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Thread: Grand Canyon TR

  1. #1
    Dutch's Avatar
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    Grand Canyon TR

    Let me first warn you that there are no hammocks in this trip report. I called ahead and although there are no real hard fast rules about hammocks the park rangers do not wish to have hammocks on the very few trees they have. So out of respect to them and the fragile ecosystem I slept on the ground. It took a lot of internal debating before I came to this decision.



    When I learned that I was going to have off work from Christmas to January 4th I figured I would find someplace “warm” to hike. I’m and east coast boy and the only time I was out west was when I was too young to appreciate it. One thing I remember is it was warm, very warm in Arizona. So I posted on WB that I would like to hike the Grand Canyon over the holidays. A gentleman named Dogwood said he would like to go with and plans were set. We would do the Petrified Forest, The Grand Canyon, and the Buckskin Gulch. Having Dogwood along means sharing expenses and experiences, both very valuable. So on Christmas day I picked up Dogwood at the train station and we headed out west. Two days of driving, switching back and forth is plenty of time to meet someone. Finally we arrived at AZ and went to the Petrified Forest first. It was neat but it was more sight seeing then actual hiking. You can hike the back country but we only allotted ˝ day for it.



    Next we were off to the Grand Canyon. After a cheap hotel stay at Flagstaff we hit the Backcountry permit office in the morning. Our plan was to hike down the Grandview Trail and across the Tonto trail to Bright Angel Campground, and finally up one of the very popular trails to the south rim. There was an unusual amount of snow over Christmas and the Grandview Trail gets more snow because the wind blows it on and it is a little higher in elevation. The ranger let me know that there have been people down it and we won’t be blazing trail through snow. At the trail head I am awed by the incredible views.



    As soon as we headed down the trail, which is an 18 inch wide switch back on a cliff face, we realized the ranger was wrong and we would be blazing trail. We were pushing through waist high snow, not really sure if the next step was the trail or a snow covered bush growing out of the side of the cliff.






    This was very scary and I have too many people depending on me to wind up dead. I just started to hope that it gets better going forward since I sure didn’t want to go back the way I came. After a very long mile the snow started to turn into mud as we came down in elevation and got to where the sun hit the ground more. We finally hit the Horseshoe Mesa. We missed a trail that takes us to the West of the Mesa and wound up going down the East side. I was sure that we didn’t make a mistake, but the extreme size and distance plays tricks on you. Sure enough we had to walk the entire way around the Mesa which added 4.5 miles to our day. We did get to check out the Last Chance Mime which was cool. We camped at Cottonwood Creek and I slept on the ground. It was a horrible night of sleep. I had a full length self inflating thermorest and a torso CC pad on soft sand. I will think twice before going camping without my hammock. I kept rolling on each side until my hip bone would pinch the skin till it hurt, then I would roll over and abuse the other side. I haven’t slept on the ground since 2003 and I hated it then too.



    The next morning I was up about an hour before the crack of dawn and headed out. I love to watch the world wake up. The only problem is I am now in the desert and every plant has some kind of thorn, also there are canyons within canyons and if you fall a quarter of the way down the Grand Canyon you are just as dead. Soon the sun rose and I was again in aw at the beauty around me. Today was going to be a 17 mile day, but because of going the wrong way around the Mesa the prior day it was a 22 mile day. I got to see some mountain sheep up close and then it was down to the Colorado River to camp.

    By the time I got there I was so beat I didn’t care where I slept. Exhaustion is the best sleeping pill.

    The next morning I went up the South Bright Angel Trail. I was able to do 7 miles in 4 hour. It was steep, but still graded so you could keep moving. There are mules taking tourist up and down. That really looked scary to me and I would rather keep my feet on the ground. Believe me I could have spent a week in Grand Canyon. That is what life is about.



    Next we headed to Buckskin Gulch. It is a slot canyon 10 feet wide and 600 feet deep and most places. It is carved by a flashfloods through sandstone and there are many places that have standing water in them. Our shuttle tried to talk us out of it pointing out that it is cold in the summer. We went anyhow. I had neoprene socks and the legs I cut off a wet suit. This worked very well. The canyon is really neat and is more like a cave than a canyon. It zigzags though strangely cut sandstone making weird designs on the wall. Enough light shines though that you don’t need a head lamp. After about 3 miles we hit the first stranding water. It has about an inch of ice on top and when you get out about a foot on it, it starts to crack. As it breaks you don’t know how deep the water is and you grab the canyon wall to keep upright as you sink into chocolate milkshake mud. Then you have to break the ice as you walk through the muddy soup.




    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=743xGGcXvb0



    This all takes time and the water still gets into the neoprene socks and wetsuit legs. One of the “puddles” is called the cesspool and is waist deep and very muddy on the bottom. To add to the challenge there are two drop-offs that require climbing ropes to get down. After 14 mile of going in and out of these puddles that are 40 foot long and almost waist high we made camp. The next morning everything that got wet the previous day was frozen solid. My shoes, wetsuit, socks, all one big ice cube. I did put my neoprene socks between my cc pad and my thermorest to keep them thawed. I was hoping since we only had 7 miles to go it wouldn’t be so bad. It was much worse. The Buckskin Gulch meets with the Paria River. At first I thought I lucked out because it was a frozen sheet of ice about 3 inches thick. Soon there were puddles hidden under the ice. You would break through well past your knee. All I had on was tights, smartwools, neoprene socks and my tevas. You could walk on snow covered land for twenty feet or so but the Paria would zigzag from side to side forcing you to cross it. For some reason unknown to me as I went up stream it went from frozen solid to puddles to a rushing stream with many layers of ice. As you walked on it you never knew how for you would drop. As you dropped into the icy water you broke through many layers of ice that would slide from side to side and try to cut your shins. I had to cross this about 30 times and then walk in 6 inches of snow between crossings. I just kept moving until I finally got to the car, thank god.

