Tapeats ampitheatre of the Grand Canyon

[BLKNBLU]

So it's October which means time for my annual trek to the Tapeats ampitheatre in the Grand Canyon. I've been going about this time every year since 2001 with 1 miss due to family issues. It seems we always find something to "check out next year" to keep us coming back. Mainly it has been me and my friend Todd with a rotating cast of others joining from time to time. This year it was just us two, so our itinerary was open and flexible. Todd already had a "soft" R2R2R planned if there is such a thing, Saturday S to N, rest on Sunday, then Monday N to S. His knee started to give him some grief though on the S to N so he opted to play it safe and not risk our trip. He drove back around with the shuttle group to the south where I met him on Monday afternoon. We ended up waiting fairly late for the rest of his group to get back just to make sure everything was OK with them. With the late start we decided to not camp and barely made it around to Cliff Dwellers Lodge to get a room just as they were closing up for the night.

Picking up Todd at the South Rim, BLKNBLU gets a ringside seat at the Bright Angel trailhead.


After a restful night at Cliff Dwellers we checked out the Soap Creek trailhead for future adventures. The Vermillion Cliffs as a backdrop.


After our recon of the TH we headed to the GC park proper as I had never been in the actual developed portion of the park. We putzed around there and did the tourist thing until it was time to head out to Monument Point.


The lodge is an impressive bit of architecture.


Ran on out to Point Imperial.


Then had to head out for Monument Point through DeMotte Park.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Because we were approaching our destination from a different direction than our previous trips we pulled out the maps and looked for a new route. The map showed a forest road that was supposed to go through but did not. However it did provide us with the opportunity to see some color while pulling off for some wood collectors to get by. The aspen were very sketchy, most with leaves completely fallen next one or two still in color. Yet one was still slightly green with just the start of yellow. These were pretty good with only a few better to be seen.


We got to monument Point but unfortunately the light wouldn't accomodate with my photographic endeavors. I've been dreaming of this shot for a long time so I took it anyways. Sorry for the crappy outcome.

We set up shop and prepared for a cold night. There were reports of 11 and 16 degrees the night before, but the coldest our thermometer saw was about 35 degrees. Yay!

The sky was very clear so sunset didn't shape up to be much but it provided some other opportunities with the surrounding landscape.

 

[BLKNBLU]

As long as the sunset wasn't cooperating I decided to fool around with the B&W setting.

This one came out looking like snow.



Then back to camp to enjoy the fire. Mmmmmmm.


Next day we head in.

 

[ttora4runner]

Nice photo's Mike. That last of the camp fire is cool.

Hopefully, heading back up there around Thanksgiving time.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Thanks T.

 

[BLKNBLU]

The next morning was time to start the hike. This cairn marks the spot but the trail only looks about 16 feet long.

Oh, here is the rest of it.

It doesn't take long to get some nice vistas.

After a whole bunch of switchbacks, we never did find that bus stop they told us about so we decide to just walk the whole way.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Eventually we got down to the Esplanade.

Lots of sculpted rock and odd formations here. Nice, flat, easy hiking.



Cryptogamic soil is also widespread in this area and it is important to avoid it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptogamic_soil

Unfortunately it seems like there was more disturbances than I remember in the past. Hopefully this is just an abberation as most folks I've run into in the canyon know about crypto soil.

We got to the edge of the Redwall for lunch. This would also be our campsite on the way out so water was cached here.

And this will be the view from camp.

 

[BLKNBLU]

So we got down the Redwall and across Surprise Valley. I just realized now that I have no pictures of this, but basically it's something you are glad to have behind you. Our first glimpse of Thunder Spring.

And from a bit later on, a view from below.


Here is some additional info about Thunder Spring and Tapeats Spring (which comes later)

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/cp_megalandslides/thunder_river.htm

Eventually Thunder River runs into Tapeats Creek here.


From here we headed off to our secret campsite which will remain secret for now. Sorry.

 

[BLKNBLU]

The next day Todd's knee was still a bit pissed at him after the hike in and I also had noooo problem with taking it easy for a day. After a late start to the morning we just wandered up Tapeats Creek til we felt like turning around and took some various pics. We've been all the way to the cave in the past but this year we didn't even get within view of it.










That night we had a visitor that decide he liked my dinner that I had let boil over. Going to have to get that washed up.


Tomorrow we go to Deer Creek via the low route along the river.

 

[go4aryd]

Awesome pix. Makes me want to quit my job again!

You will have to let us all know how you are uploading during the trip!

 

[BLKNBLU]

Awesome pix. Makes me want to quit my job again!

You will have to let us all know how you are uploading during the trip!

Thanks for the compliments. Sorry to have mislead you on the uploading. I am home and just writing as if it is a running narrative of the trip.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Got up early enough for a good day trip and got organized for the river route to Deer Creek.
Have to get down to that sunshine.


You can see here that the hiking is flat to mildly uphill, with the creek falling away precipitously, until you end up high on the cliffs...


...like this.


At the river you end up several hundred feet up above but there is a drainage that has a nice trail worked into it. I didn't get any pics, but the following are from a previous year that show it well. They are shot from the opposite side of the canyon.



Sorry about the sizing on the 2 pics. I apparently don't know how to re size vertical shots.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Got down to the river and found some rafts waiting to float down to Deer Creek. We had seen some rafters heading up creek to make the Tapeats/Thunder Spring/Deer Creek loop. Tapeats and Deer are both popular spots for the rafting crowd.

Got the requisite photo of "feet in the Colorado"

Then we got back on our way downriver. The first bit of trail is more of a boulder hop, though we found a better route on our way back.

The route works its way across some beaches and eventually back up onto shelves above the river. We had been on the high route in the past and only recently learned of the low route, so we figured we would check it out.

Uhh... Hey Todd, I'm not so sure about this way anymore.

In the end when we got there though it wasn't as bad as it appeared. Yay!

 

[BLKNBLU]

Got to Deer Creek for lunch and a few photos. It seems even in the Grand Canyon you can't get a pic without some bum sleeping it off in the way. J/K. Seems napping and reading are two favorite pastimes of rafters.




We, on the other hand didn't have much time to goof around. We had previously made this trip as a loop, Tapeats/Co river/Deer/Surprise Valley/Thunder Spring/Tapeats. Our plan this year was to return via the river route and we were not ure of the time factor. Since we had been here before and been down to the Deer Creek falls etc. we decided to just grab a few pics and get headed back. I forget some of the mileages on these trails and I'll have to look them up and get it posted later, but for now I just want to get the pics up.






We found an unexpected benefit of returning via the low river route was that we enjoyed shade most of the way back, a big plus on a hot afternoon.

 

[BLKNBLU]

A couple shots on the way back up Tapeats.





Here is an interesting demonstration of light. Pics of very nearly the same spot in the evening on our way home from Deer creek and the next day in full daylight on our way out.