<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content"><channel><title>EveryTrail Feed</title><description/><link>http://www.everytrail.com</link><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 13:19:33 -0200</lastBuildDate><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 13:19:33 -0200</pubDate><image><url>http://www.everytrail.com/images/everytrail-logo.png</url><title>EveryTrail</title><link>http://www.everytrail.com</link><description>GPS travel community, geotagging, geotagged photos, Google Maps, GPS tracks, waypoints, coordinates</description><width>144</width><height>41</height></image><item><title><![CDATA[Redbud Trail to Baton Flat]]></title><description><![CDATA[<br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/5823902-IMGP0559.JPG"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/5824019-IMGP0573.JPG"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/5824024-IMGP0585.JPG"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/5824094-IMGP0588.JPG"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2072384</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2072384</link><pubDate>Tue, 2 Apr 2013 01:21:36 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sierra Buttes Lookout]]></title><description><![CDATA[A pretty sweet hike.  Lots of people and dogs.Pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/mplsbeatnik/TahoeNationalForest63020122 minute vid of the 
Sierra Buttes Trail:
http://youtu.be/EsWhmieYQ9w <br>]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1653363</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1653363</link><pubDate>Mon, 2 Jul 2012 14:23:52 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Deer Creek, Grand Canyon, 2012]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pics with captions:https://picasaweb.google.com/mplsbeatnik/DeerCreek2012




Monday April 30

Drive 183 miles to Fredonia, AZ, and stop at Forest
Service office to check on forest roads, I am told I may not make
it to the trailhead due to a 30 inch downed tree.  (I made it at 4:15 with no issues.)

4.1 miles – 4:30pm to 7:40pm

7205 elevation to 5420 in 2 miles

 

Tuesday

5.6 miles

5338 elevation to 3586 1st 3 miles, ending the
day at 2430

 

Wednesday

5.8 miles, super-sketchy creek crossing, ending at river
level (~2000 ft)

 

Thursday

5 miles on a boat, I met them on the beach and their leader
said “We can get you past that creek.” 

4 miles hiking, the last 3.5 miles were a mad dash from 2300
to 3800 ft elevation, at 5:30 pm, to position myself to hike out the next day 

 

Friday

6.2 miles – 6:15am – 11:15am

3800 to 7200 elevation, much of which occurs in two
separate, punishing ½ mile sections. 
Then ¾-ish mile to parking lot. 
Then a 45 minute drive on forest roads to Fredonia, AZ. If you are watching the GPS elevation profile, the reason it drops to 0 around 22 miles is my GPS battery went dead and I had to fill in some points without elevation data.Vids:

Thunder River Medley 5:01

http://youtu.be/UsonnT9YPTY


 

Upper Tapeats Camp 1:25

http://youtu.be/eIqThKo3cL8


 

Tapeats Creek 2:35

http://youtu.be/yPiNM7g0LiY


 

Stone
 Creek Falls
:56

http://youtu.be/8LqoyuIr5Dg


 

Lower
 Stone Creek
 Falls :50 

http://youtu.be/5cPxTsqkIqs


(me taking shower)

 

Stone Creek Camp on Colorado
1:00

http://youtu.be/ytmTIyCEUbw


 

I’m on a boat! 1:03

http://youtu.be/AvjR9keel1g


 

Lower
 Deer Creek
 Falls 1:24

http://youtu.be/YrfUMILANbY


 

Deer Creek Medley 1:50http://youtu.be/VS-Z3DTL_mo <br>]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1569203</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1569203</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 03:58:47 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Clear Creek, Sumner Wash, Utah Flats, Grand Canyon, AZ 2011]]></title><description><![CDATA[“This ain’t our first rodeo…it’s our 3rd.” 

This year, as usual, Dave
and I had big plans.  We did not get the
pass we applied for, which would have brought us to a new place in the canyon,
instead we received our third choice, which was a redo of our 2008 trip to the
Clear Creek area.  That trip did not go
well due to a number of factors, including a low-pressure system that settled
over CC and blasted us with 70 mph wind gusts (and sand) for several days.

 

We took a couple climbing classes (indoors) in preparation
for this trip.  One of our goals was to
climb the “redwall crack” in Sumner Wash, off the CC Trail, that we had also
hoped to climb in 2008.  As we climbed
out of CC early one morning in 2008, we met two guys who said they had left
from Phantom Ranch that morning, which is quite an accomplishment.  One of them said “This ain’t our first
rodeo,” which partially became one of our mottos for this trip.

