I know it has been a while since I posted some updates here, so I’m going to kick it back off with a big one! I recently got back from a 17 day trip through the Grand Canyon, kayaking and rafting on the Colorado River. It was a spectacular journey, but before we get ahead of ourselves we have to get down to the river…
We started the trip by driving up to the national park from my parent’s house outside of Tucson. We were staying at a hotel at the rim that night, so after checking in we went for a walk out to see the sun go down. The view was beautiful (as always), but we were also immediately surprised at how cold it was up there in October! Unfortunately, most of our equipment and clothing was waiting for us on the rafts at the bottom of the canyon. After the sun went down we got some dinner and then headed to our room nice and early so we would be ready for our departure first thing in the morning.
We woke up at 4:15 AM, put on as much clothing as we could manage and headed over to the tram stop that would take us out to Hermit’s Rest. We caught the first shuttle at 5 AM and by 5:45 we were headed below the rim with the trail lit only by our headlamps. It was a cold start to the day, but fortunately it started to warm up more and more as the sun came up. We made quick progress down the first layers of the canyon and stopped for a break at a shelter near Santa Maria Spring.
After a steep initial descent the trail leveled out a bit and traversed it’s way out towards the main canyon. We passed a couple of impressive overlooks, saw a few other groups backpacking, and admired the massive cliffs that towered above and below us. As we progressed the sun slowly climbed higher and higher, but it still took many hours for us to emerge into full sun. After about 6 miles we came to the second steep descent. The trail through this section was noticeably more rough, with a lot more signs of erosion and fewer signs of use.
At this point we were all feeling the thousands of feet we had descended in our knees, so we took another break and then started the traverse over to Monument Creek along the Tonto Trail. Fortunately this section was pretty flat and we made good time in full sun. This is also where we caught our first real glimpses of the river that we would be riding for the next couple of weeks. It was great to have the end in sight.
As we started the final descent down to the level of the river we were surprised to find the monument that gave the trail it’s name. It’s a tower of rock sitting above the creek bed. The trail winds it’s way right past it, so it really dominates your view for a bit. In retrospect this tower was a sign of things to come. A destination worthy in it’s own right that is of no particular importance because of it’s location deep in the canyon. It was still a sight to take in, so we took one last break here and then headed out the wash to meet up with the rest of the group that had paddled in.
In the end the hike was around 11 miles, descended 5000 feet, and took us 7 hours. We were all very happy that we didn’t have to hike back up, and instead sat down for a cocktail at camp. I was eager to check out the whitewater, so I ran down the rapid to take it in. It only took a minute to realize that the whitewater on this trip was going to be a blast as well, so I came back to camp excited and ready for the next day. Though it was the end of our first big day and our big hike, this was just the start of the adventure to come.
Taken 10/26/21-10/27/21
