Here I have descended partway down into the canyon. The trail is actually pretty hard to follow at this point, since it is only marked with cairns. A little ways down from this spot I got lost, which ultimately led me to the conclusion that cairns do not mark the trail, they mark a spot where the trail changes directions (except for some times in which they point to where the trail is going). The best strategy for navigating with cairns is when you come to a cairn, always look for where the next one is.

In case you are taking this trail, partway down the trail turns into the canyon instead of continuing along the cliff to the right. However, in case you missed it, you can follow the edge of the cliff (until you find the spot in the next picture). Note that you can’t follow the wash, as there is a couple hundred foot cliff.