Father's Day 2020.

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there including my own.  My dad is almost 95 years ago and is doing pretty well considering his age.  I didn't make it up there to see him today, but I'll be up later this week and I did call to wish him a Happy Father's Day.

Amber and Jason both called today.  I had nice chats with both of them.  Amber and I talked about Ginger Bug and so I made a video of how I make it.  Now I need to figure out how to get it to her.  Can I post a video to a blog?  I'll give it a try.

I found a video icon.  Does it work?  Nope!  At least not on the first try.  The video was too large.  I need to make it shorter or compress it.  According to the timer on the video, it lasts for 15:20.  How large is too large?  Should I split it into 3 five minute sessions or is 5 minutes still too long.  It's time to do so editing and some testing.

Wow:  What happened.  It's now Feb 2019.  Did I miss my annual Columbus Day Hikes:  Nope, nary a one.

The last post was the Oct 2012 hike which took place in Zion's National Park.  A lot has happened since then.  Let me recap.

Oct 2013:  We did something.  I don't remember what.  Old age is setting in.

Oct 2014:  We did another something.  Someone needs to help me out here.

Oct 2015:  Did something again, not the same thing, but something.

Oct 2016:  Ah, this one I remember without checking my notes.  Darin, Kris, Duane and I hiked the Thunder River - Deer Creek loop.  Lots of fun.  We got rained on just about everyday.

Oct 2017:  Kris, Mike, Mike's brother (need to look up his name, but it starts with a M) and I hiked Calf Creek, some slot canyons (including Peek-a-boo) and did a backpacking trip down Coyote Gulch.  Beautiful hike.  Lots of fun.

Oct 2018:  This one is still fresh on my mind.  I planned a hike down Jumpup Canyon, Kanab Creek, upstream along the Colorado River and then leaving the river at Deer Creek and exiting on the Bill Hall Trail.  This was quite the trip.  Things went wrong from the very beginning and to be completely honest, it was my error that caused the problem.  Just a little itsy bitsy error just kept compounding.  We did make it out ok, but we deviated from our permit substantially.  We had one massive hike on the last day and made it to our truck about 10 hours after our planned time.  Then we had to go back to the Sowats Trailhead where we started, pick up our bikes and a little other gear and then drive home.  I got to my house at 7 a.m.  What a trip.

Last year (2018) I actually made three trips down the Grand Canyon.  Kris, Darin, Curt and I drove down and meet up with Kris's brother and did the Kiabab - Grandview loop.  Then I went back down in Oct for the annual Columbus Day hike and finally I did a solo hike in November back down to Deer Creek to look for a camera that we lost a month earlier.  I didn't find it, but it sure was a fun hike.

I do have notes on my other trips.  I just need to do a bit of research to figure out what we did and when.  The hikes included a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike with Kris, Darin, Lucy and I and a two south rim hikes on the Tonto.  These two hikes consisted of the far eastern end of the Park and the far western end of the Tonto trail (Royal Arch loop).  Both hikes were repeats for me, but were still very enjoyable.

Salmon River Float Trip - 2012.09

A group of friends and new acquaintances and I just finished a 7 day 7 night float trip on the main fork of the Salmon River.  More details are coming, but not only was it a trip in my inflatable kayak, I was also able to do some swimming.  See the following video for a close view of Mallard Rapids.

Moab High Adventurer - In the rear view mirror

It's done.  The Varsity Moab bike/hike trip is history!

On Porcupine Ridge

It went pretty well.  We biked slick rock and Porcupine Ridge.  We hiked Professor Falls, Tusher Tunnel, played on the sanddune, and did a midnight hike to Corona Arch.  All in all, I think everyone had a good time some of the time.  A few probably had a good time all of the time, while a smaller number had a good time occasionally.  But no one had a terrible time all of the time.

At Tusher Tunnel

The food was excellent.  Kudos to Travis for a well planned, well executed menu.  If anyone went hungry it was there own fault.

The equipment worked well.  No major problems with bikes or vehicles.

Hiking with Justin on Professor Creek

We burned a lot of wood, but it was all under control.  No Southern Utah wildfires were caused by this group.

The adult leadership was excellent.  I'm not sure how if happened, but patience was demonstrated by both the young men and the old guys.

Hiking Professor Creek with Justin

The milkshakes at Moab Diner were fantabulous!

Any we only suffered a couple minor injuries - sunburns, blisters, a sliver. Not bad at all!  Except for the 5 broken legs, it went well.

The 5 broken legs probably deserves a little explanation.  We've planned on this trip for the past year.  We've done some mountain bike rides along the Wasatch Mountains to assess skills, test bikes, and build experience.  However the bike trails in Moab are just a little more intense.  Porcupine ridge is only 14 miles long, mostly downhill and is rated as a class 4.  One of the guys went over while negotiating an obstacle.  Immense pain,  Can't move.  Left leg broken below the knee.  After 10 minutes of checking it out, he was back on his bike peddling down the hill.

About a mile later - another obstacle that caused an upset.  Rider is down, another left leg broken below the knee.  Can't ride any further.  Need a helicopter for a medivac.  Sorry, that's not going to happen.  Ten minutes later he's on the bike riding down the hill.

Repeat three more times. Each time a left leg was broken below the knee.  How many left legs can one person break and still keep riding?

