In the beginning was the plan! Then came reality.
Our plan was for six of us to hike from Bass trailhead to Hermits Rest via Hermits Rapids. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, one hiker had to cancel his trip the week before, so our party consisted of one three adults in their 30's and early 40's, one 13 year old studly dude, and me. I'm the old guy - a grandfather of nine. Can I keep up with the youngsters? Our group consisted of Jason (Mr. J from my other posts), Lynn, Jacob (Lynn's son), Marc (Lynn's brother-in-law), and myself. I'm the guy in BDU pants with two walking sticks.
This is the second time that I've planned an October - Columbus Holiday week - hike of the Grand Canyon. Last year it worked out well: logistically, socially, health-wise, and the weather cooperated extremely well. Would the stars align in our favor again?
Here's my story and I'm sticking to it! The basis for this blog are notes that I took during our breaks and each evening before turning in.
Day 0: Getting There (Sunday, Oct 11, 2009)
This was the third trip to the GC for Mr. J and myself as a team. I've done other hikes in the area and have enjoyed them all immensely, but this was a new area and I was a bit uncertain of the road conditions going to the West part of the GC where the Bass trailhead is. So Mr. J and I decided to go down early on Sunday so that we could become somewhat familiar with the road to the Bass trailhead as well as our exit point at Hermits Rest. Our plan was to leave northern Utah at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. I was to drive my Suburban from my area down to Mr J's home, put my gear in his car, and be gone by 5:01 a.m.
At 4:40 a.m. I walked out of my house with my pack over my shoulder to get into the Suburban. Hold on a second! Where's the Suburban? It should be around here somewhere, you can't really lose a 92 Suburban can you? Who stole it? Let's be real. A rusty old 92 Suburban shouldn't be much of a target for thieves, particularly in Happy Valley, USA.
Wait a minute - the cobwebs are starting to clear - I need an instant replay of the events of the past few days. Rewinding. Ah, here's the official view that gives the best picture: Take the Suburban to work on Friday. Susie picks me from work at noon. Drive to the SLC airport in the Lumina. Fly to Denver. Attend niece's wedding on Saturday. Back to airport to catch the 6:00 p.m. flight back to SLC. Weather problems. Flight Delayed. Flight Delayed again and again. Boredom! Anxiety! Finally - on the plane. De-Ice. Off the ground at 10:30 p.m. Landed just before midnight. Stopped at work and picked up the Suburban. Got home at 12:30 a.m. Finished packing my pack. In bed at 1:30.
Can you zero in on the scene where I picked up the Suburban from my office? What do you mean the scene isn't there? Who erased it? What do you mean it never happened? Oops - the haze is lifting - I was supposed to stop at work and pick up the Suburban!
Dilemma - Do I wake up Susie and ask her to drive me to the office? Do I just take the Lumina and leave a note? I decided to try to gently wake her up. The response was a very tired "take the car, I'll figure it out later."
So I took the car, stopped at the office, moved my pack from the car to Suburban, hid the keys (we only have one set) and then drove over to Mr. J's home, parked the Suburban, moved my pack to his car and we were on the road by 5:31. Fortunately, I was able to give Mr. J a phone call last night from Denver and told him that I might be late due to weather problems.
The actual trip to the GC was pretty uneventful. We stopped for breakfast burritos in Beaver, gas and a Subway sandwich in Page at noon and we were at the GC at 2:10 p.m. I also called home on the cell phone and talked to Susie. I wanted her to know where the car was and where I had hidden the keys. After Saturday's adventure, I'm not sure she remembers that I woke her up.
As we passed through Cameron, I noted that the Little Colorado River was dry, which means the Colorado River should be a little cleaner than on previous trips. Once inside the park, we checked out the village area, including the Bright Angel Trailhead and the road to Hermits Rest. We also found Rowe road and drove just past the junction and across the railroad tracks. We crossed the tracks a total of four times, the last being just after making a right turn on the dirt road from highway 64. The road looks in fair shape and if it stays in this condition, we should be able to get a Toyota Corolla to the trailhead.
We camped out in the village campground and had dinner at Bright Angel Lodge. All-in-all a good day and we're prepared for the five day hike on the Tonto. Next question. Will the other half of our party show up on time? We're supposed to meet them at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow at the Pipe Creek Overlook.
