I decided to run counter-clockwise starting at the Knowles junction. The run started off smooth and I made good time down Mee canyon except for getting off track right after dropping down into the canyon. The trail up the canyon is more established than the route downhill and there is a very cool cave cut through the rock wall by the creek. In my opinion it was 100% worth the detour but probably cost me about 15 minutes. Mee is very brushy but smooth sailing. I surprised a cougar in the creek which was definitely unnerving since I didn’t see any other people this entire section. I tried my hardest to beat the mixed gender FKT but the wheels fell off by the Colorado River. I think this still counts as a separate category though, but you be the judge :) The river section was way worse than it looks on the map. After so much bushwhacking and scrambling, I was pretty spent and unable to keep the pace I had managed through the Mee descent. Knowles also had less water, and it was much more “canyon” quality with a nasty, thick aftertaste. So I’d definitely recommend filling up more in Mee if possible. When I reached a trail junction I stopped my watch thinking I’d arrived at the junction that completed the loop but I immediately realized my mistake. I had 2.2 miles to go. Including the out and back from Knowles trailhead I ended up with over 40 miles. Could I do this faster a second time? Maybe. I will probably not attempt as the bushwhacking did get very tedious and I got a little freaked out from the exposure by the Colorado River. It was definitely worth the experience, if anything just for the cougar sighting!