I know our skills aren't that great and we were very conservative in our biking, but what should have been a 4 or 5 hour ride, turned into a 6.5 hour ride.  Even with the 5 broken legs, we all made it down without anything worse than sunburn and minor scrapes and scratches.

The young man with the 5 broken legs even hiked into Professor Falls and climbed Corona Arch the next day.  Amazing recovery.

The whole Crew at Arches National Park

All in all, a good time was had and hopefully we all learned about teamwork, tolerance, patience and to appreciate the opportunities this great land and our freedoms provide.

Green River - Gates of Lodore to Split Mountain

Shortly there will be a trip report of a 4 day kayaking/rafting trip from the Gates of Lodore to Split Mountain.  It was a fantastic trip.  More to come shortly

4th Annual Columbus Day Hike - Zion National Park

Better late than never.  I'm finally my trip journal posted.

9/10/2011, Sunday, Getting There
Our plan was to leave Farr West at 3:00 p.m., which meant that I had to be ready to go before church, which runs from 11:00 to 2:00.  When church was over, I hustled home, put the last touches on my stuff and was ready to roll by 3.

My ride arrived just after three and we loaded up my stuff and we were off.  Our departure time was 3:15.  We drove to Salt Lake and picked up Kris's sister Natalie at the Home Depot parking lot.  We left there at 4:10 and made two pit stops for fuel and restrooms.  We arrived at our camp site just outside of Zions at 8 pm.

Jason H. drove up from Las Vegas and had secured a campsite for us just up the hill from where I camped out in September with the Virgin River group.  Jason had his tent set up and as usual, we planned on sharing.

10/102011, Monday - LaVerkin Creek

The Motley Crew:  Natalie, Darin, Kris, Jason, Dale

We got up at 8:00, had breakfast, packed up, and left the campsite at 9:30.  We stopped at one of the stores along the way because Natalie had gotten cold and wanted to pick up something a little warmer.  We got to the trailhead at 11:00 a.m. and were on the trail at 11:30.  We made two 15 minute stops.  I was the first to arrive at our campsite at 2:30 and the others arrived about 15 minutes later.  Our campsite is #12 which is straight across LaVerkin Creek from where we camped at last summer.  It's a pretty good location and there is a stream flowing into the creek just West of our campsite.  It got dark about 7:30 and the temperature started to fall as it got dark.  While hiking, the temperature was pretty comfortable, a little warm during the afternoon, but not bad.

LaVerkin Creek Trail

After setting up camp we pumped several gallons of water from the side stream and then I went for a short walk and jumped onto a sandbar and 1 leg sunk well past my knee.  The sand was supersatured with water and though it looked solid, but damp, it was far from solid.  After pulling my self out, I walked back to camp
and everyone was a bit surprised to see my leg all covered with sand.  I took them back to where I jumped and did it again.  This time though, it was much firmer and as I looked around for the reason, I discovered the each time someone walked on the sand, it pushed out water which made it even more firm.

The mud pit

We sat around camp until 9 p.m. or so.  They moon came up, temps dropped and people started going to bed.  I let Natalie have my bivy sack to use inside of her tent so hopefully she'll stay a little warmer.

LaVerkin Creek near our campsite

My eats today consisted of dried Mango, beef jerky, roast beef sandwiches, a banana, apple cider, steaks, and mashed potatos.

6 Miles, 2.5 hours, ~1510 calories burned


11/10/2011,  Tuesday - BearTrap and Kolob Arch
I got up at 7:30 and everyone else was up shortly thereafter.  My breakfast consisted of pancakes and syrup along with a 3 inch roast beef sandwich.  We are staying here again tonight, so no need to rush around putting our stuff away.  Our plans call for a day hike up to Bear Trap canyon this morning and then up to the Kolob Arch area this afternoon.

Homemade? Pancakes and syrup 

 We hit the trail at 9:50 and arrived at Beartrap waterfall at 11:50.  Two hours for a 2.5 mile hike.  We took several breaks along the way and had to cross the creek a number of times.  Beartrap waterfall is at the end of a short narrows canyon.  It's technically to wide to be called a slot canyon and it has a shallow stream flowing through the bottom.

Mouth of Bear Trap Narrows

It was a refreshing hike and the scenery made it worth while.  We left the falls at 12 and arrived back at the confluence of LaVerkin Creek at 12:10 where we stopped for more photos and lunch.  We arrived back at the camp at 1:30 and ate a more hearty lunch, relaxed, and then prepared to hike up the Kolob Arch canyon.

Bear Trap Waterfall

We left for Kolob at 2:34 and after getting to the viewpoint, we headed to the left and found a better place to view the arch.  Our better angle gave us a better view of the arch and allowed us to see blue sky thru it.

Kolob Arch

We then went back to the trail and headed further upstream (North).  This was the right fork of this little stream.  There is supposed to be a triple waterfalls up there somewhere.  We didn't find it last summer when we were up here, this time we have more time and hopefully we'll be more successful.  When we arrived at the place where we turned around last summer, we stayed on the West side of the creek instead of the east.  We found a way past the barrier that hindered us last time and within 10 minutes we were at the first waterfall.  It was a nice scenic area and we spent a few minutes there before again heading upstream to see the other two falls.