 

Day 1 (13 miles or
so):

Our packs weighed 40-45 lbs. 
We cruised down the South Kaibab trail,
7 miles or so, descending 4780 feet, by 11am. 
This would be Dave’s 3rd
time down this trail, and my 5th. 
Regardless, it is a shock to your system.  Your mind struggles to absorb the beauty of
everything around you while your body struggles to adjust to the constant
physical strain of going down stairs for several hours, with 45 lbs. on your
back, in the middle of the desert.

 

We made camp, filled our 3-gallon water jugs, packed the
climbing rope, harness, and two days worth of food, and took off for an arduous
3-mile-or-so hike to Sumner Wash on the CC Trail to cache these items for later.  Which involves a steep, rocky trail that
brings you up 1500 feet or so in elevation very quickly.  This made for a long day, and near the end as
we were getting very close to where we had planned on leaving the cache I
stopped and said to Dave “I’m not
willing to go any further with this.” 
But he urged me to go on.  We
covered our water jugs and rope/food bucket with rocks near the first legal
campsite on the CC Trail.  And hustled
back to Phantom Ranch to make (dehydrated) dinner at our campsite.  Dave thoroughly enjoyed his Chili Mac.

  

Day 2 (9 miles or so):

We had the early (5am) breakfast at Phantom Ranch.  We got up at 4am and tried to break camp
before chow time, but that didn’t work. 
Regardless, we got moving and did not want to repeat our 2006 and 2008
hikes out to Clear Creek, both of which resulted in Dave
finishing the final descent into Clear Creek in the dark.  The 8 or 9 long, hot miles out to CC were
relatively uneventful, and we stopped briefly at the Grog Pit, a water pocket
we camped near in 2008 and planned on camping at after CC.   I was
completely wiped out by the time we made it to CC.  Dave
was in good spirits, but we were both in a lot of pain all over.  There was some wind at CC, so we looked
around for a sheltered camp I remembered north of the main camp, but couldn’t
find it, and took one of the main sites. 
We chatted for a few minutes with the only two hikers in the area,
camped right next door, then ate tuna and mayo on Phantom Ranch sack lunch bagels,
and crashed.

 

Day 3 (10 miles or
so):

With our bodies screaming at us with every move, we did some
stretching and set off with super-light packs to find Cheyava Falls,
the highest waterfall in the Canyon, which we knew may or may not be
flowing.  It is a seasonal waterfall
powered by snowmelt, approximately 5 miles northeast of the CC camping area.  People regularly search for the falls and do
not find them.  I can understand
why.  There is no real trail, but a set
of meandering trails on either side of the creek, crossing back and forth,
fading in and out.  We found the Obi Canyon
ruin, which was interesting.  We stuck to
the east arm of the creek, almost making several wrong turns, but finally made
it to a sputtering Cheyava
 Falls.  It was a beautiful hike.  On the way back we stopped to play in a large
boulder field.  And Dave found an iPod, submerged, with moss growing on
it, in CC.  

 

On our previous two visits to CC, there had been an open-air
composting toilet.  Which was disgusting,
but provided a great view.  The park
service has removed the toilet, and is requiring hikers to pack their poo out
of the CC camping area.  This requirement
does not apply to the entire CC area, but the primary camping area “below the
tonto plateau.”  So for two nights Dave and I were stuck pooping in “NASA-developed”
WAG bags: 

What to Expect at Phantom Ranch

There are two ammo-cans and further directions located behind the Phantom
Ranch Ranger Station; one ammo can contains clean waste carry-out bags, blank
questionnaires, and an envelope for completed questionnaires, the other ammo
can is for depositing used waste. Best access to this area is to circle around
back and enter from the north east.

Step One, Get a Waste Bag: Stop by the Phantom Ranch Ranger
Station and pick up one waste bag (per person) for each night that you plan to
camp in the Clear Creek drainage. You can grab a questionnaire at the same time
or pick one up on your return.

Step Two, Use the Waste Bag: Plan to use a separate bag for
each poop and to store the bag appropriately so that rodents and other wildlife
do not investigate.