    All in all this was an amazing trip and a good resume builder. I did wind up with an infected toe and the toenail on my big toe is going to get cut off Monday, ouch. I am so glad I did it. Although it was scary as anything I have done, it was also exciting. I had great gear and the cold effected me less then I expected. I have great pictures and video and another set of bragging rights. If I knew ahead I wouldn’t have blazed new trail down the GC because it was too dangerous, and I would have thawed out my wetsuit legs for the second day of the gulch, but live and learn. And I thought Arizona was warm.
    Last edited by angrysparrow; 01-04-2009 at 17:21. Reason: embedded video
    Peace Dutch
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  2. #2
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
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    whoa! welcome back! Looking forward to hearing all about it in person, next time.

    Grizz

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    Peter_pan's Avatar
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    Cooool trip, Dutch.... Thanks for sharing.

    Pan
    Ounces to Grams.

    www.jacksrbetter.com ... Largest supplier of camping quilts and under quilts...Home of the Original Nest Under Quilt, and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock. 800 595 0413

  4. #4
    Senior Member Mule's Avatar
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    What a wonderful trip and it sounds like you didn't waste a single moment. Thanks for the report. It gives me some hope that I could make a trip like that one of these days. Mule
    Predictions are risky, especially when it comes to the future.

  5. #5
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Thumbs up

    Looks stunning. I bet it was a bit hairy in the snow!!
    That was a fun and exciting TR. Interesting to hear how you missed your hammock....... I have not gone to ground since hanging but would if warranted. Just do not want to.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  6. #6
    Dutch's Avatar
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    I wanted to mention about my gear. I love gear. All kinds of gear. It is my only materialistic need.
    I used the legs cut off a wet suit the go down buckskin. They were great. they kept me warm while protecting my legs from the sharp ice.

    I had diy wind pants that impregnated with sil. They worked ok, but water got though more than I wanted

    Crampons. This is the first time I used Yak Tracks or any crampons for that matter. They worked well, but the $10 velcro strap accross the top would get fouled by snow and were open most of the time.

    I took Beyond fleece pants and coat. I was never cold using these, they were great.

    My Marmot hydrogen 15 degree bag was just the right bag for the ground. At 2 pounds I have yet to see a bag beat it.

    Leki poles helped find the way thought the snow and make sure there was ground under it.

    Full length selfinflating thermorest with a 3/4 length cc pad meant there wouldn't be any cold from the ground.

    Neoprene socks and gloves were great for fording frozen pools and stream. They don't keep you dry but since it isn't flowing water it keeps you warm.

    I used a pair of winter tights from EMS that have spandex from the knee up. They worked well.

    I have a diy buff for my head. I love this thing and it is so versitile.

    My ULA P2 backpack is light and roomy. Since ULA doen't make it any more I and OLD SCHOOL with this pack. I used the same pack for my 2003 AT thu hike.

    Since my car got me there I want to make special mention of my hybrid Honda Insight. with 55 mpg it only cost $230 in gas to go from PA to AZ and back. We only eat at 3 buffets at less than $10 each and stayed at 2 cheap motels. Shuttles cost us $110 and it cost about $60 for admission and backcountry passes. The entire trip cost each of us less than $300 each. That is about how much it would have cost to go one way by train or bus plus rent a car for one person. I feel like I got by cheap and didn't miss a thing.
    Last edited by Dutch; 01-04-2009 at 20:11.
    Peace Dutch
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  7. #7
    slowhike's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch View Post
    As soon as we headed down the trail, which is an 18 inch wide switch back on a cliff face, we realized the ranger was wrong and we would be blazing trail. We were pushing through waist high snow, not really sure if the next step was the trail or a snow covered bush growing out of the side of the cliff.



    This was very scary and I have too many people depending on me to wind up dead. I just started to hope that it gets better going forward since I sure didn’t want to go back the way I came.
    Dutch, man!!! What were you doing out there???
    We could have lost a hammocker
    Great trip!!! ...even if you didn't get a good night's sleep. Pretty cool that you could do it at that cost too!
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  8. #8
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    That's an inspiring trip on several levels, Dutch. Your thriftiness is admirably impressive.

    Thanks for sharing.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  9. #9
    Senior Member Walking Bear's Avatar
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    I hiked part of the Grand Canyon about 10 years ago. I remember how narrow some of the trails were with dropoff to one or both sides. Hiking that in snow you had would just be scary.
    My wife and friend rode the mules down and back out of the canyon. She said that when they would rest the mules they would turn sideways on the trail with their heads over the ledge. That way the mule knew where the edge was.

  10. #10
    Senior Member hikingjer's Avatar
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    Thumbs up

    The ranger let me know that there have been people down it and we won’t be blazing trail through snow.
    USFS, NPS and BLM "rangers" usually they tell you it's worse than it really is. Long ago, the Olympic Park "ranger" (actually a volunteer who spent very little, if any, time in the backcountry) vociferously insisted there'd be "10 feet" of snow at a certain low mountain pass in June. There was about 0 - 12 inches.

    ------------------------------

    Great trip report! It's been unusually cool and snowy across most of the western US since mid December. The weather kinda' snuck up on most everybody out here.

    What a drag you couldn't hang. Coming off of hanging entails nasty withdrawal symptoms like mentioned in your TR. I want to hit the desert Southwest this spring. The possibility of not hanging is a major planning issue.

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