Day 1: Oct 12, Starting out: Down the Bass Trail
Jason and I arrived at the Pipe Creek Overlook at 8:55. Would Lynn and his group be there on time? The success of this hike is dependent on Lynn showing up, because a long vehicle shuttle is required. Fortunately, and to our great relief, Lynn pulled into Pipe Creek at 9:15. Being 15 minutes late on a 11 hour overnight drive is definitely a forgiveable offense. Actually it was well within the window.
We arrived at Hermits trailhead at 10:00 a.m. and I took the opportunity to look around as Lynn, Marc, and Jacob scarfed down breakfast. Jason and I moved our gear from his Toyota Corrola to Lynn's slightly larger vehicle. We left Jason's car at Hermits and began the drive over to the Bass trailhead. The literature suggested 90 minutes to 2 hours to get to Bass. We must have been flying low, because it took us 91 minutes. The road was in pretty good shape in most places and our typical speed ranged from 15 to 25 miles per hour. No one was a the Indian reservation so we passed on through. A few minutes later we passed the old Park Ranger station which was easily visible from the road.
We arrived at the Bass trailhead, which lived up to its expectations (a sign, left over garbage (tin cans) from the early 1900s, and fantastic views) at 12:06. It is time for the adventure to begin.
Bass Trailhead to the Tonto Junction
We got on the trail at 1 p.m. and Marc and I brought up the rear. We took a break about 30 minutes into the hike when we spotted some Indian ruins above us on the right side of the trail. We dropped our packs and climbed up the slope for a quick look at the ruins. Who lived here and when?
They were interesting structures and hard to tell what they were used for. Were they storage for food supplies or did people actually live here?
We caught up with the leaders of our group at the the first trail junction. The Bass trail is the right fork, the left fork heads west to the Royal Arch, Elves Chasm area. We hope to do this route next October. After a 30 minute break, we continued on down the Bass trail until we came to the eastbound Tonto trail junction. Along this section of the trail we met four hikers headed up. We talked briefly and they were just completing the Royal Arch loop.
We set up camp in this area and found water in some tanks just below the junction. It was nearly dark when we got the water pumped and our camp set up, so we didn't try to get to Bass Rapids. The trail was pretty good in most places and in a few areas it was so well developed we could have been in a city park. The only thing missing was the handrails.
If my notes and calculations are correct. We hiked 5.6 miles in an elapsed time of 4:15. Subtracting the three extended breaks that I took along the way, my hiking time is about 3 hours which equates to 1.86 miles per hour. Of course, Jason, Lynn, Jacob and Marc spent considerable time waiting for the old guy. I enjoyed the hike, didn't want to rush it, enjoyed taking pictures and just being away from the desk.
Dinner for me was typical backpacking fare, dehydrated food of some type using water heated up in my #10 tin can. Marc however brought down steaks and was eating like a king. I've done steaks before, but I haven't done one for quite some time. Next time though ...
It must have been quite a day for Lynn, Marc and Jacob. They drove throughout the night just to get here, then a 5.6 mile hike. They were in their tent sleeping around 8:30. Jason and I stayed up and shot the breeze until 9:30 ish when he turned in. I stayed up another 30 minutes or so catching up my notes.
Day 2: Oct 13, Bass Canyon to Ruby Canyon
We were up about 7 a.m. and left the camp at 9:00. As usual on these type of events, my breakfast consisted of oatmeal, dried apricots, raisins, and apples. I usually try to eat two packages of oatmeal, but could only down one. If you've read my earlier posts on the Grand Canyon hikes, you'll note that I don't like oatmeal. However, I don't like heavy packs either - so its a tradeoff. How much weight am I willing to pack so that I don't have to eat oatmeal. I'll admit it. I'm a wimp. I figure I can eat oatmeal for a few days as long as my pack stays fairly light.
We dropped our packs at the Tonto junction and walked down to the tanks and pumped more water. We wanted to make sure that all of our internal water stores were replenished and we each had extra jugs strapped onto the outside of our packs so we could shuttle additional water. At this time of year, the available water sources are a bit iffy and we'd rather pack extra water than run out. However, we pretty well sucked all the water out of the easily accessible holes. I left the area with about 1.25 gallons inside the pack and a half gallon in my jug strapped to my pack.
