be doing extensive boulder hopping along the banks or in the creek. The creek is lined with willows that you will need to fight your way through as you cross from one side of the creek to the other. The creek bottom itself is very slippery with algae covered rock and it is best to avoid walking in the creek bottom as it will severely slow you down. After at least an hour and a half from The Crack you will encounter the first big pool or obstacle.

You must swim through this long pool to go any farther. And soon this will become the mode of travel so get used to it. In fact that is the fun part of this trip to swim in the cool deep shady pools while the rest of Arizona is baking in the hundred plus heat.

Another half hour or more upstream you will encounter more deep pools you must swim and soon there is a series of pools one after another that you will have to swim to go any farther.

In this section of the canyon the cliffs close in around you and get tall and majestic. This is a true wilderness experience, with few encounters with other people.

In some places there are trees wedged in the slots many feet above the water surface. A good reminder to not do this trip in the monsoon season.

I have seen beavers living in this area and I'm sure there could be bear or mountain loins too, for it is a real wild place. There are very few camp spots once all the swimming starts because the canyon walls close in on the creek bed. 

The best places are just before the first swim or just after the first big swim. Here is a great secluded area with great beauty to enjoy while you rest up for the return trip.  You could try to get in to this inner section and back out in a day but that would be one really long hard day with little time to take to enjoy the place.  Even breaking it up into two days by camping overnight makes for two very hard and strenuous days of hiking due to the extreme conditions (especially if you are an old guy like me).

Michael R. Kelsey's book Canyon Hiking Guide To The Colorado Plateau says there are 32 places where you must float a pack, and 23 of these you must swim because you can't touch bottom.  He also ranks this as one of his top 20 hikes out of over 120 in his book that covers canyon hikes in parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico (He ranks West Clear Creek as #8). 

Because there is no avoiding swimming in this canyon many people use flotation devices to ferry packs across the big deep pools. I use dry bags to keep my stuff dry and some cheap foam sleeping pads doubled up and folded in half strapped to the back of my pack to help float the pack. I find the blow up flotation devices just get popped by all the vegetation, but not using something to float the pack will cause your pack to weigh a lot more as it soaks up the water.

Some people install grommet type holes in the packs to help them drain. For shoes I just hike wade and swim in low cut hiking boots. Water shoes and sandals will just not cut it and your feet will take a pounding. Of course do not drink the water without purification. And never go in the middle part of this canyon in monsoon season due to flash flood potential (get a good weather report before your trip). Well I hope this helps any who want to take on the Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness Area.

Access: Drive 40 miles south from Flagstaff on Interstate 17. Leave the interstate at the AZ 179 interchange. Turn east under the highway and drive about 2.5 miles east to the old Beaver Creek Ranger Station turnoff. Turn north about a quarter mile to the parking lot and trail head.