Schedule-wise, the trip went pretty much according to plan. We met, we went, we conquered and we returned with good memories, pictures, and perhaps some sore spots in some sensitive places. We made some minor changes to the plan. Some were intentional, at least one was not.
Day 0: Getting There
Justin and I arrived home from church a little late than expected. We arrived at 12:32 and Jason J. was waiting for us. We changed clothes quickly and packed up the vans and were ready to roll when Susie pulled in. I said a goodbye to her and we were off to Woods Cross to pick up Bob J.. As I helped get his stuff, he introduced us to his wife and I noticed a chello in their home. She turns out to be a music teacher and also a classical musician.
We had a nice quiet drive going down, making the usual stops in Beaver and in Page. The gates to the park were open, but unattended, and so we went right in, passed through the village area and out the other side without stopping. I found Rowe Road in the dark and we made our way to the trailhead where we setup tents sometime after midnight and went to bed. But, at least we made it and don't have to pack things up and drive to the trailhead later today.
 |
| Leaving Esplanade Junction |
 |
| Break time: Heading West towards Royal Arch |
Day 1: Bass to Upper Royal Arch Gorge
 |
| Potential Water Source |
 |
| Boulder Hopping Opportunities |
 |
| Campsite above the creek bottom |
Last night we camped out right at the trailhead, so this morning all we had to do was pack up, eat and get rolling. We left the trailhead at 9:15 and made a stop at the ruins and took another look at them. We then pressed on to the junction and stopped there at 10:30. We stashed our water and I used the same facilities that I used last year. The same impromptu toilet set was available. I just moved it to a slightly different location.
We left the junction at 10:50 and arrived just East of Drummond plateau @ 11:45 for lunch. Justin and I cooked for lunch and we took a play from Jason J's playbook (i.e. we had Macaroni and cheese). It was pretty tasty and with 220 calories plus gatorade, it hit the spot. We found some water along the way, which in some ways was a relief. It meant that the water sources that we'll be depending on will probably have water in them.
We arrived at our campsite this evening about 6 p.m. It is within the Royal Arch Drainage, so we found some relative safe and flat spots about 60 feet vertical above the creek bottom. The creek isn't flowing, but there is water available in the holes. According to the GPS, we are about 3 miles line of sight from the trailhead, it sure took a lot of hiking to get here. The first few miles, to the junction and then West for a hour, was pretty good hiking, then we got into some rougher territory and ended up doing a fair amount of boulder hopping, which made the speed much slower. It was also much warmer than expected.
We took about 2 hours worth of breaks which leaves about 7 hours of hiking time. I figure we did about 2 miles/hour for 1/2 the time and 1 mph for the remainder. Our plan was to do about 9 miles today and so I think we're pretty close. However, it was a pretty brutal trek. A lot of boulder hopping and very little well defined trail makes for slow going.
We saw several people hiking out and talked to a couple of them. Most said the trip was pretty brutal. According to the GPS, we're at 5000 feet, so we haven't dropped much from Esplanade junction. We've been between 5000 and 5500 for most of the day.
For dinner, Justin and I had steak fajitas, apple cider, and twinkies. The steak and green peppers were pretty good, but, In my opinion, the flour tortillas weren't worth bringing down.
Day 2: Royal Arch Gorge to Toltec Beach
 |
| Royal Arch Drainage & water source |
 |
| Hiking down Royal Arch Creek Bottom |
 |
| Obstacle on Right Side of "Big" Pour Off |
 |
| Drinking water in Royal Arch Drainage |
 |
| Boulder Hopping Opportunities in Royal Arch Creek |
We left camp at the usual 0900 and dropped into the gorge. We took the right side at the 'big' pour off and it wasn't too bad. It followed the cliff and had a few obstacles to navigate, though the exposure might make some a bit nervous. The horizontal section was followed by a steep descent down to the bottom of the drainage. Once we got down into the canyon floor, the obstacles were frequent and diverse. We had to wade one area that was thigh deep. Fortunately the water wasn't too cold and the distance wasn't that great. The other obstacles were just boulder hopping or figuring out ways to get around boulders while dropping further into the creek bed.
We inadvertently blew by the cairn that indicated the way to Toltec Beach. Our intent was to drop our packs at the cairn and then hike unencumbered down to the arch. Instead, we found the arch, but the packs were still on our back. Dang - now we have to haul them back up - a distance of only 1/2 mile, but every step counts when you're carrying 40+ lbs on your back.