Our destination today is Ruby Canyon which is about 8.7 miles to the East. We got on the trail at 10 a.m. and I arrived at Ruby at 5:30. The trail is well defined and easy to navigate in most areas. However, in some areas it was quite rough and in other areas we lost the trail a few times and had to look around find it again. The side canyons were the toughest to navigate, but the edge of the Tonto plateau had some great views overlooking the Colorado River. The temperatures were pretty moderate. In fact, I was a bit surprised by how warm it was this morning. Last year, I was glad to have my jacket each evening and morning. I wore my jacket last night, but didn't really need it.
I snacked on granola bars and trail mix throughout the day and for dinner I had Macaroni and Cheese, Dirty Rice (a spicy Spanish Rice) and several cups of hot apple cider. Life is good.
My elapsed hiking time today was 7.5 hours to cover 8.6 miles. As usual, we took several breaks including an hour and 15 minute break for lunch and to pump water at Serpentine Canyon. It took 4:45 to cover the 8.6 miles which is 1.81 miles per hour. A bit slower than yesterday, but there were a few more ups today and the trail was considerable tougher in some areas.
The side canyons that we passed by today were: Serpentine, Emerald and Quartz. We found water in Serpentine, but the other two were bone dry. Fortunately we're carrying extra water jugs for this very reason. Even after pumping and filtering, there was a bit of nasty aftertaste to today's water.
It must have been a pretty tough day, because everyone hit the sack pretty early. I stayed up a bit longer and updated my notes, but I was also in my sleeping bag by 9:30. Thank goodness for these little white magic pills that allow me to sleep fairly well on rock.
Day 3: Oct 14, Ruby to Slate (These notes were written at 8:45 p.m. and obviously moved to electronic form later on)
We are camped out at Slate Canyon (we think). There isn't any water in the immediate vicinity and so we are conserving what we have. We stopped for lunch at Turquoise Canyon and pumped some water from below some pour-offs, which we now affectionately refer to as deer poop hole. However, the water tastes better than the water we pumped yesterday from a hole which we named Crow Urine water hole. I'll leave it to your imagination as to how these water sources got their names.
The hike today was long and tough. According to the GC Park literature, the distance is 15.1 miles. We had to go in and out of each of the canyons and in some places the trail was almost non-existent. The water holes were few and far between, but some of them had some pretty good water.
We took our usual breaks of 30 minutes after each hour of hiking. In the early afternoon, we decided that we were at Agate canyon and only had 4.5 miles to go to get to Slate. After the break, we covered that 4.5 miles in an amazing 1.5 hours. We set up our camp, had dinner and hit the sack after making my notes. I was so tired that I didn't even bother to check my maps or notes. I did notice however, that there wasn't any water in the immediate area. But, if I remember my planning notes, there is water above the Tonto or you can access the river.
Tonight's dinner consisted of sweet and sour pork with rice. It was a two serving dinner and I usually can down these pretty easily along with an extra side. However, tonight I was only able to eat about 3/4 of it and barely touched the raspberry crumble that I had for dessert. For some reason, I'm having a real tough time with my food. None of it tastes good. I can't stand my granola bars though I kept forcing my self to eat them. I had two oatmeal packets for breakfast, but ate one spoonful. I brushed my teeth and almost threw up. I'm feeling pretty well, just not getting any calories. Besides my one spoon of oatmeal and two granola bars, I've had two small pieces of hard candy to suck on and a small handful of jelly beans. Perhaps that is why I'm having a difficult time keeping up.
Today's metrics: We left at 8:30 a.m. and I arrived at 5:30 p.m. 15.1 miles in an elapsed time of 10 hours. Hiking time was 6 hours meaning a speed of 2.51 miles per hour. Are we super human or what?
(Note: I did these calculations after return home. If I had done them at the time, I would have noticed a big disconnect. I wasn't feeling real well, out of energy and I hiked considerably faster than yesterday - I don't think so).
Day 4: Oct 15, Slate Canyon to Boucher
After yesterday's long hike, today's hike should be relatively simple. It is only 5.3 miles from Slate to Boucher so 2 to 3 hours of hiking should do it.
However, we were down a little on our water supplies and because there wasn't any in the immediate area and we didn't want to hike down to the river, we decided to get an early start. We were on the trail by 7:30 and took our first break at 8:30. Nice views of the river, great weather, cool temps (at least in the a.m.) and great company.
