Backpacking in the Grand Canyon, May 15-17

 A hike in the Grand Canyon is just a walk in the park”

Day one: May 15

Left Phoenix at 5:15 AM and with stops for coffee at Camp Verde and gas in Flagstaff, we got to the park, loaded and weighed our packs (mine was 35 pounds, which was mostly my 6.5 litres of water) and departed the South Kaibab trailhead at 11:20. Excited, but a little anxious too! What would it be like? Had I trained enough? Would my body hold up?

Our group of four with guide Christian was combined with another group of four, a family from Connecticut, with guide Phil.

There are two trails from the south rim into the canyon: the Bright Angel and the South Kaibab.  Originally the Bright Angel trail was the only access to the canyon, but it was privately owned and when the National Park Service took control of the area in 1919 the owner of the Bright Angel refused to stop charging tolls. NPS built the South Kaibab over a 6 month period beginning in 1924. The trail follows a ridgeline so it has spectacular views as it descends through 8 geological formations. But..it has no water supply until Phantom Ranch at the very bottom.

Upon leaving the trailhead, you drop into a section of steep, narrow switchbacks known as The Chimney. Lots of day hikers on the trail. Even a mule train; I really wanted to see one and saw it in the first 15 minutes.

(At the beginning of The Chimney. Note the mule train emerging in the frame. And no Colorado River in sight!)

(Our group descending The Chimney)

The trail is cut along the side of the side canyon below Yaki Point until it emerges at Ooh Ah Point when the entire canyon opens up before you (trail distance: 1 mile in and 790 ft down). Ooh Ah is aptly named!

We continued past Ooh Ah to Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles in and 1120 ft down) where we took off our packs and had lunch in the shade of a tree. This is as far as most day hikers go unless they are doing a rim to rim.

(View from Cedar Rim. You can see the trail descending then passing underneath O'Neill Butte. Past that you can see the switchbacks descending from Skeleton Point. Image right, in the foreground is Cremation Canyon in the Tonto Platform. The canyon running left to right is the Colorado River.)

Continued on, passing beneath O’Neill Butte, to Skeleton Point (3 miles and 2040 ft) where we dropped down to a shaded undercut and had a water/snack break.

We were joined by an inquisitive raven. It was at Skeleton Point that we got our first glimpse of the Colorado River.

Following our break, the trail dropped quickly via switchbacks to the long run out along the Tonto Platform to the Tipoff (4.3 miles in, 3280 feet down)  the junction of the South Kaibab and Tonto trails. During the switchbacks I started to feel a bit of a headache, so took some water and couple of electrolyte tablets to knock it back, which seemed to work.

(The trail descending from Skeleton Point. Note the change in soil colour)

As we descended through layers of limestone then sandstone, the dirt on the trail turned from creamy white to orange brown.

We rested at the Tipoff shelter for about an hour to wait out the afternoon sun and then struck out east along the Tonto Trail 2.2 miles to Cremation Canyon, which we would be our home for the next two nights.

The Tonto Trail traverses the Tonto Platform, a very wide bench that sits about 1500 feet above the Colorado River. The Tonto Platform was created by backwearing of the Bright Angel Shale formation and sits atop the more erosion resistant Tapeats Sandstone.  Cremation Canyon is carved out of the Tapeats layer.

We left pinion pine forests on the south rim and were now walking along a trail through the scrub growth of the Tonto Platform: mostly blackbush that scratched your shin, lots of several different species of prickly pear cactus, but also Mormon tea, agave, yucca and mesquite. Quite a change over a few hours! The agave is very interesting. It can wait over 25 years to bloom (so it’s called the “century plant”). When it does bloom, it shoots up a stalk, up to 20 feet tall, in growth that can be measured in inches per day, and then the plant dies.

As we traversed the Tonto Platform to Cremation Canyon, we crossed many drainages or PUDs (pointless ups and downs) as the guide called them.  The trail had lots of loose rock and the trail negotiated a boulder field as we dropped down into Cremation; a canyon within a canyon.