Each Wag Bag kit contains a large waste bag for depositing waste, some
toilet paper, a hand sanitizer towlette, and a small zip-lock pouch to hold the
waste bag (see the photo in the album above). To use the Wag Bag, open the kit
and position the large bag in a convenient location (be careful not to spill
the Poo Powder). After you are finished, carefully fold the large bag into the
zip-lock pouch and seal. Some users like to tie a knot in the large bag prior
to placing it in the zip-lock pouch. If you do this, make sure that all of the
air is out of the bag, otherwise it won’t fit into the pouch.

Step Three, Return the Waste Bag: Upon return to the
Phantom Ranch area, deposit your used waste bag(s) in the appropriate ammo can
located behind the Ranger Station.

Step Four, Fill Out the Questionnaire: Blank questionnaires
and envelopes are in the ammo can with the unused waste bags. Make sure
everyone grabs a questionnaire and fills it out.

Day 4 (6 miles):

We left CC, and hiked back to the Grog Pit, very close to
where we left the cache on the first day. 
We were rattled at by a rattlesnake somewhere on the trail.  We ran into three pairs of hikers headed into
CC, and spoke briefly with each group. 
Four of them had camped at the first legal site on the CC trail the
night before, and mentioned seeing our cache. 
We made camp, retrieved our cache, and had the afternoon and evening to
relax and scope out the redwall crack. 
Tomorrow evening we hoped to be camped above the crack, which meant we
had to haul water and gear up it.

 

Day 5 (less than 2 miles)

We woke up and quickly packed for our goal…which meant
leaving things behind.  We stuffed our
water jugs, WAG bags, and other unnecessary items under a rock shelf and
covered and surrounded them with rocks. 
It looked like the length of a football field to the base of the crack,
but did not look like it was going to be easy. 
It was not.  We did not find the
trail on our way up, and basically scrambled our way through a minefield of
large boulders, cactus, rosebud trees with thorns that easily draw blood, all
the while struggling to negotiate for higher ground.  This 2-minute video shows what it was like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHgHpfjLSeI

It took us two good hours to go 200 yards as the crow flies.  When we got to the top my arms, legs, and
face were bleeding from rosebud scratches.

 

Once we got there, we were perplexed.  We knew we had to climb on the right, then
make an exposed move from right to left across the main crevice, which would
lead to an easy scramble to the top. 
People often rappel down the crack, for safety and convenience, and
there was a rope hanging.  We believe the
“exposed step” was/is to be made at the top of where the rope was hanging.  I quickly climbed up there alone, got a
little nervous, and did not see what I had hoped to see, so I came down.

 

We were hoping I could get up there and set our rope, which
we would use to pull some of our gear up, and maybe even to belay Dave, who was not real comfortable with the climbing
at first.

 

On a 2nd attempt, Dave
shouted to me that I was too high.  I
could barely hear him, and thought he said I was too low.  I could not see anywhere a sane person could
go higher, so I decided to give up, although I believe I saw a pretty obvious
trail going around a corner into nothingness, that I should have explored
further.  Here is a quick 36 second video
of Dave talking to me while I am up
there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5fvL7MsU3Y&amp;amp;NR=1

 

So we headed back to the Grog Pit, in the full sun, which
meant another physical and mental ordeal just getting back down there.  We returned to find a squirrel had pulled our
WAG bags out into the open, but luckily had not broken inside.  We collapsed in the shade, and just as we
decided to start setting camp, four of the hikers we had spoke with briefly the
day before appeared and passed out of view on the CC trail, heading back from
CC.  We waited for them to come back into
view, and when they did not, I went to investigate, and found them making camp
around the corner.  Dave and I were in their spot.  Which did not make me happy, because Dave and I were camped off-permit, due to the fact
that we were unable to breach the redwall crack.  I offered several times to move, which would
not have been an issue, but they seemed happy. 
After a little conversation, I realized I was talking to Frank Feagans,
and we recognized each other from posting online at the Yahoo Grand Canyon
Hikers group.  He, his wife Annette, and
his hiking buddy Wayne and Wayne’s
wife Lorri are seasoned GC hikers and shared a few quick stories with me.  It was great to connect with someone from the
group in person.

 

Dave and I stayed
up later than usual this evening, watching the stars.