After getting back on the trail, we were a bit surprised when we were in the next canyon after another hour of hiking. According to the map that we looked at this morning, the next canyon past Agate is Slate, but we couldn't have covered 5.3 miles in 1.5 hours. We offloaded our packs, pulled out the GPS, the official notes and the maps and started looking. We lined up peaks, and buttes and other features that we could pick out on the map and on the terrain. We convinced ourselves that we were in Boucher, but other things weren't consistent. There wasn't any water, but you could get down to the river. We couldn't find a place where the Boucher trail split off from the Tonto. Finally, after re-reading yesterdays handwritten notes
"We are camped out at Slate Canyon (we think)", I suggested that we spent the night at Agate Canyon instead of Slate and that now we were sitting in Slate Canyon. Remember how fast we covered that last 4.5 miles.
After looking at the evidence, everyone was now convinced that we had spent the night at Agate and were now at Slate, meaning that we had another 5.3 miles to go to get to Boucher. We were also running a bit low on water because we hadn't gone to the river to pump last night or this morning. Do we press on, or go find water? After looking at our water supplies, we decided to press on. The temps weren't to bad, it was still early, and being October, it wouldn't get blistering hot. Our 5.3 mile hike just turned into a 9.8 mile hike.
By the time we hiked out of Slate Canyon, the temps were getting a bit warmer and we were now exposed to the direct sunlight. We hiked together as a group for the next hour and then after taking a 30 minute break, Marc and Jason decided to press on to Boucher while Lynn, Jacob and I would hike at my pace. We also decided to turn the radios on. This is what we brought them for.
Jason and Marc made it to Boucher Creek at 2:00 and reported that there was plenty of water. They pumped water for themselves and then pumped another two jugs and carried them back up to us. We met up with them in a shady spot just after dropping into the canyon.
After tasting that fresh, cold water, I'm thinking that Boucher Creek has the best water in the world. I drank over half a gallon while sitting in the shade. I think Lynn and Jacob downed nearly a gallon.
After rehydrating and gathering our strength, we hiked the rest of the way into Boucher Canyon, dropped our packs and found a place where we could pump more water. We also found a place where someone had built a small dam, perfect for soaking hot, tired feet.
Lynn, Jacob and I were tired enough that we didn't even attempt going down to the river. Jason and Marc were in much better shape and they made it down and and reported that it was a nice area and an excellent place to cool off.
Part of my problems today is due to not feeling well. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I'm sick. Lynn figured it out when I popped a stick of gum and gagged and nearly threw up within 20 seconds.
I skipped breakfast this morning because everything I tried caused the same gaggy reaction. I have had a few jelly beans and some jolly ranchers along with 2 apricot halves and a small piece of jerky. Not enough calorie input for the amount that I'm expending. At Boucher Creek while Marc was at the river, I snitched a few Pringles Potato chips that were setting in their container on his pack. I was able to eat them without gagging. For dinner I shared some of Jason's enchilda dinner along with a couple of Pepto Bismol tablets. I also sipped 2 hot apple ciders.
I figure that for the entire day, my calorie input was about 600 and according to my Exercise and Diet software, my calorie expenditure for 5.5 hours of hiking is 3400. The elapsed time was 7.5 hours. My hiking speed was 1.78 miles per hour.
My feet are doing pretty well considering the beating I've put them through. They are usually pretty sore after this many miles, but other than my big toe which I've had to doctor up a bit, they're doing well. Sitting in the creek this afternoon certainly helped.
Tomorrow's hike will be a doozy. Due to everyone's schedule, we've decided to hike out on the Boucher trail tomorrow instead of sticking with our original plan of going to Hermits Creek on Friday, then hiking out and driving home on Saturday. I have to be at the SLC airport on Sunday at 5:30 a.m. and so this change is welcome.
Day 5: Oct 15, Boucher Creek to Hermits Rest
(My notes were written on Saturday Oct 17)
We began the day by getting up at 6:30 and getting ready to roll. My breakfast consisted of 1/4 of an oat granola bar. Yuck! It was all that I could take.