(Traversing the Tonto Platform)

Midway along the Tonto, our group came along curious individual who was heading in the opposite (west) direction. Instead of a sunhat he had wizard hat with stars, not unlike what Mickey Mouse wore in Fantasia, and had his shirt unbutton down his chest. He asked if we were coming from Lone Tree. No, our guide explained, Lone Tree was behind him. He had no water so the guide pointed him toward Phantom Ranch, about four miles away. Our guide was pretty sure he didn’t have a permit and here he was, lost on the Tonto, with no water.  Our guide said that you will meet all kind of folks on the trail…

Cremation Canyon is water carved, as evidenced by the smooth rock features along the bottom, but also can fill with water after a heavy rain as evidenced by the plant debris along the sides. But tonight it was dry and we set up our sleeping area on a sandy/gravelly patch. When we met Christian for our orientation the night before, he asked if wanted tents, or wanted to camp “cowboy style” – with no tents. We decided to embrace the experience, and save weight in our packs, and so cowboy style it was!

(Looking down -north- along Cremation Canyon. Trail in is to the left; Zoraster Temple in the right background)

Supper in Cremation Canyon. Me on the far right, beside my buddy Glen)

After a meal of chicken fajitas, we grabbed our headlamps and headed up out of the canyon to the Platform to see if we could catch the blood red moon lunar eclipse. It was cloudy to the east, but we caught glimpses of the moon as it rose from behind a butte.

Scrambling back down the trail, in the dark, by headlamp, we came across a scorpion. The guide said “don’t touch it” but I think we knew that   Later, back at camp, the instructions to put your boots on a rock overnight, and not leave them lying the sand, became a bit more meaningful.

It was warm so we didn’t even use our sleeping bags; rather we just slept in the sleeping bag liners that we had packed. Didn’t have a good sleep. Maybe it was a combination of cowboy style, excitement, or maybe it was my inflatable pillow that didn’t hold air and I had to keep blowing up, or the four of us, cheek to jowl, on the tarp.  

A pretty incredible first day descending into the canyon. It was a hot day  (that got hotter as we descended!), a 6.5 mile hike, including a 4.3 miles descent over 3000 ft but I managed my energy, electrolytes and water well.

 

 

 

Day Two: May 16

Awoke early, around 5:30 AM, had breakfast, and then set out for the bottom of the canyon at Phantom Ranch.

In the early 1920’s the NPS commissioned Mary Colter to draw up the building plans for Phantom Ranch. She did, and when the NPS wanted to call it Roosevelt Chalet, she declined and said that if it wasn’t named Phantom Ranch (named after Phantom Canyon, a side canyon of Bright Angel Canyon), they couldn’t have the plans. Ms Colter won.

While it was going to be amazing to get to the bottom of the canyon, I think what we were looking forward to the most was the lemonade that is for sale at the cantina at the ranch. After a day and a half of sipping warm water through a tube, to have iced lemonade seemed like heaven.

Leaving camp we travelled west along the Tonto Trail to the Tipoff, then picked up the South Kaibab and began our 2.6 mile 1600 ft descent to the “basement” of the Grand Canyon. The bedrock at the bottom of the canyon are called the Vishnu Basement Rocks

 

(Our destination. Silver Bridge, Bright Angel, Phantom Ranch and Boat Beach)

(A mule train on the descent. You are supposed to stay quiet as they pass, but one of our group asked "How many times do you make the trip?" The wrangler's response, in a drawl, used an economy of words "Twice. One up. One down") 

Nearing the bottom, we left the S. Kaibab to follow the River Trail, a short fairly level 1.7 mile trail that runs alongside the river and joins up with the Bright Angel Trail at the Silver Bridge. Crossing the Silver Bridge, we headed into Phantom Ranch just as a rescue helicopter landed to evacuate someone.