The hike to the waterfalls was quite enjoyable.  It is pretty much an obstacle course with lots of fun little challenges to overcome.  Of course, anything thing that we climbed up, has to done in the reverse direction and a little teamwork went was beneficial.

The upper part of the trail was a much more difficult and Kris, Darrin and I had to do a lot of scrambling.  I did find the upper falls and we sat at the base of it which was at the top of the middle falls.  The lower and middle falls had similar shapes and looked like big slides.  After a few minutes, we headed back down the slope and met up with Jason H and Natalie and then headed back down to camp.  This canyon is a beautiful canyon and what makes it unique is the obstacles that you have to negiotiate due to numerous flash floods.  I'm sure it changes just about every year.

We arrived back at camp at 6:00 p.m., had dinner and most were in bed by 9:45.

7 Miles, 5.5 hours, ~ 2849 Calories burned

12/10/2011,  Wednesday - Hop Valley & Northgate
Today the real hiking begins.  We hike from here to the Northgate Trail 12.8 miles away where we'll spend the night.

I got up this morning at 6:30 and had a breakfast of hot chocolate and poptarts followed by a bottle of instant breakfast made with morning moo.  We left the camp at 8:30 and hit the junction at 8:45.  From the junction, our trail turned South and up a significant hill.  The Hob Valley is a nice peaceful valley with a stream meandering thru the middle of it.  We crossed the stream several times as we worked our way south.  Finally the stream petered out and we started climbing out of the valley.  At the top of the ridge, we stopped for lunch in some shade and were passed by several other hikers headed toward LaVerkin Creek.  Our lunch site was about 1 mile from the Kolob Reservoir road.  We crossed the road and started the Connector trail which will take us to Wildcat Canyon and our campsite on the Northgate trail.

About 1 mile passed the road, the Fowers and I stopped and pumped some water out of a very small stream.  We then started climbing the last big hill on the Connector trail.  I was leading as we were going up this hill and had my head down just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.  I was a bit startled when I saw a pair of boots off the side of thre trail.  A older guy was standing there waiting for me to come up.  I stopped and talked with him for a few minutes and found out that he didn't know exactly where he was.  His GPS wasn't working and he had no food or water.  The rest of my group caught up and  we told him where he was and figured out where he needed to go.  He had missed his trail junction and had to choices.  Continue the direction he was going and then hike back up the road or go back to the junction, the same direction we were headed, and then get back on the right trail.  This second route was shorter and so he hiked with us to the junction and then he took the fork that would lead him back to his vehicle.  It was the shorter route and where he didn't have any food or water with him, it was a decision I felt more comfortable with.

We continued on the Wildcat trail for just a short distance and then took the Northgate trail to the south.  There isn't a defined camping spot and so we didn't know exactly what to look for.  We ended up hiking to the very end of the trail (about 1 mile) and then turning around and hiking almost all the way back to the junction.

At 5:00 p.m. we found a site overlooking a valley and pitched our tents.  There isn't any water at this location, but according to my notes, there is water in the area.  So Darrin, Jason and I gathered up water bottles and started looking around.  I went back to the junction and headed East.  AFter about 35 minutes, I found a
stream and filled up all the jugs I had.  Darrin and Jason also fund water, but there's came out of a mudhole, so I think mine was the better choice, but either way, at least we had water to drink and cook with.

I got back t camp about 6:45 just a few minutes before dark and started unpacking and getting dinner.  The lasagne was good and I was pretty hungry.  It was a long day and though the point to point distance was 12.8 miles, I figure that I put on at least 17 miles with the extra hour of hiking to get water that I made and the extra
2.2 miles to the end of Northgate trail.

17 miles, 9.0 hours, 4530 calories burned

13/10/2011, Thursday - Northgate to Potato Hollow
I was up again at 6:30.  For some reason, that is all the sleep that Ambien will allow.  We left this morning at 8:20 and hiked for 40 minutes and then stopped for 40 minutes to pump water at the same place that I pumped last night.  We then went for another hour and stopped for 15 minutes and then stopped again for 40 minutes while I fixed my feet.  I think my socks are trapping to much moisture and my skin is getting soft from being damp.  After fixing my feet, we continued on and arrived at Lava Point at 12:10 and stopped for lunch at 1300.  Jason was a long ways ahead of us and so he wasn't with us for lunch.  We found out that he stopped at 13:10 for his lunch.  We met up again at 13:47 and hiked as a group for the next few miles until we reached our campsite at Potato Hollow.  We made a few stops for pictures as there was some unique scenery including a burned over area that left a bunch of burned our trees standing.  It was a great hike and lots of solitude.

Once we got to Potato Hollow we set up camp and Jason and Celsius (our new name for Natalie because she was always wearing hot pink, hot purple outfits) went exploring.  They found this neat little grotto area with waterfalls and ferns.  It made the whole days hike worthwhile.  They came back and told the rest of us about their discovery and we all went to take a look.  There was a lot of water in the area and so we made use of the facilities and cleaned up a bit.  It was nice to wash some of the dirt and sweat off.  My meals today included hot chocolate, pop tarts, morning moo and instant breakfast, Jerky, trail mix, lots of gaterade, tuna and crackers, chips, mango, top ramen soup.  I also finished of my first red bottle of fuel.  For Dinner I had 2 servings of dehydrated terriyaki chicken and rice and 2 cups of hot apple cider.