 

Day 6 (7 miles or
so):

We woke up and loaded up all of our gear for the hike to
Phantom Ranch.  We had to carry poo, empty
water jugs, and our cache bucket with the rope and harness.  Remember we made two trips out with gear, and
although we were eating food the entire time, we were a little bit
overloaded.  Luckily after the 3 miles to
Phantom we had arranged to have a mule take 30 lbs. of gear up to the rim for
us, so we unloaded the rope, bucket, and other unnecessary items when we
arrived there.

 

We made camp, and decided to head up to Utah Flats.  Which involves a steep scramble up a rocky
slope behind the campground, and lots of direct sun.  We had originally hoped to climb Cheops
Plateau/Pyramid, but realized that would require more time than we had
available.  We’ve come to the realization
that the logistics involved in Grand Canyon
climbing are formidable to say the least. 

 

The climb up to Utah Flats itself was incredibly fun, and
involves boulder-hopping while ascending through a narrow canyon.  This video of the area is rather long at 20
minutes, but gets good at about the 9-minute mark and is worth checking out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mplsbeatnik#p/u/8/6Th8ZRkZWBs

 

Dave bought us
dinner at Phantom Ranch, which is always a joy. 
We ran into the 3rd couple (father and daughter) that we had seen heading
out to CC a few days earlier.  It turns
out the daughter is a climbing instructor and we shared some of the information
we had with her.  And shared some good
conversation with them both.

 

We also ran into Frank and Wayne and their wives again, both
that evening and the next day at breakfast. 
Frank shared some information on day hikes near Plateau Point with me,
thankfully, as I had left my Tomasi South Rim book behind.

 

Day 7 (7 miles or
so):

Today we start the hike back towards civilization.  After another Phantom Ranch breakfast, and more
good conversation with Frank and his crew, we hiked 4.5 miles up to Indian Garden,
about halfway to the rim.  This turned
out to be a relaxing, yet eventful day. 
At Indian Garden, we made camp across from the
group site, and watched as tired women started rolling in over there.  At one point one yelled over to us, asking
for help staking her tent.  Of course Dave and I hurried over and helped them get their
tents staked.  They were part of a group
from Denver that met online, most were first-time canyon hikers, and they had
hiked down yesterday, to Indian Garden today, and were headed 10 miles or so to
Monument Creek the next day.  I have to
admit their itinerary made me a little nervous for them, but I was also
jealous.  We had conversations with
several of them (Hi Michelle) and they seemed like super-nice people.

 

Something interesting happened here, that is difficult to
explain.  One of the women was coming
back from the bathroom and shouted “rattlesnake.”  A snake was making its way toward Dave and I. 
Two tiny birds started going crazy, flying and hovering and making a
bunch of noise about 3 feet over the snake, following its every move.  I can’t believe we did not take any video of
this…but we were both standing on our picnic table.  I don’t know if the birds were issuing a
warning, or were hunting.  The snake was
obviously looking for somewhere to hide. 
Dave thought they might have
viewed the snake as prey, even though it could’ve ate one of them with one
bite.

 

I prodded Dave
into taking a hike (?!?!) to see the Plateau Point ruin.  Just before we left, a ranger came by and
said there would be a flute performance that evening by the resident
artist.  So we had to cut our day hike
short if we wanted to see that, which we did. 
She also confirmed the way to get where we wanted to go.  We explored the ruin, hiked part of the way
around the base of Plateau Point, took in an interesting flute performance with
the frogs and birds in the background, and had a great day.

 

That evening Dave was playing with the iPod he had found and
it powered on.  We were able to sit at
our table listening to a mystery person’s playlist for a couple hours, guessing
songs and knowing (and liking) a surprising number of them.  We have thus far been unable to identify its
owner.

 

Day 8 (4.5 miles):

For me this was a sad day. 
Back to reality.  We hiked 4.5
miles to the rim in about 3 hours, showered and did laundry at the South Rim
campground, and checked into our room for the night.  We were able to ride a shuttle out to
Hermit’s Rest and do some “regular” sightseeing and people-watching, which is
always interesting.  As we talked, we
realized I had misunderstood Dave
while attempting to climb the redwall crack, and I learned I had been above
where I needed to be, not below.   So of
course we need to go back.

 

To top off the trip, we had a couple hours to spare in
Phoenix the next morning on our way to the airport, so we hiked halfway up
Camelback Mountain, a popular hike there, before getting on our plane.  Dave’s Teva sandals prevented us from making
the top.

