Absolutely not! My only time with an external in Canyon de Chelly was descending a much more tranquil trail, which did however have some overhanging rock faces. The abrupt contact of the frame of my venerable Kelty just once convinced me that a softer internal pack was the only way to go.

Most of the currently used toe and hand hold trails in de Chelly are class four at their most difficult. Things get interesting when you look at the older prehistoric trails which have not been updated by the Navajo; these get up into 5.8 and 5.9. I looked at one which I never attempted. It ran up the lip of a large rock shelter at a fairly steep angle - tiny hand and foot holds, no cracks for protection and the opportunity to crater into the canyon below if you slipped. The only sane way to do it would be with some sort of bolt ladder, which is out of the question - this is a National Monument, after all. Not to say that I never fixed a bolt in de Chelly, but only very discreetly.