Once it got dark, we had four deer come visit us in our campsite.

10.2 Miles, 4.5 hours, 2718 Calories burned

14/10/2011, Friday - Potato Hollow, Angels Landing & Grotto
This is our last day of hiking.  Our path will take us to Angels Landing and then down to the Virgin River at the Grotto.

We got up at 6:30 again and got rolling.  I had my breafast of hot chocolate and morning moo with instant breakfast and poptarts.  I need to figure out something other than poptarts, but oatmeal is definitely not a good alternative.  My heels look pretty bad this morning.  I decided to keep them bandaged, but only wear 1 light weight liner socks.  I left the camp at 8:12 and stopped when I got back to the main trail because my heels hurt so bad.  The other caught up to me at the main trail and behind the bunch of us, we figured out a way to doctor my feet.  I ended up putting feminine pads around my heels which helped keep the pressure off and then I put on the liners and the heavy socks.  It helped to a degree, but they are still pretty sore.  We then proceeded up the hill and made our first real stop at 9:40 and started up again at 10 and went for another hour.  We stopped at 11 and then again at the 2nd telephone junction trailhead.  We then pressed on 2 Angels Landing.  I was definitely the slow guy today because every step was painful.  I arrived at Scouts Lookout @ 12:50 a took a 10 minute break.  The others had beat me down my a considerable about of time.  Jason was there before 12:30.  I changed out of my boots and put my Keens on and the group of us climbed Angels Landing.

The climb up to the landing was pretty fast.  There were not nearly as many people as there were in August.  We stayed on top for only about 10 minutes and then headed back down.  Once at the Landing, I changed back into my boots and headed back down at 2:15.  I arrived at the bottom at 3 p.m.  Jason was already there and the others showed up a few minutes after me.  After getting some water, we boarded the shuttle and headed back down to park central.  We arrived at the visitors center just before 5 and Jason and Darrin took off immediately to complete the shuttle.  Darrin's truck was still at Lee's Pass and so I said goodbye to Jason and they were gone.

The girls and I went to the Visitors Center and looked around and then caught the town bus and rode over to the Quality Inn Campground to take showers.  While Changing, I discovered that I had lost my Kodak Camera.  I new I had it at the bottom before I got on the bus, so after showering, I told Kris that I had lost my camera and was going back to the visitor's center to see if it had been turned in.  I walked all the way back and made it just before they closed.  Fortunately the bus driver had found it and turned it in.  AFter signing for it, I made the walk back to the Quality Inn and arrived at 6:10.  Darin had just arrived and was showering.  As soon as he was done, we loaded up and departed for dinner and gas in Cedar City.  We had a nice dinner at Chili's and left Cedar at 9 p.m. and arrived home at 1 p.m.

10.3 Miles, 4.0 hours, 2257 Calories burned

Trip Totals:  Miles = 50.5;  Hiking Time = 25.5; Calories burned = 13864

2011.08 Zion Narrow's Trip

8/25/2011  Thursday:  Getting there
It's finally here, the day I've been anticipating and dreading for the past two months.  I'm not talking about the Zion Narrows hike, I'm talking about my colonoscopy.  Yep, the dreaded day is now here.  However, 10 days ago I was given the opportunity to go on a hike down the Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park.  Do I cancel the colonoscopy again?  Nope, I can do both.

The morning was preceeded by 1 day of soft foods followed by a day of pure liquid diet.  That evening included a liquid prescription with the sole purpose of cleansing the entire intestinal track.  So I stayed closed to the white porecelin throne all evening and into the night.  Finally getting to sleep sometime after 2:30.  At 5:50 a.m. the alarm went off and it was time to roll.  Susie and I went to the Davis hospital for my 7:30 appointment.  The procedure itself was uneventful. I changed clothes, talked with the doc and staff, fell asleep and woke up 30 minutes later and the dirty dead was complete.

I even got to see some pictures, no problems were identified and I don't need to do it again for 10 years.  I woke up in pretty good shape and after the docs post op visit, I got dressed and Susie took me home.  I layed around for a few hours, then finished packing and about 2 p.m I said goodbye to Susie and took off.

Curt, Mark and Paul left early and the fifth guy in our little group cancelled out at the last moment so I drove down to Zion solo.  I stopped at REI to get a new water filter, Mapleton to buy some food, drink and gas and then in Cedar City to eat and get more gas.  I arrived at Springdale at 10:00 p.m. and Curt met me at the check-in.  I finally got to bed about 11:00 p.m.

8/26/2011 Friday:  Virgin River Narrows
We got up just after 3:00 a.m. and were on the road just after 4.  I drove my truck to the Zion Visitor Center and parked it and then climbed in Curt's truck with the others.  Curt then drove the hour and half trip to Chamberlain Ranch and the Virgin River Narrows trailhead.  After making final preparations, we started on the trail at 6:30.  Our first stop was at 7:15 when we arrived at Bullock's cabin.  It's an old abandoned cabin that has definitely moved beyond it's prime.  Behind the cabin was the remains of an old engine.  It looked like it might have powered a generator, but it has also passed it's prime.

Old Motor with Bullock's Cabin in background

The first few miles were on a dirt road and then on a trail.  By 8:30 we were in the gorge area and started doing some serious wading in the river.  Fortunately the water temperature wasn't too bad nor was the flow very high. There were a lot of crossings as the trail crisscrossed the river as trails were terminated by cliffs that went right into the river.