 

All in all, this was the best hike I have been on thus far.  I can’t wait to get back. Pictures:https://picasaweb.google.com/mplsbeatnik/GrandCanyon2011# Videos:

Sumner Wash, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (2 minutes, 19 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHgHpfjLSeIMaking our way from the Clear Creek Trail toward Sumner
Crack. We found the &quot;trail&quot; on our way down, we forged our own way
up. Carrying almost full packs with rope and harness plus water for a dry camp
and an attempt at Brahma. 40 miles or so of hiking in the four days previous.
From our camp just below the Clear Creek Trail, this distance looks to be about
100 yards. It took us two hours, felt pretty close to what I would call class 3
the whole way, and was steep enough to cause me to question my sanity on more
than one occasion. Sumner Crack, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (36 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5fvL7MsU3Y2nd attempt that day, trying to get through the (class 4?)
redwall to an &quot;exposed step&quot; from right to left we believe to be near
the top of the rope. (not ours) Which would give access to an easy, unexposed
class 3 scramble to the top of the redwall. 
The hike from Clear Creek Trail to the base of the crack was a killer, given we
had relatively full packs and full sun. I wound up too high (we think) and I
did not hear Dave correctly (I thought I was too low.) I could not see anywhere
to climb higher so I turned back. It wasn't until several days later that I
realized I very likely had been above where I needed to be. Indian Gardens, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (2 minutes, 9 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1wMW5sLw68  Brief, boring, shaky video of waterfalls off the Bright Angel
Trail, just below Plateau Point and Indian Gardens,
on the way to the Plateau Point ruin. Lower Bright Angel
Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ  (1 minute, 41 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShsHDDjzoHgSand and Palm trees along the Colorado
 River. Crossing the Colorado, Silver Bridge,
Bright Angel
Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ  (3 m
33 s)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXjP4fYfmnoCrossing the Colorado, Silver
 Bridge   The Grog Pit  (1 minute, 6 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1beptNtNYAVery nice campsite just below the Clear Creek Trail in
Sumner Wash. In the shadow of Zoroaster
 Temple and the redwall
crack. The Grog Pit Camp  (1 minute, 14 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jh_Z4tcRPkA great place to camp below the Clear Creek Trail, Zoroaster Temple, and the redwall crack. Clear Creek Trail, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (40 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgPvVpxF0wA quick vid taken after the worst part of the ascent out of
Clear Creek, showing the camping area below. Clear Creek, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (41 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhedZUveNYAA quick 360 degree vid of a boulder field north of the
normal Clear Creek camping area. Clear Creek Trail, Grand
  Canyon, AZ  (27 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXcPZgPqg0gA very quick scan of the beginning of the final descent into
Clear Creek's main camping area. Utah Flats/Piano
Alley Part I, Grand Canyon,
 AZ  (19 minutes, 42 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Th8ZRkZWBsRelatively boring 20 minute video of one way to begin the
descent to Phantom Ranch from Utah Flats. Gets interesting about 9 minutes in. Utah Flats/Piano
Alley Part II, Grand Canyon,
 AZ  (7 minutes, 11 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwJ-YJB_UYThis is actually part of the steep descent below Piano
Alley, getting closer to Bright Angel Campground. Grand Canyon, AZ Rattlesnake   (55 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpILsu2n2rUOn the Clear Creek Trail. Cheyava Falls, Grand Canyon, AZ 2011 
(1 minute, 7 seconds)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJYbwcmkuQA sputtering Cheyava
Falls.

 <br><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1X0bMDcgRAY/TeJ3G2PDeOI/AAAAAAAAG8M/8nNEeQTMCfk/s200/GoogleEarth_Image%252520%2525284%252529.jpg"/> <img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-N3K4mdAw5O8/Tdm2B8PWRBI/AAAAAAAAGpU/xzitxYWnKnY/s200/IMG_0035.JPG"/> <img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-N1BbQBlBgbk/Tdm3gAILIQI/AAAAAAAAGpU/gQqylO1nWqA/s200/P4280024.JPG"/> <img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6IGRxst6o4s/Tdm3mB1aQ_I/AAAAAAAAGpU/IXwpR9ghIb8/s200/P4280026.JPG"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1115179</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1115179</link><pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2011 20:53:28 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tanner Trail-Escalante Route-Horseshoe Mesa-Grandview Trail, Grand Canyon]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Grand Canyon “Route” being “…a known way to get from point
A to point B that is a seldom patrolled, never maintained, sometimes difficult
to follow, and sometimes dangerous. 
Paths are often covered with rockslides and overgrowth.  Route-finding abilities are essential, and
water sources are limited, difficult to find, or nonexistent.”  