The arch is fantastic. There is a stream flowing through the middle of it and a monument on the other side. A short distance from the monument is the upper end of Elves chasm and I definitely wouldn't recommend trying to hike through it. The trip would start with a huge rappel of several hundred feet and I suppose that once you navigate it, it might lighten up a bit. I read that it takes about 12-14 hours to navigate the three miles of elves chasm. Thanks, but no thanks, I'll go the other way to Toltec Beach.
We spent about 30 minutes at the arch and then started working our way back up the obstacles to find the cairn indicating the way to Toltec. We found it, it wasn't as big as expected, but it was pretty obvious. The Cairn included a stick pointing to the trail - duh!
It took 50 minutes to hike the 1/2 mile from the arch to the cairn. A lot of small obstacles to navigate, but if the distance is correct, we were averaging less than 1 mph. After getting to the cairn, it was a long climb up followed by a nice horizontal section with lots of little ups and downs. We finally got to the rappel place about 5 p.m. We found two ropes there along with some pretty good web anchors. The ropes and anchors looked to be in pretty good shape and so we used them. Jason Juliana went down free hand and then we started passing packs and lowering people. Everyone did well and Justin was the only one that seemed even a little apprehensive.
We arrived at the river at 7 p.m. and by the time we got tents pitched it was getting pretty dark. We had dinner and then went to the river to pump. We all used Juliana's pump because his could be cleaned where mine would just clog up. It took an hour to pump the water that Justin and I needed.
 |
| Royal Arch with Monument filling the gap |
Day 3: Toltec Beach to Copper Canyon
 |
| Royal Arch |
 |
| The Monument |
 |
| Looking Upstream through Royal Arch |
 |
| Looking into Elves Chasm |
We were on the trail by 9:00 again. The trail got rough pretty quick with a lot of rocks hindering the trail. Most of the rocks thus far have been sandstone. These were volcanic. They had sharp edges and between the boulder hopping and the sharp edges, we made slow time until we reached Garnet canyon. If I remember right, the Tonto trail officially starts at Garnet Canyon and the trail did get easier to navigate once we passed Garnet. Garnet itself is a pretty spot. There is a small stream flowing and the colors were pretty good. The stream flowed from pond to pond and the stream and ponds had salt crystals on the edges. Nice area, but the water was definitely not fit for drinking.
As mentioned earlier, the trail improved tremendously, but it was still a long hot hike to Copper Canyon. We stopped for lunch and to pump water. We also made several other stops when shade was available. Lynn, Jacob and I were the last to reach Copper and we got in about 5:30. Jason, Justin and Bob had found a rattlesnake on the trail and had used a stick to chase it off. When we came through that area, we could hear the rattler, and he didn't sound very happy.
Justin had the tent all set up when I arrived, so I just crawled in and rested a few minutes while he made two trips to pump water. Boy, am I glad he is here. He's made my chores a whole lot easier. Tonight we had potatoes and Lasagne for dinner and I ate most of my share. We then cleaned up, chatted and it is now 9:15. Much earlier than last night.
Day 4. Copper Canyon to Lower Bass and on to Esplanade Junction We're at Bass Canyon. We arrived here at 11:40 am and I'm now hiding out in some shade. We stopped at the same place that we camped out last year. Justin and I hiked down 10 minutes and found water in a hole in the creek bed that had captured water. We didn't go nearly as far down as we did last year. It took us 10 minutes to pump water and another 10 to get back to our shady spot.
We spent the next several hours resting, eating and rehydrating. We met two boaters that were hiking up the trail and one solo hiker that was going down to the Tonto and then East, following the same route we took last year. However, he was also coming back the same way and wasn't planning on going out the Boucher or Hermit trails. I'm not sure I would ever willingly hike this type of route solo. The chances for mishap are higher than the corridor trails, and because it is so remote, the chances of another hiker passing by is slim. I suspect that the permit system doesn't allow more than one or two groups per day on these trails.
 |
| Lynn and Jacob Under theArch |
We also changed our plans a bit. Because we got her so early and also due to the fact that we have water stashed at Esplanade, We've decided to hike up to the Esplanade tonight. Camp there, and then do the last 1.4 miles early tomorrow morning. Sounds like a good plan to me. It is only 3.5 miles from here to Esplanade and were planning on leaving about 4:30 which means we should be hiking up the main climb in the shade. It also means that I, being the slow guy, might not get to the junction until dark. The trail though is pretty good and I have a pretty good memory of the route.