The book states that it takes 3:30 hours to get to the beginning of the narrows.  We weren't sure where the beginning was, but we thought that we were still a bit ahead to the 12.5 hour schedule.

Upper End of Zion Narrows

The first real obstacle is the waterfall.  It is 6.9 miles from the trailhead.  The book describes it as a 12 foot waterfall and instructs you to take it on river left.  We looked over the edge at river left and 'you've got to be kidding.'  However, further to the left, on the other side of a rock wall, was a chute that took us up and over and then back down on the other side.  We ended up just downstream from the falls.

We arrived at Deep Creek confluence at 11:25.  The Deep Creek doubled the water volume.  It made wading the river a bit more dicey.  The book suggest 5 hours to get to Deep Creek and we were right on schedule.  We ended up swimming in one area and I opted to swim a couple more times just because it was refreshing.  Being in the canyon kept the temperature down, but it did get toasty as we were passing by some of the campsites.

Confluence of Virgin River and Deep Creek

The following video is somewhere in the heart of the Virgin River Narrows.

We passed by Orderville canyon at 3:15 which was 8:45 minutes into the hike. The book time was 10 hours so we've gained some time.  Orderville canyon is a narrows canyon coming in on river left.  It's about 15 feet wide at the entrance and had a small stream coming down.  We passed the trailhead of Orderville Canyon as we drove to Chamberlain Ranch this morning.  It appears to be a hike that could be fun at some point in the future.  It does require a 50 foot rapel at the very beginning of the hike.

Mouth of Orderville Canyon

Yesterday, there was a cloudburst about 5 p.m. and so we were a bit anxious to be out of the canyon by 5 or so.  The literature states that the time to hike the narrows varies between 8 and 14 hours.  So we hoped to be out 5 which would make a 10.5 hour hike.  we were about about an hour up the river when we heard the first sounds of thunder.  We still had clear skies overhead and people were still heading up the river, but we were anxious to get out of the canyon.

We arrived at the paved trail at 4:30 which was 10 hours after we started.  We arrived at the bus stop 20 minutes later.  So it took us 10:20 to make the 15.7 mile trip.  We made a number of short stops for pictures and two longer stops for lunch and to pump some water.  All in all, it was a good trip.  However, for Curt and I it wasn't over.  We still had to drive back to the trailhead and pick up Curt's vehicle.  The trip will take at least an additional 3 hours.

I shuttled everyone back over to our camp and Zion's Campground and Curt and I changed clothes and then took off.  We stoppped at a restaurant and bought some hamburger's to go and then started off.  We got stopped at the long tunnel and started eating our dinner.  It was a short wait, so I put my sandwich away and drove through the tunnel.  We stopped at Pine Creek and finished eating and then drove to the trailhead.  In some places the dirt road was muddy and slick.  It had already rained and it must have rained hard for a little while, but we didn't have any problems getting through.

At the trailhead, we met up with another group that was getting ready to go through the narrows.  They were planning on camping at the trailhead and getting an early start tomorrow.  We gave them an overview based on our experience.  Hopefully it won't rain a lot more tonight.

We made it back to camp about 10:30 and after showering and cleaning up, I was able to get into bed.  It was just after 11:00 when I turned off my flashlight.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable day.  A long day, but very enjoyable.

8/27/2011 Friday:  Angels Landing Hike
Curt and I slept in a little this morning and by the time we got up, Mark and Paul were dressed and ready to go.  The plan was to hike Angels Landing because they got rained out when they made the attempt on Thursday. So we drove back to the park and took the shuttle to the grotto area which is the Angels Landing trailhead.  We started the hike at 8:55 and I made it to the top at 9:10.  It took an hour and 15 minutes to hike 2.5 miles with a 1500 foot vertical.  Not to bad.  Mark was the only one of group that didn't make it to the top.

Chains on the Ridgeline to Angels Landing

The exposure is very significant as you make your way from Scout Point to the top.  They have placed chains in some areas, but the exposure to the vertical dropoffs can be quite unnerving.  It seems that they've put up more chains than what they had when I first climbed Angels Landing in the mid 90s.  On my first trip, there was one area that I got on the hands and knees and crawled across.  No problems this year and I think it was because they had more chains.

On top of Angels Landing

As we made our way from the Scout Point to Angels, we spotted a bird perched at the top of the tree.  I couldn't get a good picture, but could this be a condor?

Is this a Condor?

4th Annual Columbus Day Hike

As noted in an earlier post, the Grand Canyon hike for Columbus Day week is off, but the world's a big place and I've only seen a small part of it.  Therefore:

The 4th Annual Columbus Day hike is being planned for Zion National Park.  The objective is the West Rim trail starting at Lee's Pass and ending at the Grotto in the main part of the park.  It is about a 37 mile trek.  My plan is to pick up the permits on Monday morning and start the hike as quickly as possible, but we have to drive back up to the Kolob area to start.  On Monday, day 1, we'll hike in to the Kolob Arch, Hop Valley trail junction area and campout at one of the campsites in the area.  Sites 11, 12 & 13 are just before the Kolob Arch junction.  If we get there early enough even the afternoon, we could hike up to Kolob Arch viewpoint.