 

We identified an entry-level route that looked attractive to
us, and built an itinerary around it.  The
Escalante Route,
which has become pretty close to a trail in the last 10 years, and involves a
well-known obstacle called the Papago Wall and Slide, a 30 foot cliff face that
would need to be negotiated, immediately followed by a long descent down a
treacherous rockslide of boulder to fist-sized rock.  The route essentially follows the Colorado River for 12 miles from Hance Rapid to the west,
to Tanner Rapid to the east, or vice-versa. 
We would go east to west.

 

At Hance Rapid we intended to follow the beginning of the
Tonto Trail 6.4 miles to Hance Creek for one night.  Then 3.5 miles to Horseshoe Mesa, a
“cliff-bound sky island” located where the Tonto Trail meets the Grandview trail, which
would be our 3-mile exit route the next morning.  Unfortunately, the day we hiked out a man
apparently day-hiking without a large pack lost his balance peering over the
edge of the Grandview
and fell 60 feet.  He was airlifted out
with life-threatening injuries.  We
managed to remain completely unaware of this until we were in our hotel room
later that day.  The Grandview is known for its extreme elevation
gain, being the highest trailhead on the south rim.  2500 feet is gained in the upper mile and a
half of its three miles, which is significantly greater than many other trails
on the south rim.  This was a concern for
me, actually moreso than the Papago obstacles.

 

We descended the TannerTrail, from Lipan Point, 20 miles east
of Grand CanyonVillage, 9 miles to the river.  This took two days.  It is known as one of the “most difficult and
demanding south side trails,” and there is no water along the trail and very
little shade.

 

After regrouping at Tanner Rapids for one evening, we
planned to head west along the Colorado River on the Escalante Route.  We met a couple (Jonathon and Betty) at
Tanner Beach that had descended the trail in one day, and were also heading
west.  We both mentioned to each other
helping with the well-known obstacle on the route, the Papago Wall and Slide.

 

Our third hiking day we went 7.5 miles, which was farther
than we thought and turned out to be extremely difficult, mentally, due to high
winds, an uncertain destination, and what we felt to be a great deal of
exposure, or hiking close to the edge of am impossible-to-survive fall.  

 

Just as the wind started up, we were able to visit “Hilltop
Ruin,” and “Unkar Overlook,” especially given directions provided by our new
friends on the trail, whom we caught up with after three miles or so near
Cardenas Creek.  Hilltop Ruin was truly
amazing.  Both are just off the Escalante Route and
it is possible to drop your packs on the trail and visit both sites within an
hour.  Unfortunately, the walls have
actually been reported to be rising over the years, due to tourists (like myself)
visiting and placing their own rocks on the walls.  The site should be treated as an
archaeological treasure, but is visible on Google Earth and plenty of maps so
here it is.

 

Just before we got ourselves out of the wind, by descending
into EscalanteCanyon upstream from its confluence with the Colorado, we ran
into trouble with the Escalante
  Route track I had loaded in my GPS.  It clearly told us to ignore an obvious trail
across a wash, and head downstream. 
There was a very obvious trail visible across the wash, continuing over
a ridge.  We headed downstream, but could
not locate the exit point also noted on our directions.  Becca turned us around, and was able to
confer with Jonathon and Betty, who told Becca they they were definitely
following the trail on the other side of the wash, per their notes.

 

We made it to my favorite campsite of the trip that evening,
at EscalanteBeach, one I had heard next to nothing
about.  There was a pretty amazing site
near a rock bench and a very calm sandy beach, but we camped near our friends
Jonathon and Betty, that we had met the previous evening and were getting to
know on the trail.  On the trail they
would take a break, we would catch up to them and take a break ourselves, etc.

 

We exchanged a few stories, and went to bed when the sun
went down.  It was good to have them
nearby, and it had been helpful to have another pair on the “trail” that was
definitely not the easiest to follow. 
Not only for their help when we were confused, but also for another more
difficult to define, mental benefit.  We
were all seeking solitude, challenge, and possibly adventure, but that does not
necessarily mean zero interaction with another person.

