Grand Canyoneering

[GB_Willys_2014]

Ascending New Hance sucks. Hard.

I have yet to tackle Hance and Buchard, either down or up.

As to which is worse; lore has it six or half-dozen.

I have heard horror stories of both, regardless of ascent or descent.

So yeah, maybe in my future. But today I will live vicariously through you guys.

??

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 13 [More Escalante]

Continuing on the next day.

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One more reminder to us that it was a route, and not a trail.

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[shade]

I have yet to tackle Hance and Buchard, either down or up.

As to which is worse; lore has it six or half-dozen.

I have heard horror stories of both, regardless of ascent or descent.

So yeah, maybe in my future. But today I will live vicariously through you guys.

??

The lack of water on the Hance is a big drawback. I remember running out 30 minutes or so below the rim, while we were having difficulty finding the trail. Very little shade, and steep most of the way. I remember watching some guy on YouTube trying to day hike to the river and back; very bad idea.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 14 [Approaching the 75 Mile Mark]

I was impressed with the S-curve in the river near Unkar Creek.

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We were finally getting to 75 Mile Canyon.

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Getting ready to drop into the canyon.

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

The lack of water on the Hance is a big drawback. I remember running out 30 minutes or so below the rim, while we were having difficulty finding the trail. Very little shade, and steep most of the way. I remember watching some guy on YouTube trying to day hike to the river and back; very bad idea.

A round trip day hike on SK or BA is a bad enough idea.

The unmaintained trails... Ugh. Crazy.

I saw this video sometime ago, and it presents a cautionary tale.

I believe he dumped his gear at some point on his ascent.


I know folks that are okay with finishing a hike dry, and will even plan to do so, in the interest of weight savings. Not me. I have done it inadvertently ofc. But, don't like it.

2011
Part 14 [Approaching the 75 Mile Mark]

I was impressed with the S-curve in the river near Unkar Creek.
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We were finally getting to 75 Mile Canyon.
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Getting ready to drop into the canyon.
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Good pictures of 75 Mile Canyon!!!

The descent into the slot canyon, which you capture perfectly, is one of those obstacles that, IMHO, looks far worse than it really is. We hemmed and hawed about it for a long time ... then just butt scooched, ferried packs and sorta shrugged.

BTW, we were warned ahead of time to avoid the false chute, about .25 mile before the actual climb down (at the point the trail turns southward, running parallel with the slot canyon down below). The warning was superfluous once we came upon the false chute; that one is a no-go.

 

[luthj]

That guy probably exaggerated a bit. It was super dumb to not have a spare day of water though. If not for him, for someone else. Plus pushing that hard? the water consumption per mile would have been simple math. If you are net negative, stop until the night.

 

[shade]

A round trip day hike on SK or BA is a bad enough idea.

The unmaintained trails... Ugh. Crazy.

I saw this video sometime ago, and it presents a cautionary tale.

I believe he dumped his gear at some point on his ascent.


I know folks that are okay with finishing a hike dry, and will even plan to do so, in the interest of weight savings. Not me. I have done it inadvertently ofc. But, don't like it.




Good pictures of 75 Mile Canyon!!!

The descent into the slot canyon, which you capture perfectly, is one of those obstacles that, IMHO, looks far worse than it really is. We hemmed and hawed about it for a long time ... then just butt scooched, ferried packs and sorta shrugged.

BTW, we were warned ahead of time to avoid the false chute, about .25 mile before the actual climb down (at the point the trail turns southward, running parallel with the slot canyon down below). The warning was superfluous once we came upon the false chute; that one is a no-go.

That's the YT guy I recalled; I couldn't remember if it was a day hike or 2-day plan. Late start, far too little water, solo hike on a little used route, difficult terrain, and little experience. Bad time of year, too. Seems familiar.

Overall, my pack was much lighter on this trip than my first on the corridor trails, but it was heavier than necessary. I started thinking about ditching my five pounds of tripod & telephoto lens midway on the Hance.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 15 [Dropping into 75 Mile Canyon]

We each picked our lines and headed down.

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We were in it.

 

[shade]

The descent into the slot canyon, which you capture perfectly, is one of those obstacles that, IMHO, looks far worse than it really is. We hemmed and hawed about it for a long time ... then just butt scooched, ferried packs and sorta shrugged.

BTW, we were warned ahead of time to avoid the false chute, about .25 mile before the actual climb down (at the point the trail turns southward, running parallel with the slot canyon down below). The warning was superfluous once we came upon the false chute; that one is a no-go.

Iirc, we considered lowering packs, but realized it wasn't necessary. Downclimbing was easy when dry, but if it was wet, I may have changed my mind about using some rope or webbing to drop packs. We used it later to pull packs up before the end of the day, though.

I remember seeing the false chute and thinking that wasn't going to happen without rappelling gear.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 16 [75 Mile Canyon]


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[GB_Willys_2014]

Iirc, we considered lowering packs, but realized it wasn't necessary. Downclimbing was easy when dry, but if it was wet, I may have changed my mind about using some rope or webbing to drop packs. We used it later to pull packs up before the end of the day, though.

I remember seeing the false chute and thinking that wasn't going to happen without rappelling gear.

Yeah. We used Paracord to pull packs up a technical schute when climbing out of 75 Mile Canyon; the ascent of the massive outcrop which then becomes Papago Slide.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 17 [The Wall and the Slide]

Continuing past 75 Mile Canyon. I think this photo does a good job of showing some of the difficulties of the Escalante Route.

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We made it through what we thought would be the hardest part of the trip and continued on.

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We found a campsite. The day was over. The hike out would be tomorrow.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 18 [Newer isn't Always Better]

The last day of the backpacking trip. The time to hike out and up along the New Hance Trail.

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If you look closely you might be able to see Shade walking along the trail.

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The trail seemed to get harder as we got higher. There was more and more scrambling. New Hance is not an easy trail.

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In keeping with thoughts about unusual hikers: Near the top of New Hance we came across a couple in their 60s or 70s. Both appeared fit and prepared. However, the man was wearing a neck brace, like the type someone might wear after an injury in a car accident. It seemed like a bad idea for him to be on the trail.
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We made it to the top. It had been a tough day. I regretted being the volunteer to ride the bike back to our truck. Six or so miles more under human power was not fun, but I did it and came back to pick up the others. We were spent.

 

[TripLeader]

2011
Part 19 [The End]

We found a motel room in Flagstaff. Our time in the canyon was over. We had the long trip home, with a couple of stops planned.
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The old plywood topper, with the bike strapped down.

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The first side trip was to Walnut Canyon National Monument.

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The next stop was Petrified Forest National Park.

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And that was it. The trip was over.
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Thanks for reading. I need to get back there soon.

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

@TripLeader - again: excellent stuff.

Thank you for taking the time to present and share your experience so well!