We left at 7:30 and headed up Boucher Canyon and took a right at the Tonto-Hermit Creek Trail junction. It was a pretty good climb up to the junction and by the time I got there I was out of energy. Jason was moving so fast that he blew by the junction and was on his way to Hermits. Fortunately Marc was right behind him and called him back. The Boucher trail is marked on a rock, but if you aren't looking you can miss it. I was the last one to get to the junction and they all waited to make sure that I made the proper turn.
As I mentioned, I was out of energy very early in the morning and at 9:10, I caught up to Lynn and Jacob. They had stopped for a break, but in reality they probably stopped just so I could keep up. I told them that I was out of energy and that something finally sounded good. Macaroni and cheese. I had two packages that I was going to eat earlier in the trip, but due to my appetite, I didn't. I told them told them to press on and that I was going to eat.
I fixed one package of Macaroni and heated more water for hot chocolate which also sounded good. After my hot chocolate was ready, I decided to fix my second package of Macaroni. So I was there for about an hour, relaxing and eating. Each package was about 200 calories and another 140 with the hot chocolate. So I took in about 540 calories. But it hit the spot, stayed down, and gave me enough energy to get going again. I was concerned enough that I did something that I have never done before. I discretely dumped some of my remaining dry and powdered products and burned off excess fuel. I finally got back on the trail after an hour break.
I was surprised when I exited the draw I was hiking up and came to a little plateau. All four of the others were waiting for me. That surprised me a bit because I had hoped that Jason and Marc would be way ahead and would have the cars shuttled around by the time I got up to the top. However, once they passed me again, I didn't seem them again until 7:00 p.m.
Lynn, Jacob, and I hiked fairly close to each other for the remainder of the trip. I think they were trying to keep an eye on the old guy. We made several 30 minute stops plus an hour for lunch. Most of the day was in the shade, but the final two hours was all sun.
We got to the top at 4:50 and after a few pictures, walked down to the bus stop so we could ride down to the Hermits Rest transfer station. I was happy to see that Jason's Toyota Corolla was gone, but we had no idea when they had arrived at the top.
When I got on the bus, I realized what a tough time I had. I was having a tough time catching my breath and I was shaking. Perhaps it was the relief from completing an exhausting hike, or the knowledge that everyone had made it out safely, or just not feeling well. Regardless, I was really glad it was over.
We got to the Bright Angel area at 5:40 and spent the next hour and a half (it seemed like much longer) waiting for Jason and Marc. While waiting, I showed Lynn and Jacob around and bought a coke. It took me an hour to finish the coke because I could only sip it. I later bought a Dr. Pepper and sipped it. They settled my stomach and my nerves, which definitely helped. I also noticed that as soon as I got off the bus, I was freezing. I wore my jacket while everyone walking around was in shorts and t-shirts.
Marc and Jason finally showed up about 7:00 and after loading our gear we were ready to get something to eat. They had gotten to the Hermits Trailhead at 4:00 p.m. and headed right out to Bass trailhead to pick up Lynn's vehicle. I was surprised that they were only 40 minutes ahead of us. We were all hungry so we decided to eat at the Bright Angel Lodge. Unfortunately, the wait was an hour and so we decided to pass. Jason drove to Cameron and I drove the rest of the way to Page. We stopped for gas and dinner and then decided to lower our risk by getting a hotel and spending the night. The other group also spent the night in Page.
The showers and a comfortable bed sure felt good.
The metrics for day are: Elapsed time: 9:20, Hike time: ~ 6 hours. Distance: 9 miles, elevation gain: 3880 feet. Speed: 1.5 miles per hour. Calorie intake: ~ 740, Calories burned: 3800.
Day 6: Oct 16, The trip home
A good nights rest, another hot shower. I feel like a brand new man.
We got up at 6:30 and after quick showers we were on our way home. We stopped in Beaver for more breakfast burritos and then drove straight to Ogden where I dropped Jason off at the Blind and Deaf School.
I got home at 2:30 and said hi to Susie and Amber. Susie resisted a hug because 'You're dirty and you stink'. After telling her that my clothes were clean and I had two showers so I couldn't be too stinky, she finally came close enough to give me a big hug.
I got back in the car, gassed it up, and dropped it off at Jason's home. I took the Suburban back to my office, picked up my orders and then went home to pack for a trip to Atlanta and Bentonville, Arkansas. Wow! what a week.
The Metrics:
5 days of hiking, 44 miles, 25.25 hours, avg speed: 1.74 miles per hour.