On Day 2, I'd like to hike over to Beartrap canyon and waterfalls.  This would be a day hike and we would return to the same area.  We could spend a second night in the same location or move on down the Hop Trail.  I still need to do research on actual campsites.

Day 3, Wednesday.  Continue the hike down the Hop and perhaps get to the connector trail and over to Wildcat.

Day 4.  Thursday.  See some more of the sites and continue the hike.

Day 5.  Friday.  Hike Angel's Landing and then exit at the Grotto.

As you can see, the details still need to be worked out and permits secured.

4th Annual Columbus Day - Grand Canyon

On June 1st I submitted another request for permits to hike the Grand Canyon.  There are a few of us that want to repeat last years hike but add an extra day so we can visit Elves Chasm.  Three weeks later, I received notice that my request for permits was denied.  Bummer!

Now what am I going to do.  Perhaps I'll delete the Grand Canyon part of the title and just announce a 4th Annual Columbus Day hike.  I just finished a hike in Zion's with some young ladies from our ward, perhaps I'll plan on doing a Columbus Day hike in Zion's.  There's a 37 mile trail that would be fun to do.  It starts at Lee's Pass and Ends at the Grotto area of Zion near the Angels Landing Trailhead.

The Missing Links - Finishing the Tonto Trail

I finished the bulk of the Tonto trail in Oct 2010.  I've hiked from the eastern start of the Tonto at Hance Rapids to the Western end at Copper Canyon.  However I missed the two little segments:  the section between the tipoff on the Kiabab trail to Indian Gardens and the section between the Hermits trail/Tonto junction and the Boucher trail at Boucher Creek.  Earlier I rationalized that I had hiked the equivalent of the Tonto trail because, as portions of other hikes, I have:

1. hiked from the tipoff  to Phantom Ranch and then back up to Indian Gardens
2. hiked from Boucher Creek up the Boucher Trail to Hermits Rest and I've hiked from Monument to Hermit's Rest on the Hermit Trail. 

However, after sitting in a cubicle for 9 hours a day, the appeal of the Grand Canyon got to me again.  My newest son-in-law (Jake) and I were given the opportunity to hike in late February and so I applied for permits and got them 10 days before our planned hike.

My hiking companion for this hike has been in the family for 3 months.  He married my daughter in December and now gets to spend 6 days in near solitary confinement with the 'dad'.  Will he survive?  Will I survive?  About 18 months ago, a friend loaned me his copy of "Death in the Canyon." It was an excellent and book and documented a number of the accidents that have happened in the canyon.  Would my new son-in-law and I hit it off, or ...

Getting there:

Our trip started off at the usual spot.  My house.  We loaded our stuff, and then added my wife's suitcase and my daughter's suitcase in the back of my extended cab S-10 pickup.  We then put the youngster's in the jumpseats while Susie and I took the front seats.  It was close quarter's to the SLC airport where we dropped them off.  The girls are flying to Arkansas to visit my oldest daughter which is why I have the opportunity to spend time with Jake.

Our drive down was pretty uneventful except for snowstorms in southern Utah and again once we got inside the Park.  We arrived about midnight and rather than set up camp in the middle of a storm, we opted to do the hotel thing.  Warm beds, hot showers, out of the snow.  Works for me.

Day 1:  Hermit's Rest Trailhead to Hermit Creek Campground

We got up this morning and it was still snowing like crazy.  We had our packs in the room so we went through everything one more time and then repacked.  I brought two packs, my external "Trip 3" pack that I took on my very first trip down the Grand Canyon and I also had my internal frame.  The internal frame pack weighs about 8 pounds while the trusty old trip 3 only weighed 2 pounds.  However, as I was repacking the trip 3, I broke two of the lash points, so I went back to the trusty old internal frame.  I was hoping to give up over 5 pounds of tare weight.  Not on this trip!

Jake at Santa Maria Spring

We went to my favorite rim restaurant and had breakfast and did some shopping.  By the time we were done, the snow and let up and so we headed out to Hermit's Rest.  The road hadn't been plowed yet and the snow was so deep in some places that we had to use the four wheel drive.  We made it the the trailhead and there was only two cars there.  Both were covered in snow.  After changing boots and getting our snow gear on, we headed out.  It was 12 noon.

The snow had stopped by the time we got on the trail, but the wind was still blowing.  As we pulled into the trailhead, one car pulled out.  We saw his tracks on the trail when we started out, but they were quickly completely gone except for an occasional solitary footprint.  Once we dropped a few hundred feet, we were out of the wind and were starting to heat up.   I unzipped the outer layer and took of an inner layer to cool off.  I took off more at Santa Maria Springs.  The trail was nearly snow free starting just below the springs and we started making pretty good time.  We took periodic breaks and made it to Hermit's Creek about 6:00 p.m.  We saw 4 other hikers at the Hermit/Tonto junction, but they were not at the campground when we got there.  I figured that they went down to Hermit Rapids.

Day 2:  Hermit's Creek to Boucher and Return

My objective for the day was to day hike from Hermit's to Boucher Creek to finish the first of my two missing 5 mile segments of the Tonto.  We got a pretty early start and made it to Boucher well before noon.  We relaxed for awhile, took some pictures, and then headed back.  It was an easy 10 miles because we had day packs with some emergency gear, my water filter, and lunch.

