A couple of years ago, at my high school reunion, I ran into an old buddy who does a lot of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. As we shared stories with each other about various backpacking trips we'd done, we hatched a plan to do a Grand Canyon trip together at some point. As the fall of 2017 rolled around, I decided to set up my winter 2018 trip and invited Greg along. He let me know that he was in! When I received notification from the National Park that our permit was approved, we began to plan the trip in earnest.
Greg arrived in Phoenix, from his home in Maryland, on a Friday afternoon and after a stop at REI for a few last minute supplies we were ready for an early Saturday morning departure. The alarm clock went off at 4:00 AM and after a couple of cups of coffee we loaded up the car and were on the road. We were definitely "runnin on Dunkin". After a quick pit stop in Flagstaff, we pulled into the National Park at about 11:00, much later than I had planned. We grabbed a quick lunch and hopped on the shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead.
The plan was to make an "easy" 7 mile downhill hike and set up camp at Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the canyon. I carried two liters of water and Greg carried the same. That would have to be enough to get us there, as there was no water availability on the trail until the bottom.We'd later come to regret carrying so little water. With my canyon experience and years of living in the desert I knew that two liters would be more than adequate for me, but neglected to realize that Greg, living in a humid climate on the East Coast, might need more.
After a couple of photos at the top we began our descent down the trail. Surprisingly there was no snow or ice on the trail, so the footing was great. Within a fairly short time we made it to Ooh Aah Point, which was a great spot to take a quick break and appreciate some canyon views. At this point we were about a mile into our journey.
After a quick break, we got back on the trail and headed downhill towards our next stop, Cedar Point. The temperature was starting to heat up as we lost elevation, and it was a beautiful day. Eventually I pulled into Cedar Point and sat down to rest my weary legs. I chatted with some other backpackers who were doing the same itinerary that we were, and learned that one of them was also experiencing his first time in the canyon. How exciting! After a few minutes Greg pulled in and we took a break. I noted, with some alarm, that he was consuming his water at such a rate that I was worried he'd be out before we reached the bottom. I had barely used any, and made a note to conserve as much of mine as I could, to give to him the rest.
With about 1.5 miles remaining, we were out of water. The dry air and a couple of other issues had driven our fluid consumption much higher than anticipated. Greg's knee was causing his leg to buckle and he took a fall, which thankfully didn't result in injury. I decided to book it to the bottom, drop my pack, and bring a couple of liters of water and electrolytes back to Greg. I made record time to our campsite and was back on the trail within a few minutes. After about 30 minutes I made it back to where he was to discover that some passing hikers had given him a liter of water. Thank you! Greg seemed to be pepping up and we resumed the descent in the darkness. After what seemed like an eternity we steamed into camp around 8:30 PM. I heard Greg mutter behind me, "Praise Jesus".
We set up camp in about 5 minutes and heated some water for a little Chili Mac. I guzzled about 2 liters of fluid and disappeared into my sleeping bag. I didn't stir until after 7:00 AM.
The next morning, we crawled out of the tent to a chilly, but sunny day. Greg was feeling better, but his knee was still causing his leg to buckle. We contemplated the rest of our trip while enjoying some Mountain House breakfast skillet and some Starbucks Via. If you've never had it, I highly recommend it for any coffee drinker on a backpacking trip. I decided that we could probably make the 7 mile hike, North to Cottonwood Campground, but the following day would be an 11 mile effort with the last 5 miles up a steep climb. As tough as Greg is, I couldn't see his knee allowing him to make that hike. We decided to talk to the Ranger and see about changing our itinerary so that we could break up the long climb out into two days. There was one spot left at Indian Gardens, so we decided to take it. We'd have about a 5 mile climb up the Bright Angel trail, but we'd have all day to do it. We picked up some more electrolytes at the Phantom Ranch canteen and got on the trail about 12:30. The first mile of our day began by going over the silver bridge, which spans the Colorado River. It's quite a sight!
After the silver bridge, the trail begins a series of ups and downs, following the river, some of which are pretty rocky and slightly exposed. Greg's knee did not enjoy going downhill and as I watched him descend a small set of steps his knee buckled and down he went. He heard a pop and felt excruciating pain in his left ribcage. He's broken several ribs over the years and felt certain that he'd broken another. Well, crud. He was able to breathe ok, popped a couple of ibuprofen and soldiered on. As soon as we got to the big climb, he rebounded and got into a nice rhythm. I began to think that we might actually make it! The day was sunny, and cool. A perfect Grand Canyon day. Seeing how well Greg was climbing boosted my spirits and I began to daydream about that first shot of whiskey I'd be consuming when we got to camp.
Once we got about half way up and I knew that Greg was solid, we decided that I'd forge ahead and claim our campsite as they are first come first served. I'd set up camp and have some grub and whiskey waiting for Greg's arrival. I powered ahead and made it to camp around 3:30 P.M. Within minutes camp was set up and it was time to have a late lunch and relax.
After a short time Greg arrived and we had a relaxing evening. The skies were darkening and the Ranger indicated that we were expecting 1-3 inches of snow overnight. I made sure to guy out the tent pretty tightly as heavy winds were in the forecast. After an hour or so visiting with neighbors, we retired, wearing thermals, puffies, and knit caps. At this point the temperature was in the low 40s and the wind was already gusting to 30 MPH. The winds that night were forecasted to hit 50 MPH. Sleep was touch and go throughout the night as the winds were howling and at several times it felt as though we'd be joining Dorothy on the flight to OZ. We awoke at 6:15 or so and ate a quick breakfast. Thankfully there had been no precipitation and we were able to pack up a dry camp. I wanted to hit the trail early in order to beat the worst of the weather and also knowing we had a long drive back to Phoenix ahead of us.
We hiked together to the 3 mile rest house. The wind was picking up and we decided I'd go on ahead and get the car and meet Greg at the trailhead. I moved on at a steady pace and began to encounter plenty of hikers on their way to the bottom. We shared weather observations and it began to sound as though the storm was about to hit. I kept going and within two miles of the top began to encounter heavy winds and a pretty good amount of snow falling. The trail was beginning to show some pretty good snow accumulation and the winds made it hard to see with the blowing snow. All I could think about was getting to the top and getting warm. I had plenty of warm gear buried in my pack along with my yaktrax, but I had no desire to stop and rummage through my pack to dig it out. Yeah, I know stubborn. That's what my ex wife used to say. Crud.
Eventually I began to encounter the hordes of tourists setting foot on the trail and knew I was close to topping out. I always get a surge of adrenaline as I get close to the top. My buddy Brett, my regular canyon partner, calls it Rim Fever. With a few last steps, soreness and exhaustion temporarily forgotten, I made it to the top. It was a winter wonderland. I headed to the heated bathrooms at the top to dry out and text my loved ones that I had made it.
No comments:
Post a Comment