(River Trail - to the left - from the South Kaibab to Silver Bridge downstream)

(looking west/downstream. Silver Bridge, the delta of Bright Angel Creek, and the end of Bright Angel Canyon. Phantom Ranch is about a mile up the canyon. Also the end of the North Kaibab trail. The trail head is 14 miles and 5800 ft of elevation away)

(Silver Bridge)

We enjoyed the spring water at a tap then began the mile walk up the North Kaibab trail, which runs alongside Bright Angel Creek, to Phantom Ranch.

(Heading up Bright Angel Creek)

Phantom Ranch was busy! Because the north rim is 1000 feet higher than the south, due to snowfall, the north rim only opens in Mid May. It had just opened so there were lots of folks doing the rim to rim.

Man, the iced lemonade was delicious! So refreshing after a day of sipping warm water.

We sat for a bit in the shade of Arizona sycamore then moved back down the trail and took up space along Bright Angel Creek where we napped or sat in the creek. It was hot 104 or 40C. It was a day for shade or water, or both!

After a soak in the creek moved to Boat Beach on the Colorado River just downstream of the Black Bridge. Boat Beach is where the river rafting boats beach and there were three there, We found a nice spot in the shade and swam, waded or napped. The river was 50F, so swims were brief!

(Napping at Boat Beach. Me in the foreground)

Alongside the Colorado River are cactus. I was taken aback by that. Normally I’m used to seeing cactus in a desert with sand and rock, not with a blue river running just feet away. The guide explained that we are in the Sonoran desert life zone at this elevation, hence the cactus. Makes sense, Phoenix is at 2000 ft and is in the Sonora desert. The South Rim, on the Colorado Plateau, is at 7000 ft and we had just descended 5000 ft so we were now at the same elevation as Phoenix and the Sonora desert.

(The seeming incongruity of a river and cactus)

The Colorado was running blue and clear, which is scenic and looks lovely in pictures, but it’s sign of a river in poor health. Normally, this time of year, the river is running muddy, laden with sediment from the spring freshet. But upstream at the Glen Canyon Dam, due to the ongoing drought, they were holding more water back than usual, so what was being released was clear. Beautiful but an ominous sign of the times.

We waited for late afternoon before we started our ascent. First stop was the pump where we wetted our hats, shirts and towels around our necks, then we crossed the Black Bridge and started up.

(Black Bridge. Upstream of Silver Bridge)

It was hot, and the rocks radiated heat, but we got up to the Tipoff and then traversed the Tonto Platform on the Tonto Trail back to Cremation Canyon for our second and last night in the canyon.

(Those specks is our group. Zoraster Temple formation is on the left of the image)

(Heading back to Cremation as the shadows creep across the Tonto Platform)

I learned a lot about water discipline. The climb up was hot and the guide caught me taking some chugs of water. He cautioned taking “comfort gulps” and said that your body uses water more efficiently if you sip it. Also, my mouth was constantly parched and I was drinking frequently. He advised that mouth breathing dried you out because you were sucking hot air into your mouth. Rather, best to breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth

I slept much better this night, but there very strong wind gusts and it was weird to be sleeping cowboy style, laying shirtless in the sack, getting your chest pelted by sand!

 

 

Day 3: May 17

We were awake by 5:15, broke camp and were on the trail by 6:00 for breakfast in the shelter at Tipoff. It was a little disconcerting to look up at the south rim, over 3000 ft over our heads and think to yourself “I need to get up there”. Our packs were lighter, maybe 20 pounds but it was still a helluva daunting task. The guides said it’s all a mental game. We had already ascended a third of the canyon yesterday, so only two thirds left and the instead of focussing on the south rim, we broke the hike into chunks; first was Skeleton Point, then Cedar Ridge then the rim.

For me the trick was to manage my breathing and not mouth breath, to manage my water with sips and not comfort gulps, to take it slow, and to watch my lines-meaning rather than take big steps up each stair, to look for rocks to turn a big step into two smaller ones. It was just head down, watch your line and grind away.

