DAY 2 - SOUTH CANYON
October 24, 2019
Bianca Milione |
Dean wakes me up at 5:25 am. I had been saying
that it would be a shame to not hike all the way to the river and
back today as the features at the river sound so pretty and I want
to see all of them. Dean is not convinced that is a practical
or enjoyable itinerary, but he humors me anyway by agreeing to an
early start. Today’s hike is an important part of the work
trip, because a hiker called the national park recently to report an
abandoned pack in South Canyon, so Dean is going to hike in and
retrieve it. Energetic and unphased as usual, he is up in the
freezing blackness, boiling water, and running around packing up.
Meanwhile, I am still huddled in my sleeping bag, thinking
“Really???” The thought of making a steep and difficult
descent, boulder hopping, and bush whacking for 6.5 miles to get to
the river, only to have to retrace our steps back up, suddenly
doesn’t seem so appealing. While I am heaving myself out of
bed, Dean is off looking for the trailhead, which we didn’t manage
to spot last night. It’s so dark that we can’t even see the huge
canyon that we’re right near the edge of. It’s been quite a
few years since Dean’s last visit here, and he ends up thinking that
we’re in the wrong place. So, we jump in the car to backtrack
to the last fork in the dirt road. The clock in the car says 5
am, so we were actually up at 4:25 am because Dean’s phone was
picking up the time in Utah. I am not impressed.
After plenty of mucking around and going back and forth on the very
rough dirt road, we end up eventually finding the trailhead back at
the same spot we started in. We really needed some natural
light to be able to see it as the beginning of the trail leading to
the sign is very indistinct. The trailhead sign is completely
weathered and illegible. Finally, we’re on our way!
The initial descent to the canyon floor is very steep
and loose, apart from some sections of climbing on solid rock.
It’s only about a mile, but it takes me an hour. Dean could
have been down there much faster, but as usual, he is very gracious
and cheerful about waiting for me. Once we get to the canyon
floor, things get somewhat easier, but there’s still a lot of
scrambling over boulders which takes time.
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The
trailhead sign |
First glimpse of South Canyon |
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The trail comes down steeply through
the
break in the
rocks on the left |
Chute
at the beginning of the descent |
Apache Plume flower
on the canyon floor |
As we descend, there are some easy walking sections
in the Supai layer, where the rocks have formed flat platforms.
It’s in this area that we find the overhang sheltering the abandoned
pack. It’s fascinating to imagine what was going on in this
person’s mind. They must have been really worried about making
it out, as we estimate there is at least $700 worth of gear
left behind, including a high quality pack and sleeping bag.
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An easy walking section |
The boulder strewn terrain |
Success! The abandoned pack |
We’re four miles in and it’s pretty slow going, so we
decide to turn around at this point. Dean promises that we’ll
come back another time and hike to the river and stay the night.
I think that sounds a lot better than doing it all in one day.
I’m excited about coming back, so we can take it at a more enjoyable pace
another time, because this canyon is beautiful and peaceful.
Nearing the final ascent, we get separated for a
short distance and Dean ends up bashing his way through an intense
thicket of coyote willows. I can hear rustling and crashing
below me. When he emerges, he has a little cut on his face and
scratches all over his legs! He says I took the smarter route.
As we climb, I can’t believe how I ever made it down
this ridiculously steep trail in the dim morning light without
falling off a cliff! It’s a stiff climb out, but takes twenty
minutes less than it did going down, since I feel a lot more sure of my
footing going up. I do not envy Dean carrying out the
abandoned pack as well as his own ample day pack. He is stoic
and uncomplaining as ever.
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Taking a break on the way up |
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The last section to scramble up |
Relieved to be back on the top |
One final look |
We have a nice late lunch back at the car and then
drive to camp on BLM land near Lee’s Ferry.
Dean calls the park service dispatch to sign out of
his backcountry itinerary and the working portion of the trip is
now complete.
BACK TO DAY 1 -Ɩ-
FORWARD TO DAY 3 |