Boucher Trail Marker

Jake at Boucher Creek

Day 3: Hermit's Creek to Monument

Our campsite at Monument Creek

Today we head back toward Indian Gardens (IG).  Our campsite tonight is Monument.  Since Monument is only 3 miles away, we left Hermit's late and still arrived before noon.  After setting up camp, I hiked down to the river, took some photos and explored a bit.  I was hoping to see a raft or two come through, but no luck today.  I then hiked back to Monument and arrived right at the agreed upon time.  The trip to Granite rapids is an easy and enjoyable hike.

The Monument

Day 4:  Monument Creek to Indian Garden
Today we hiked from Monument to Indian Garden (IG).  It's the longest hike of the trip, but it is mostly flat with just the normal ups and downs of the Tonto Trail.

Break time at XXX Creek

We made several stops along the way and when I got to the Plateau Point trailhead, I dropped my back and told Jake that I would meet him at Indian Gardens. I had always wanted to hike to Plateau Point, and this was my opportunity.  It was a mostly flat hike and there were several people there and so I had one of them take my picture.

Marker at Plateau Point Trail Junction

At Plateau Point

When I got to IG, I met up with Jake.  He had already asked the ranger if we could change our plans a bit.  We decided to spend two nights at Indian Gardens rather than one night here and another night at Bright Angel Campground.  Jake's knee is bothering him and we both that it might be best to take it easy so we can get out of here without doing additional damage to him.  So we modify our plans.  I will now hike solo from IG to the tipoff.  Because it has been a few years since I've hike up the Bright Angel trail, I also decided to continue as planned and hike down to the river, cross the black bridge to Phantom Ranch and the cross the silver bridge and head up the Bright Angel to IG.

Day 5:  Day Hike from Indian Gardens to the Tipoff and Phantom Ranch
I started my hike at about 9:00 a.m. and took a picture at the Tonto trail - Bright Angel trail junction.  I then started East and made several stops along the way including a stop at Pipe Creek.  Pipe Creek is a nice little Oasis in an otherwise barren area.  There is a nice camp site and the Creek appears to start near the trail crossing.  Unfortunately my battery died while at Pipe Creek.  Fortunately I had a spare, but when I pulled it out to swap, I found out that I had grabbed my cell phone battery, not my camera battery.  That means I carried an extra .5 ounces for miles.  And I was trying to reduce my pack weight on this trip.

The Oasis at Pipe Creek

Once I got to the tipoff, I waited for a hiker to come by and asked it he would mind putting my chip in his camera and then taking a picture of me by the Tonto West sign.  He agreed and so I at least have a picture of me at the conclusion of my epic journey on the Tonto Trail. Ok, I'm being a bit melodramatic, but I was happy to get the picture.

At the Tipoff.  I've now finished the Tonto Trail

Then, as planned, I continued my hike down the Kiabab and across the river to Phantom Ranch where I stopped, had lunch, refilled my water and used the first real facilities in 5 days.  (running water, flushing comodes, and electric hand dryers were very nice).  I then started back down stream on the north side of the river to the silver bridge and back up to IG.

The last time I had been from on the Bright Angel trail from Phantom Ranch to IG was in December, 1990 as part of my Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim trip with my boys and Mr. Dave.  I had forgotten what a gorgeous hike it was.  I don't remember a nice restroom facility at the place where the trail turns south to head up towards IG, nor do I remember crossing the creek several times.  Perhaps I had been to focused on just getting out of the canyon on those earlier trips.

I had a enjoyable, quiet hike back to IG and arrived there at 3 p.m.  It was nice to get my boots off and put my down slippers back on.  I bought them many years ago, but decided to take them on this hike just so I could have some warm, lightweight, comfortable things on my feet as I'm putzing around the camp.

Day 6: Indian Garden to Bright Angel Lodge Trailhead 
Jake and I were on the trail out of the canyon at precisely 8:00 a.m.  We made a couple of brief stops along the way, and a few additional stops just to catch our breath.  I picked out the location where we had the mule incident back in 1991.  I thought it was closer to the 1.5 mile rest house, but it was actually much further up the trail.  I arrived at the trailhead at 11:00, 3 hours to get from IG to the top.  The distance was 4.5 miles and 3080 feet vertical.  I felt that I made pretty good time.  Jake was just a couple of minutes behind me.

After he got to the top, we walked down to the transfer point, got on the next bus and made the 30 minute trip back to Hermit's Rest.  All of the snow on the road and in the parking lot was gone and the temps were very comfortable.  What a difference a few days make.

After getting to the truck, we weighed our packs.  Mine weighed 52 pounds. What?  I went down with the same weight as I came up with.  Not a chance!  Then I started thinking about it.  When I weighed my back on day 1, I was wearing all of my winter gear.  Today, it was all in my pack.  And, though I ate nearly all of my food, I went down with just a quart of water because I knew there was water a Santa Maria springs if I needed it.  However, in preparation for the climb out, I topped off my 3 liter camelback because in the past I have really sucked down the water.  However, due to the cool temps and the short distance, I didn't drink nearly as much of my water.  So I ended up carrying out a lot more water than I should have.

Going Home:
We stopped at the Bright Angel restaurant again for breakfast, stopped at the gift shop for some gifts and souvenirs and then headed home.  We were on the road by noon and arrived home before midnight.  It was an excellent trip and the weather home cooperated quite nicely and we were able to make much better time.