 

The next morning, we caught up to our friends just after the
obstacle came into view.  We decided to
meet on the beach, where Becca and I had a 2nd breakfast.  The descent to the beach was a good preview
for what lay ahead.  The wall was very
comfortable climbing for me, personally. 
I shuttled packs up the wall and everyone negotiated it with no
issues.  We were rewarded with am amazing
view, and still had a small 10-foot, unexposed climb everyone did with packs
before coming into view of the slide. 
Words do not do it justice, please see the pictures.

 

Shortly after the slide, you can hear Hance Rapids and Becca
and I made camp there for the night, while our hiking partners were heading up
the New Hance Trail to camp closer to the rim before they headed back into
civilization.  We exchanged information,
and Becca and I realized we had been hiking with two south rim residents, very
likely kindred spirits, and felt pretty special.  I am happy to say we are still in contact
with them, and hopefully will be for some time.

 

We were able to see boats of a few different shapes and
sizes (kayaks!) run Hance Rapid. 

 

The next day we made our way to Hance Creek.  We encountered more trails hugging sheer
1500-foot drop-offs.  The seemingly
endless trail eventually allows you to peer into HanceCanyon,
and finally provides views of the creek and cottonwood trees that mean there
are campsites nearby.  There were a
couple nice sites here.  Unfortunately,
we did not take any pictures.  

 

The 3.5 mile trail we choose to take up the east side of
Horseshoe Mesa was difficult, exposed, and deteriorating.  I had heard about it, but also heard it was
nothing to worry about.  I think this section
was just plain scary, but we were hungry, tired, and carrying water for the
dry-camp on the Mesa.  We took the spur trail to Miners (Page)
Spring, to really fill up with water, and I could not believe the park service
does not warn people about this particular section of trail more explicitly in
its data on the area.  We actually saw
some people wandering around the Mesa,
calling to one another…looking for “the water.” 
Becca led them to the trailhead to the spring (which is marked with a
sign rather clearly) and we were going to go looking (it was close to sunset)
if they did not re-appear shortly, which they did.

 

We tried to make it to a spot on the far east arm of the
mesa for sunset, but we had to turn back because neither of us brought a
light.  We made it far enough to get some
amazing views.  On the way we visited the
“Cooks Cabin,” which is a stone structure once used by the many miners that
have left garbage and relics all over the mesa.

 

The next morning, before hiking out, we decided to explore
Cave of the Domes, located off the west arm of the mesa.  I knew beforehand I would not be a big fan of
any cavern, and this one confirmed my premonition.  It was worth the hike, though, and involved
another somewhat scary section of exposed trail.  Did I mention the exposure is usually
rewarded with unbeatable views?

 

The Grandview Trail was actually a nice one, which surprised
me.  The cobblestones were good to my
knees, ankles, and feet.  The very last
few switchbacks were getting tedious, but that is par for the course and the
trail itself was extremely enjoyable, largely due to the fact that our packs
were empty, and we were able to gauge how much water we needed and really empty
everything else as we proceeded.  It is
called “Grandview”
for a reason.  It is another one of the
higher overlooks on the south rim.  We had
our rental car parked in the overnight section of the Grandview Overlook
parking lot, and had taken a park shuttle to the Tanner Trailhead the week
before. 

 

You can view all of these pictures, and a few more from our south rim trail hike (the day we hiked out we rode a shuttle out to Hermit's Rest and hiked almost back to the village) here:(Unfortunately, you will probably need to copy and paste and open these in another web browser.  Click high quality when watching videos, and maybe full screen and turn the sound down.  Although you can view all of the pictures by clicking &quot;view all pictures,&quot; below, in picasa you can zoom in using the magnifying glass which is nice.)http://picasaweb.google.com/mplsbeatnik/grandcanyon2009#Please see the following videos of the trip, here:

 

Upper Redwall Camp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7xvySjY5m4

 

Tanner Beach camp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GokHNEVZ-w

 

Hilltop Ruin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiGLsnQG5AM

 

Unkar Overlook:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7s_Mtw0DcM

 

Contouring on Escalante:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSfGlGSpwKA

 

75 mile falls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24AF0VmMEVg

 

75 mile canyon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muiLIadn66Q

 

Jeff Wall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMqi2meg6zU

 

Papago Slide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1_IB5eLXeo

 

Grandview
trail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGR1OS07EY

 

South Rim Trail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4IdLyViaZg


 



   

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