GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
POWELL PLATEAU and NORTH BASS TRAIL
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER, 1985
INTRODUCTION
This
being my third trip into the Grand Canyon, I was by now
very comfortable hiking here. This was to be a longer trip,
visiting two close by but different areas of the Canyon
over a two week period. Hiking with Bob once again, we
planned on spending a week exploring the Powell Plateau, an
island of sorts off the North Rim. Leaving from Swamp
Point, a somewhat difficult to reach spot requiring a four
wheel drive truck, it involved hiking fourteen hundred feet
down to Muav Saddle, then hiking back up to the Plateau.
There was no water on the Powell Plateau, so our first day
was spent hiking to Powell Plateau, dropping off water for
the week, then hiking back to our truck. The next day we
filled our packs for a week and hiked back to the Plateau.
The following week we planned to hike back to the truck,
restock our supplies and hike the North Bass Trail down to
the Colorado River. Leaving from Muav Saddle, this is one
of the more rugged trails in the Grand Canyon. My note
taking on this trip, as on the last, was primarily time
stamped facts with minimal narrative
entries.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 1:00 p.m.
Bob and
I drove to Swamp Point last night arriving after sunset. It
took about 1 hour to get here. The last stretch of road was
rough in spots, and we had to maneuver around two fallen
trees. It was 42 degrees this a.m. We left the truck at 10
AM to cache' our water supply for the week on the Powell
Plateau. I am carrying seven 2 liter and two 1.5 liter
bottles of water. It took 30 minutes to get to Muav Saddle
and a total of 2 hours 20 minutes to get here at the edge
of the Powell.
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 22, 3:30 p.m.
We have
dropped water at a point approximately 7600 feet in
elevation. We have taken a compass sighting of 23 degrees
to Swamp Point.
TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 24, 8:30 a.m.
After
dropping the water off on Sunday, we hurried so we could be
back before sunset. We were both tired. Earlier, while
looking for a suitable drop off point, Bob fell as he was
stepping over a log across the trail. I heard this
tremendous thud behind me and looked back to find him
sprawled on the ground. His arm ached a little but nothing
serious happened. I was getting cold as I had only brought
along shorts which was a mistake because of the locust, of
which there was plenty, that cut my legs up. The trail
through the forest was negligible and we got off trail in
several spots. On our way back we got off trail and
overshot the trail to Muav Saddle because we had skirted
around a drainage. We ended up at the rim, took a sighting
and backtracked a bit to find it. We arrived back at the
truck after sunset. Both of us were really wiped out. I was
not looking forward to Monday. In bed about 9:00 PM. I woke
up with sunrise but lay in my sleeping bag for a long time.
Bob was up before I was. It was 42 degrees again Sunday
night. I finally got up around 8:00 AM. We packed, ate, and
left Swamp Point at 10:25. It took 2 hours to get to the
edge of the Powell, stopping many times from extreme
tiredness. We took a rest for 45 minutes. We met other
hikers and Bob talked to them for a while. I dozed. We
headed for our camp at about 1:15 PM. We were able to
follow the trail markers better than we did Sunday. We
arrived about 3:00. We changed our plans and decided to
take today as a rest and reconnaissance day for the Dutton
Canyon part of our trip. We were both very tired and sore.
There is lots of air traffic in White Creek Canyon. It
appears to be a major air tour route. The prescribed
burning in the forest on the north rim has created dense
smoke that we noticed pouring into the Canyon last night.
It is still very thick this morning and I can smell it
also. The Bass Trail looks rough but inviting from here. I
am looking forward to next week. We can see water on the
east side of White Creek canyon. Dutton may be very
difficult. It looks as though there will probably be a lot
of shrubbery. We have had no rain so far, contrary to the
report we received at the ranger station the day we picked
up our permits. Nothing but clear skies and it is warming
up. My new Saratoga light sleeping bag is excellent. I
found a deer skull complete with antlers last night. There
were no other bones near where I found it. We have seen a
few rocks likely to be remains of Indian dwellings. I have
been reading the book on the archaeology of the Plateau.
The San Francisco Peaks can be seen with snow on them from
here. Last nights dinner was good. We had burgundy beef,
and chicken soup. Breakfast was good also. Having 2 cups,
one for drinking, the other for eating is working out well.
I am getting into the mood of the Canyon now. I wore long
john tops and bottoms and socks to bed last night.
Barometer is steady. A few clouds from the north can be
seen. Wind from the southeast. Last night the wind was
blowing from the southwest/west.
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 25, 6:15 a.m.
45
degrees this morning, skies clear. Had breakfast Tuesday
morning, watched canyon for a while and left camp at 10:15
for Dutton Canyon reconnaissance. We hiked down what I
thought was Dutton Canyon for about 1 hour 15 minutes. A
yellow painted trail marker was found in this drainage,
possibly leading to Blacktail Valley. We came to the
conclusion that we were in the wrong drainage, so we headed
south figuring we would hit the rim. Several
drainage’s later (maybe five), we hit the rim near
Dutton Canyon. These drainages were overgrown and slow
going through. It was now about 1:30 PM. We had lunch here,
took some pictures, plotted our position on the map, and at
2:00 headed for the east side of Dutton Canyon. Just north
of our lunch spot, maybe 200 yards or so, we found
arrowhead remnants and other chipped pieces of rock. There
must have been a settlement here.
