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After a night in town fulfilling our food cravings (minus my grossly unsatisfied Indian food addiction - nobody of Indian descent seems to have settled anywhere in Utah, can’t understand why) and solidifying some plans with friends for upcoming fun, we headed for the north rim of the Grand Canyon, where we had a five day backpacking trip planned. Made it there no problem, despite the excitement offered by the many signs warning us some of the roads were still closed for the winter. Our friend Cecilia and her co-worked Rosa found us at our camping spot near the trailhead and we had a great night catching up with them over a campfire and beer. We got up when we heard Cecilia and Rosa moving around the next morning (and appreciated anew our two months without waking up to the sound of an alarm!). We hit the trail, and were amazed again by the spectacle that is the Grand Canyon. From the north rim, it’s quite a different scene from the busy south rim -- no crowds, concessionaires, mayhem. We made the steep knee-banging decline off the rim into the canyon. Had to pull out the rope to lower our
packs once or twice - especially after watching Cecilia try it herself and having her pack tumble a ways down the cliff. After a few miles downhill, we got to the Esplanade, which is a flat area of red rocks. We cached some food and water for our last night, then found a lunch spot overlooking that grand ole canyon. Cecilia got trapped on her bag by some marauding red ants, but we left for another steep descent unscathed (besides her pride). In the valley below we met a nice old man who shared some good old timer talk with us, and put our adventurous spirit to shame when describing his truly hardcore upcoming trip through the canyons. From there we walked to Thunder River -the shortest, steepest river in the world. Water is shooting out of the wall of the canyon, creating a lush zone of vegetation along its path. The falls just keep going coming and coming as you walk along the trail - it’s just one long lush series of waterfalls.
Next day had a river crossing, and Shane decided to tether me with a rope like a mule so I wouldn’t float away. Seemed a
bit ridiculous and unnecessary in the end, but I suppose better than being swept downstream… We found our way to the mighty Colorado, where we lunched on a beach along the green water. The river was fantastic - beaches, rocky shore, rapids, all winding through the amazing canyons. Picked our way along the shore of the river along the Vishnu Formation - apparently the oldest exposed rock in the world (2 billion years old). Black like Vishnu the dog. Enjoyed a great canyon sunset along the river. Headed to Deer Creek the next day. I managed to lose Shane for about half an hour (he had all the maps), but eventually we reconnected. Walked up to Deer Spring, another great waterfall shooting out of the red canyon wall. Explored the creek back to the river, where it successively drops steeper and deeper from the trail, creating a wavy canyon striped in purples whites and greens. When we got to the Colorado we were suddenly about 800’ above the river. Stayed at that overlook until the sunset. Read like crazy so I could finish my big heavy book and swap with Shane before we started the climb up and out of
the canyon the next day. We headed out the next day bright and early and chipper. Climbed a ways up the canyon, but quickly ran out of trail. Hmm. Shane checked and rechecked the map, and decided the trail must just be the riverbed. Involved some bouldering and getting a bit scraped up by trees and rocks. We were getting suspicious because there weren’t any other footprints along the way. Finally smartened up and on yet another map check realized that the trail was way back up another ravine near camp (in fact, the same ravine we’d hike up the day before). Damn. A bit dispiriting to get back right to our starting point after an hour or so of hard hiking, with the whole ascent of the day ahead of us… But we pushed on, hauled ass up the trail, making it to the Esplanade and our cache of food and water before we knew it. A final night overlooking the canyon, another great sunset, and then up and out the last 5 miles to the rim, ready for a shower and some good hot food…Overall, an amazing loop exploring the canyon, river, and waterfalls.
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Mark Saulter
non-member comment
Beautiful Pictures - Be careful - don't get lost!
Hi Lauren and Shane, What a trip - we are enjoying all of your pictures - spectacular! Be careful and enjoy the rest of the trip - don't get lost! Love - Mark and Anne