Well shit! What I saw in front of me made me decidedly anxious. Bianca and I were due to head up to the Grand Canyon for a four day backpacking trip in a few days. We would be heading out into the Hermit area off of the South Rim.
I love winter backpacking, especially at the Grand Canyon. I love experiencing cold and snow on the rim and then descending into temps in the 60's at the bottom. Permits are always available and there is a shortage of tourists. All together, it is my favorite time to be there! There are risks, of course. It can be icy and slippery. Massive storms can hit at any time, shutting down the roads and critical services.
Given all of that, what reason did I have to be so concerned, you ask? The forecast was calling for a massive storm across Northern Arizona and road closures were highly likely. It was possible that we'd have to cancel our trip. An absolutely unbearable and unthinkable eventuality. I resolved to carry on with the trip, no matter what, unless there was a road closure physically preventing our travel.
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As it turned out, that situation would happen to us twice. The day of departure arrived. A quick scan of the Grand Canyon National Park website revealed that much to my consternation the road out to the Hermit Trailhead was closed. Well, Crud! There was a slim possibility that it would re-open the next day, the day that we were headed out there, but I was extremely pessimistic about that actually happening. We'd see what we got and we'd get what we saw.
We loaded up the car and got on the road, not knowing what to expect. I had added tire chains and a snow shovel to the gear that we would be bringing. I also had a large bag of salt in case we got stuck. The word was that a massive storm had hit and that much of Northern AZ was getting dumped on. We figured we’d head up the highway and see how far we could get. We had a reservation in Tusayan, right outside the South Rim of GCNP. The best case scenario is that the roads remain open and we get there!
That didn't happen. As were headed up I-17 we started seeing all kinds of flashing lights and warning signs. I got onto my phone and logged onto the ADOT ( AZ Dept of Transportation) app. I was informed that the highway would be closed ASAP, North of the Sedona exit. There was no indication as to when it might re-open. Well, there are certainly worse things in the world than being stranded in Sedona. We made the exit into Sedona. We were starved and wanted to grab some grub.
I had never seen Sedona completely buried in snow before. Sedona is quite heavenly on the day to day, but it was absolutely stunning buried in the snow. After lunch we decided to head up to the Airport, which overlooks the entire city, and see what we could see. I was glad that we did. What a sight!
We dilly dallied as long as we could. We checked out the sights and ate some tasty local snacks. I furiously refreshed the ADOT app again and again for an update on the road closure. After several hours in Sedona, we decided to just check into a motel room and see what would happen the following day. On a whim I rechecked the app and discovered that the highway was now open all the way to Flagstaff! Hayull yes!! It looked like that would be the end of the road for the night, though, as the highway that leaves Flagstaff for Tusayan would remain closed until the early hours of the next morning. We were nonetheless stoked to be getting as far as Flagstaff. If the highway to the Canyon opened over night and if the road out to Hermit opened as well, our trip would still be intact. We'd have to hustle in the morning, but it would be intact. But, as the saying goes, "If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas".
Somewhat reluctantly, given the stark beauty that we were engulfed in at the moment, we pointed the car towards the highway to Flagstaff. After an extremely slow drive, in whiteout blizzard conditions, we pulled into Flagstaff late that night. We were pretty zonked after a long day. Our hotel was buried in snow. It was so cool to see.
After a hot shower, the bed was calling. We fell asleep in moments. We awoke to discover that the highway to the Canyon was open! Regrettably, Hermit road was closed. The Grand Canyon highway crew evidently had the effrontery to focus their efforts on other roads in the park! We would not be able to do our trip. Ruh Roh Raggy! As disappointing as it was, this was no kind of a disaster. I knew that there would be a ton of trip cancellations from folks electing to stay home, given the conditions, so I figured when we got there we'd head to the Backcountry Information Center (BIC) and put together a new itinerary. It was a bit of a bummer, but we were both excited about the possibilities. Oh, how little we knew about the comedy of errors that would ensue. The trip would take many drastic, unforeseen twists and turns that would all combine into one of my favorite trips ever! It was like we fell down into a well and instead of breaking a leg, we discovered gold!
