Grand Canyoneering

[TripLeader]

2008
Part 20 [Topped Out]

We hiked out toward the South Rim. The end of the trip was near.

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And we were to the top in short order after that.

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We took the obligatory group selfie from a baby-sized tripod. We got a few weird looks from the other tourists on the rim. Maybe it was our appearance, maybe it was our smell.
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We found a shower and started the long drive back.

 

[shade]

I think they were surprised that people were hiking out of the canyon on a cold, windy day.

Or they saw how much crap was still in my pack. I still can't believe how heavy it was at the end.

Thanks for posting another excellent photo thread. ?

 

[TripLeader]

2008
Part 21 [Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?]

We broke up the road trip home with a stay in Gallup, New Mexico. It's an old Route 66 town, so we lived it up with a stay at the El Rancho, complete with pink neon lights.

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The story goes that movie stars used to stay there. Maybe....maybe not, but they've got old photos of them all over the walls. The nicest room in the joint was the Ronald Reagan Suite. We're not high-rollers, so we had to settle for the Jackie Cooper Room.

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And that was it. We arrived home the next day.
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Thanks for reading. I'll have one more report to push out this winter: The Escalante Route of 2011.

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

Escalante Route. Yes!!!

Funny thing about Escalante Route. We were warned about navigation challenges, but I thought it easier to navigate than some actual trails.

The other thing about Escalante Route: the "technical" challenges were really not that bad, except for down climbing Papago Slide. I had a serious "oh ********" moment on the descent.

Best parts ... 75 Mile Canyon and Hance Canyon. Pictures don't do 75 Mile Canyon justice.

Some pictures from my 2017 trip. But, I look forward to your stuff!!!

Papago Slide





Hance Canyon

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

Oh ... one more picture from my 2017 trip as I hijack your thread with my glory days reminiscing ...

At the junction of Tonto and Grandview, beginning our ascent to the Rim with an overnight dry camp on Horseshoe Mesa. My ugly mug is on the left.

Personal significance to me: this marks my complete traverse of the inner canyon from the confluence of the Little Colorado to Hermit Creek, over a series of 4 trips.

 

[MCX]

Great pix! Thanks for sharing! I'm impressed with how nice the panoramic pictures are from 12 - 13 years ago, they look great!

 

[TripLeader]

Great pix! Thanks for sharing! I'm impressed with how nice the panoramic pictures are from 12 - 13 years ago, they look great!

Thanks, I had somewhat forgotten about them. I broke that camera a year later, and the replacement did not have a pano option.

 

[jgaz]

@TripLeader
Thanks for your fantastic pictures but also for taking the time to organize them in such a logical progression.

Ive bored my wife (to tears) with the pictures from my various trips over the last 20 years.
I had her look thru your postings. She first said the pics were incredible.
The second thing she said was “that’s the way to show someone your canyon trip, when there are too many pics their eyes kinda glaze over.”

The only mistake I made was she saw Papago slide in @GB_Willys_2014 excellent picture.
Her reaction was “you climb on something like that!!!” “You’re nuts!”

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

@TripLeader
Thanks for your fantastic pictures but also for taking the time to organize them in such a logical progression.

Ive bored my wife (to tears) with the pictures from my various trips over the last 20 years.
I had her look thru your postings. She first said the pics were incredible.
The second thing she said was “that’s the way to show someone your canyon trip, when there are too many pics their eyes kinda glaze over.”

The only mistake I made was she saw Papago slide in @GB_Willys_2014 excellent picture.
Her reaction was “you climb on something like that!!!” “You’re nuts!”

Oops. Sorry, man.

Tell her it doesn't look so bad in real life. Who knows, she may buy it ... although, knowing you, your wife is no fool.

 

[TripLeader]

@TripLeader
Thanks for your fantastic pictures but also for taking the time to organize them in such a logical progression.

Ive bored my wife (to tears) with the pictures from my various trips over the last 20 years.
I had her look thru your postings. She first said the pics were incredible.
The second thing she said was “that’s the way to show someone your canyon trip, when there are too many pics their eyes kinda glaze over.”

The only mistake I made was she saw Papago slide in @GB_Willys_2014 excellent picture.
Her reaction was “you climb on something like that!!!” “You’re nuts!”

Thanks for the compliment, and also please pass my thanks on to Mrs. Jgaz.

 

[jgaz]

What?! There's a slot canyon there?!

Why didn't you tell me this in 2006 before I went???

@TripLeader
Here‘s a couple of (poor) photos taken in 2007 of the slot canyon that starts from the Monument campground leading to the creek drainage. I’m going to include these not to torment you but in case someone wants to use your excellent thread to plan their own trip.



If I remember correctly this slot was accessed just past one of the westernmost campsites in the campground.
We were camped up on the shelf in the group site.

The slot dumped you out a hole in the wall about 5feet? up the eastern bank of monument creek. IIRC.

 

[TripLeader]

@TripLeader
Here‘s a couple of (poor) photos taken in 2007 of the slot canyon that starts from the Monument campground leading to the creek drainage. I’m going to include these not to torment you but in case someone wants to use your excellent thread to plan their own trip...

Thanks for posting that. I wish I had known about it. ?

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

Thanks for posting that. I wish I had known about it. ?

Ditto here

Similarly, I had first heard about this only after leaving Monument Creek.

Need to go back.

Thanks for sharing @jgaz !!!

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 1 [The Bicycle in the Woods]


Yes, that is a bike in the woods. What are we doing? How did we get here?
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After the other two trips (in '07 & '08) we had not been back to the Grand Canyon in a couple of years in favor of other destinations. So we got together in 2010 and planned a trip to return in Spring 2011. Three of us from the previous trips were inviting an unexperienced fourth.
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The Escalante Route was proposed as the itinerary and accepted. We would head down the Tanner Trail, west across the Escalante Route, and then up the New Hance Trail. There was no parking at the New Hance Trailhead. We made the plan to cache a bicycle there and ride it back to our vehicle at the Tanner Trailhead, about six miles away. Logistics solved.
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This backpacking trip was anticipated to be more remote and wild than the previous two trips I had done. We would have more route-finding to do, and more climbing and scrambling to negotiate. Let's get to it.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 2 [Down the Tanner Trail]

We had arrived and done all the typical touristy stuff and cached the bike the day before. We were ready to head down into the canyon. Of course the weather tried to make it exciting. It was snowing on the South Rim.

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The snow transitioned to light rain as we lost elevation. It eventually stopped.

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The view of the Desert View Watchtower from below the rim.

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