It's Done or Is It? A Plan to make it Official

Last October when I completed the Royal Arch - Elves Chasm Loop I also finished the Western end of the Tonto trail.  In my post of last October's trip, I wrote that I had hiked the entire distance of the Tonto Trail from the far Eastern beginning to the Western end.  I also noted that I had not hiked the Tonto segment between Hermits Creek and Boucher nor had I hiked the segment between the S. Kaibab tipoff to Indian Garden.  However I had hiked from Boucher Creek to Hermits Rest in Oct of 2009 and I had hiked from Monument Creek to Hermits Rest in March of 2010.  So although I hadn't hiked the Tonto between Boucher Creek and Hermits, I have hiked from Boucher to Monument.

Likewise I have never hiked the Tonto between the Tipoff and Indian Gardens, but I have hiked from the tipoff to Phantom Ranch and from Phantom Ranch to Indian Gardens.  It wasn't on the Tonto, but I have done the distance.

When I completed the October 2010 hike, I thought that I might be finished with the South Rim trails.  However, five months of cubical life can change one's perspective.  In addition to being stuck in a cubicle, my 3rd daughter got married in December and so now I have a new son-in-law to break in.  Hence another trip to the Grand Canyon is in the works.

Last year (Feb 2010), my son Justin, Jason H, and I put together a last minute trip down the Grand Canyon.  Our plan was to hike from the tipoff to Boucher, but we were late requesting permits and ended up with permits for two nights at Monument Creek.  We took them because two nights in the GC is much better than 3 days in the cubicle.  This year I was also late putting this trip together, but was able to get permits for 5 nights in the GC.


The Permit:  Five nights below the rim.  The first and second nights are at Hermits Creek.  The third night is at Monument then on to a night at Indian Gardens.  The last night will be at Bright Angel Campground.  It is the same trip that I had hoped to do last year.


The Hike  (aka 'The Plan'):

• Day 1:  Hike from Hermits Rest to Hermit Creek.
• Day 2:  Daypack west on the Tonto Trail from Hermit Creek to Boucher and return.  
• Day 3:  Hike to Monument, this is a short hike and so we'll also hit the rapids below Monument. 
• Day 4:  Monument to Indian Gardens.  
• Day 5:  Tonto trail from Indian Gardens to the tipoff at the intersection of the South Kiabab and the Tonto Trail the down the Kiabab and across the river to Bright Angel Campground.  
• Day 6:  Hike out from Bright Angel to the Rim.  We'll probably hike out the Bright Angel trail.  I've done both the Kiabab and Bright Angel several times, but my new son-in-law has done neither.

If the weather cooperates and we both do well with the physical needs to the trip (we successfully execute the plan), this trip will allow me to finish both segments of the Tonto and then I can say, The Tonto is Finished.  But as noted from earlier posts, sometimes our plans don't go off as expected.  Stay tuned for a trip report.  

The total distance for this hike is about 47 miles.  The average is just under 8 miles per day with the shorted just under 4 and the longest about 11.

Royal Arch and The Tonto Trail: It's done! Or is it?

It's done!  My third annual Columbus Day excursion into the Grand Canyon is a matter of history.  But, like all things, the job really isn't finished until the paperwork is done.  In today's world, the paper work means posting another blog.

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

There were a number of vehicles in the parking lot and at least two people were there.  I walked over and chatted with them briefly.  It was 12:30 (Utah time) and they had just finished there dinner.  Apparently they were there just to do some day hiking.  Four of us set up tents, but the Bernhards elected to sleep under the stars.

Day 1:  Bass to Upper Royal Arch Gorge

Potential Water Source

Boulder Hopping Opportunities

Campsite above the creek bottom

 Royal Arch Gorge, 8:20 p.m.
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

This morning I got up around 7:30 and had one of  Pam's cinnamon rolls and apple cider for breakfast.  I eat Pam's cinnamon rolls all the time (when available) and they've always been good.  However, for some reason, perhaps because of the exertion yesterday, the roll seemed to be much sweeter than usual.  It was so sweet it seemed a big gaggy.  Perhaps my system is having a tougher time processing sugar when I'm on outings like this.  Last year I was sick down here, could there be a lesson here?  For lunch we had potatoes and I had a few munchies.  Everything tasted good, though I didn't stuff myself.

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

I had the heaves this evening.  I think I was a bit dehydrated.  I was drinking water all day, but obviously not enough.  Even after puking, I was able to eat dinner and drink more and didn't seem to have any other affects.  We hit the sack at 10:45  p.m.

Day 3:  Toltec Beach to Copper Canyon

Royal Arch

The Monument

Looking Upstream through Royal Arch

Looking into Elves Chasm

This morning we were up at 7:30 and after doing the typical morning camping routine we were on the trail again.  Our scheduled stop tonight is Copper Canyon which is 9 miles from Toltec Beach. 

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

The hike back up the Bass was about as I remember.  Pretty steep, but not too bad if you

Lynn at Garnet Canyon

Back on the Tonto, Heading towards Bass

aren't in the sun.  I arrived at the campsite just in time to help Justin finish putting the tent up.  We then cooked our dinner, cleaned up and went to bed.  Neither of us realized

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.