The highway after leaving Flagstaff. It was a spectacular morning. The amount of snow was simply stunning.
Soon enough, we'd entered the National Park and were enroute to the BIC. They had received quite a dump here as well. It was slow going on the snow covered roads.
We were in luck! We were able to score a new itinerary with nights at Cottonwood Campground, one of my favorites, along with Bright Angel Campground. There would also be a night at Havasupai Gardens Campground. It was getting later in the morning, so we had to hustle up and get on the trail. We had to make it to the bottom of the Canyon.
After a lengthy period of time getting ready, and then almost an hour of shuttle rides we made it to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The SK trail was our only option due to the Bright Angel trail being closed for maintenance.
After an eternity of last minute gear fiddling, putting on traction devices, taking photos, etc, we got on the trail. It was close to noon. We’d likely be finishing the hike and setting up camp in the dark. No worry, as we’d done that on plenty of occasions. As it turns out, I was wrong on both counts.
We got maybe twenty minutes or so down the trail, when I began to feel a cold chill beginning to work it's way through my body. Something seemed wrong. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was out of whack. Bianca was maybe fifty feet ahead of me on the trail and she seemed oblivious. It was then that I noticed the problem, Bianca. Please don't let it be so, became my temporary new mantra. I was aghast at what I was seeing, or more correctly, what I wasn't seeing. I yelled up at Bianca to please stop. She turned around and waited for me to catch up. Do you have the tent, I asked? Usually I can see it on the back of her pack and I could not see it. "I thought you had it", was her response. Well, crud! Not ideal! There is not a lot of space to stash a two person tent in a backpack, so a after a quick fruitless search through both packs, it rapidly became evident that we had left it in the car. We just shook our heads and chuckled. With an iffy weather forecast in front of us, I wasn't going to consider cowboy camping.
It would be approximately two hours, at a minimum, before we could go to the car and get back with the tent. It would nearly be dark and I did not at all relish the prospect of a long winter descent in the dark. On to Plan C or was it D?
We decided to see if we could get a room at Bright Angel Lodge. We'd never stayed there, but had always wanted to. It's usually tough to get reservations, but with the storm, maybe? We were in luck! We got an excellent room, about one hundred feet from the Canyon's edge. I then saw the Phantom Ranch reservations desk right next to the Bright Angel Lodge desk. I thought that I'd see if my luck would continue, as I slid over and asked if they happened to have any cabins at Phantom Ranch for the next night. The guy told me that they had a single cabin left and it was for ten people. He told me that he'd only charge us the price for the regular cabin. Boom! Wazzow! Gazonga!! We were stoked as we'd had no thought that we'd be able to stay at Phantom Ranch, the only lodge at the bottom of the Canyon. I asked him if they had any meals left and he said that they had steak dinners available as well as stew dinners. We paid for strew dinners and walked out of there as happy as a puppy with two peters with how things had gone after forgetting our tent.
As much as I love backpacking and sleeping in my sleeping bag in my tent, having hot showers, a mattress, and some of the most delightful grub you can get, wins out every time. Plus, cold beer. 'Nuff said!
After we checked into our room, we snagged some hot chocolate and rumple minze and walked along the rim for a while enjoying the snow covered canyon.
Somehow we ended up at the El Tovar. We grabbed some drinks at the El Tovar lounge. The El Tovar is a pretty cool 120 year old hotel right on the rim. It looks like it belongs at Hogwarts. We were seated right next to a window with views directly into the Canyon. It was so sweet to sit there with those views, housing some local brewskis. Regrettably, I didn't have the foresight to snap a photo of it.
This photo was the best I could get, just right outside the window!
After another beverage and an excellent dinner we turned in. We were able to sleep in as we were already at the South Rim and all we had ahead of us was an eight mile hike to Phantom Ranch. We could take all day to knock that hike out, as dinner wouldn't be served until 6:00 down there.