Within the first mile, three groups emerged. The lead guide, with the four young people in their early 20’s, me and my buddy Glen somewhere in the middle and the two women from the other group with the guide who was the sweeper. One of the women was feeling  unwell at breakfast at the Tipoff. I can’t imagine feeling that unwell, looking at the south rim, miles in the distance, and thinking “I have to get up there” I think a bit of panic might start to set in.

On the uphill slog, I was on my own. Head down, watching my lines, sipping water and pausing at every switchback for a quick breather.

As I sipped water from my bladder, I was struck by how precious each sip was. In this unforgiving, harsh landscape, every sip of warm water felt like a gift from God himself. Anywhere else you would spit out such a small amount of warm water, but here it was a precious, life giving, gift. I think my relationship with water changed a bit that day.

Not far below Skeleton Point I came across Glen, He was sitting in a shady area with his pack off, out in the open, and not in the lee of the butte we had been climbing, so there was a nice breeze. He was out of gas so we sat a while and had a nice long break, We knew we needed to eat, but were not hungry, but knew we needed the energy.  The Clif bars just turned to chalk in our mouths so the trick was to sip some water to create a slurry so you could wash it down.

When Glen was rested and refreshed, we struck out together. He wanted me to take the lead as I had a slower pace and it was his more ambitious pace that gassed him. We continued uphill, being passed by a couple of mule trains, pausing for small breaks at a flat spot in the trail, or in the shade, and got to Cedar Ridge just as the lead guide and the four whipper snappers were preparing to head up. We talked about the two ladies in back and Christian said that he was in touch with their company HQ who was in touch with the other guide (both guides carried the equivalent of a Garmin In Reach). Christian was going to take the kids to the top, then head back down to help the other guide, Phil, get the two ladies to the top.

Glen and I had a long break at Cedar Ridge and began the climb up the last section. At one break in the shade of a tree, we saw Christian running down the trail. He paused to fist bump and check in how we were doing, then down he went to meet up with Phil and the ladies. Glen and I had a little break in an area called “The Refrigerator”, a section of the Chimney that does not get direct sun and so it’s nice and cool in the shade and the rocks are cool to the touch. I rested my face against one. Ahhh….

Glen and I reached the rim at shortly past 1 PM; about 5.5 hours after we had left the Tipoff. Certainly not a land speed record, but we were happy and all smiles as we high fived at the top. I started to walk away from the canyon. Then turned, walked back toward it, faced it, and through my tears said, both to myself and to the canyon, “I ****ing did it”.  Three days, 22 miles and 4860 feet of elevation change in the canyon itself; even more counting the PUDS in the Tonto drainages.

The ladies and the two guides got to the top about 45 minutes after us. Before Christian got to them down below, Phil was triple packing it. Carrying his pack and one lady’s pack on his back and the other lady’s on his front. What a beast. I guess he comes by the moniker “Uphill Phil” for good reason. 

And that was it. A visit to the souvenir shop, a late lunch with a cold beer that never tasted so good, the long drive back to Phoenix and a hot shower where the water ran orange off my legs in the bottom of the tub.

It was incredible to be inside the Grand Canyon and to walk through history and it was incredible to be at a place where so few people get to go and experience. Sure there were lots of hikers, but compared to the 7 million people that visit the Grand Canyon every year, we are a relatively small group of people that will ever experience the basement of the Grand Canyon.

And more importantly, I did it. My training paid off, my body held up and I crushed it. When I got to the top, I wasn’t exhausted, I wasn’t stiff and sore that night, nor was I stiff and sore the next day. I was so grateful that my 56 year old body could do what it was called to do. Sure I trained hard for it, but it was so rewarding to put in that work, to see that gains in my body and to accomplish this feat that I never even thought possible.

(Note: I didn't take any of these pictures. They were taken by the guide Phil and my buddy's son. I knew the son was packing along his camera, photography is his hobby, so I thought I would save the weight and enjoy the experience while not being behind a viewfinder. If I wanted a picture of something I just said "Get a picture of that, will ya?" They were happy to oblige!  Also note no pictures on day 3. I think we were all a little preoccupied that day