 |
| Where Did this Rock Come From? |
Esplanade Junction 9:30 PMWe left our lower Bass shady nook at 4:20 and I arrived at Esplanade at
7:30. It was just minutes before dark when I arrived and Justin was already putting our campsite together. We made several stops along the way including one at the top of the big climb. There we had jerky, cheese, and crackers. It was a nice treat. Justin carried the cheese and crackers and it was time to finish it off.
 |
| Campsite at Toltec Beach |
 |
| Garnet Canyon |
 |
| Lynn at Garnet Canyon |
 |
| Back on the Tonto, Heading towards Bass |
that we took the Ambien @ 8:45 and therefore would probably wake up by 3 a.m. or so.
Lynn told me that he and Jacob would probably be up early and take off by 5:30 or 6 and would wait for us at the top.
Day 5: Esplanade Junction to Bass Trailhead
We spent the night at Esplanade Junction and because we took the Ambien so early last night, both Justin and I were awake pretty early. I heard Lynn and Jacob rustling around and so I checked my watch. It was 5:45. I got up a few minutes
later and spoke to them before they took off. They left the camp at 6.
Justin got up a few minutes after I did, so we started some breakfast and also started putting our stuff away. Bob and Jason got up a few minutes later and also started getting their stuff together. After breakfast, we finished cleaning up and put on our packs and off we went. I left right at 7:00 a.m.
It was still dark when we left and I wore my headlamp for awhile, but it soon lightened up and I was able to put it away. It was pretty nice hiking in the cool morning air, but I still worked up a pretty good sweat. It's only 1.4 miles to the top. My objective is to make it in an hour or less.
I lost sight of the other three within minutes of leaving the campsite. I didn't see them again until I reached the top. I looked for the Indian ruins, but didn't even see them though it was light enough that I could have. For some reason, perhaps the angle, I didn't see them in though I was keeping a watchful eye.
I arrived at the top at 7:59. I made it with one minute to spare. The other guys all had their packs off and my group had been there for 10 minutes or more. Lynn and Jacob had been there for more than an hour.
After unloading my pack and rehydrating we started putting things away. Before doing so though, I weighed the packs again.
Lynn: 54, 38 Justin: 52, 36 Jacob: 42, 33 Bob: 50, 42 Jason: 47, 37 Dale 52, 33
I was tied for the lightest pack coming out and I was the second heaviest going down. I think a tare weight of 33 pounds is the lightest that I've ever been since keeping track. I'd like to lose another 5 or more pounds of dead weight if possible.
We left the Bass trailhead about 8:45 and started driving back to the village. The roads were a bit drier than our trip in on Sunday and so we made a bit better time. I also found the road that splits off to the view point. It was closer to the trailhead than what I expected.
When we arrived at the Indian gate, no Indians were there, but the gate was closed. I almost hit it before realizing that it was shut. It is just a barbed wire gate and if I hadn't been paying attention, I would have done some damage to Justin's new Trailblazer. Pam would not have been happy.
We arrived at the Village as scheduled, 1.5 hours from Bass trailhead. We shopped at the visitors center gift store and I bought a long sleeve shirt and the others bought some souvenirs. We then went to the restaurant for breakfast and it was pretty tasty. We got on the road home just before noon and made stops at Page and Beaver for gas and eats. We dropped Bob off and then went straight home and got here at 9:40 p.m. Another trip to the Grand Canyon safely completed.
I have now hiked all the way from the East to the West on the Tonto trail except for two portions between the Kiabab and Bright Angel trails and between Hermits and Boucher. But if you plot all my trips on the map, I've covered the entire distance on foot. I started two years ago with Jason J., Jeremy N., and Jason H. and its now done with Jason J., Justin B., Bob J., Lynn B. and Jacob B. I did the bulk of it in 5 trips, with the exception of the piece between Bright Angel and the South Kiabab. However, I have hiked between the Bright Angel and South Kiabab using the River trail back in the 80's and 90s. So is it complete? Only time will tell if I ever get the opportunity to go back down and do the other Segments of the Tonto. Even if I never get a chance to complete the entire Tonto, the journey thus far has been fantastic.
 |
| Atlanta Billboard: Courtesy of my wife |
And finally, if you've read my other posts, you'll know that I have an intense love affair with Oatmeal. I wasn't even tempted once on this trip.