Some cow elk outside of our room the next morning. It looked like they may have been hammering down some breakfast juniper berries. They were so close you could literally hear them chewing.
Back at the trailhead for another go! What a sunny, beautiful morning. Let's see just what it is that it is that we can do!
Taking a lunch break at Cedar Ridge. You simply cannot ever walk away and leave your pack unattended. That is provided, of course, that you like your pack and your food. Should you leave it unattended in this locale, it will quickly be attended to by some of the locals. The Raven's are a feisty lot of shitbirds and they'll open your pack zipper to get at your stuff. I've seen it with my own two eyes. They unzip your pack and get their nasty carcass into anything they can. That's what you'll have in situations like that and in many other similar situations. In other locales, the offending creature is likely to be rodentine in nature. A highly brazen, intelligent creature that will rob you blind and chew holes in your gear if you're careless enough to provide the little rapscallions with the opportunity.
As our elevation decreased, it started to warm up a bit. The tread was definitely getting significantly muddy.
The tireless workhorses of the Canyon, the Mules. They haul tourists down there, as well as all of the food served at Phantom Ranch, as well as countless other things. They even haul the US Mail from Phantom Ranch.
We made it to Tipoff. The rest stop here is really nice. The weather was starting to deteriorate, as forecasted. Little did we know just how interesting that things were about to get.
Some definite snow, and hail.
The bridge that we would use to cross the Colorado, called the Black Bridge or the Mule bridge, is visible on the right center edge of the frame.
Just after crossing the river there is a place where I always stop and watch the river roar on by. It's always quite entrancing.
A few minutes later, on the trail to Phantom Ranch, you'll approach Bright Angel Creek in the area close to where it dumps into the Colorado. Bright Angel Campground is just on the left side of the creek. Phantom Ranch is maybe 1/2 mile upcanyon.
First order of business was snagging some thirst quenching, cold beverages from the canteen.
We checked into our cabin. It was fantastic! Tent, what tent? Forgetting our tent on that first day turned out to be a huge non-mistake.
Nursing a nice hot cup of early morning coffee!
The front view of our cabin. Just a stone's throw from the canteen, Way more space than we needed, but always such a neat experience.
This shitbird thought he was going to poach my breakfast sandwich. That was only going to happen over my dead corpse, in which case he probably would have poached part of my corpse. I gave him a dirty look and he evacuated, presumably in the hopes of finding another sucker.
We loaded up and got on the trail for the half mile trek to our campsite, right on Bright Angel Creek. It was going to be nice to have a free day to explore the area. We selected a site and began to set up camp.
The metal works that you see in the creek, in the center of the photo, is part of a spawning habitat for the Humpback Chub, a native fish. The NPS has apparently relocated the fish into Bright Angel Creek, as they are endangered. Per the NPS, they are native to the Colorado River Basin, but are now endangered and thus in an effort to protect them have been introduced into Bright Angel Creek.
We spent a couple of hours walking around in the area. We hung out at the beach and caught some sun for a while. It was so beautiful.
Back at camp we set up for lunch. Had some rehydrated hummus, some cold beers, and some other snacks. It was sunny, but a tad brisk.
After eating some homemade dehydrated meals, we were ready for bed. It would be an early rise to get on the trail out of the Canyon.
After a quick breakfast we quickly broke down camp and got on the trail. We crossed the bridge and immediately began the steep hike out. It was an incredibly beautiful winter day!
Oh yeah! The first pit stop comes at the end of that initial climb out of the bottom of the Canyon. It felt really good to get there.
We were treated to some magnificent views of the snow covered cliffs and rim. It felt like it would be forever until we got there. Despite the fact that two weeks later Bianca would be undergoing a knee replacement surgery, she was doing pretty well.
A little over half way there.
The last few switchbacks at the top, colloquially known as "The Chimney".
The last few steps, AKA Beer Thirty. It was not quite noon when we finished.
On the way to Flagstaff, post hike, a majestic photo of a snow covered Humphrey's Peak. Thanks for reading!