Two major overgrown drainage’s later, we were on the
other side. It was now 3:15 and we were real tired and
discouraged. We talked about changing our plans to day
hikes in the area. Dutton Canyon looks real rough going
down and a long way out to Wheeler Point. No trees were
visible on Marcos Terrace, and it looked hot and dry with
no water (potholes) visible. The way down to the Esplanade
from here would be through a break almost directly below
our current position, switch backing down the slope,
crossing to the west side of the canyon at about the 6000
foot contour, and following it out towards Wheeler Point.
We stayed here for about 15 minutes and then set our
compass for north 10 degrees, which would take us to the
head of Dutton Canyon on the east side of the plateau. This
course lasted for maybe 10 minutes, when we came across
another drainage. We followed our current contour, skirting
around this drainage. Another drainage confronted us, and
skirting this one took us farther south from our original
compass heading. We finally hit the rim at about 4:00. We
stayed here for 15 minutes, plotted our position and found
that we were far south from the head of Dutton Canyon.
At 4:15 we headed north for our camp. Our reserves were low
and we were both beat. There was a drainage nearby we had
to cross and then another, and finally what was the head of
Dutton Canyon. These 2 other drainages were not on the map
but should have been. They were at least 80 feet deep. We
finally made it to camp at 5:45. It never felt so good. We
had some wine, soup, and an enchilada dinner with green
beans. My water supply is doing well. Consumption is far
below what I expected, probably due to altitude and cooler
weather.
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 26, 7:30 a.m.
37
degrees last night, barometers steady this morning.
Yesterday was a rest day and we decided a short hike west
of here would be in order. At 10:30 AM a course was set for
due west. We followed it for as long as we could until a
drainage forced a slight jog southwest. Heading west again
we had to make another jog to the south which brought us to
the top of a ridge where we came upon a definite Indian
ruin. Rock walls and a dugout were very obvious here. A few
minutes spent taking pictures and we were off heading west
again. A slight jog northwest and we came out at the rim at
12 noon.
We spent about 30 minutes here, having a light lunch and
plotting our position on the map. Bob spotted a possible
break in the Coconino southwest of here. We headed down to
check it out, thinking it may be a way down to Bedrock
Canyon. There was a trail complete with switch-backs
leading down this slope for approximately 200 feet until
thick brush is encountered. It might have been an animal
trail although it seemed constructed and so straight. It
took about 1 hour 30 minutes to push our way through the
brush and get to the top of the break Bob saw. I had to
back track for about 15 minutes because a bush leaped out
and grabbed my sunglasses and hid them from me for a while.
Looking northeast across this slope and a drainage, another
possible break is sighted but with less brush to fight
going back up. A contour was followed over there. Again
another well-used trail was followed, but my feeling is
that this one is animal because of the low hanging brush
over the trail. Once on the other side and looking back at
where we were, it becomes obvious there was no break where
we first expected one. We ended up contouring a little
higher than we wanted to but decided that the drainage we
were above would be a likely way down to Bedrock Canyon and
an arm of the Esplanade to the north. It was about 3:00, so
rather than go down, we headed up for a better view. By
4:00 we were at the top, took a sighting to determine our
position, and talked of coming back on Thursday to camp on
the arm of the Esplanade. By 4:45 we left for camp, beating
our way through the particularly thick brush and curving
north & east around the drainage until we hit the east
rim trail. From here it was south to our camp which we hit
at 5:30.
A blister that I developed Monday on the outside of my left
heel caused from my boot was getting worse to the point
where I had to stop twice a day or so to fix it. Also,
somewhere off the west side above Bedrock Canyon I twisted
my left foot (possibly from favoring due to the blister)
and that was getting worse all afternoon too. Today I've
decided to really rest and not hike anywhere. I am also
going to attempt to fix my boot.
Last nights dinner consisted of soup, sherry beef, and
potatoes au gratin. Our supply of wine is almost gone.
We've been hitting bed about 8:30 to 9:00 every evening and
awaking at first light. There is a slight breeze from the
southeast during the day, with it changing to the west in
the evening. I'm not eating as many Wha Guru’s as I
expected (less than 3 per day) and I also have 8 liters of
water left this morning.
Last night we again see smoke from the forest burn flowing
into the canyon off the north rim into Shinumo
Amphitheater. The burning continues today also.
It is now about 11:45 and Bob has left to inspect
yesterday's area more thoroughly. He's taken my watch and
hopes to be back around 4:00 PM.
FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 27, 2:35 p.m.
We are
in the cabin at Muav Saddle. We left Powell Plateau at 7:45
this morning. It took 1 hour and 25 minutes, reaching the
edge at 9:10, and another 40 minutes to reach the saddle,
arriving there at 9:50. We stayed here for 20 minutes,
dropping off heavy items that we didn't need to carry up
the slope to the truck. It took another 40 minutes to hike
up to the top, reaching the truck at 10:50. We restocked,
and had lunch of canned tamales, tortillas and cheese. We
headed back down to the saddle at 1:25 PM. It took 25
minutes to reach the cabin, where we de-packed and took a
short jaunt to Muav Saddle Spring to check out our route.
It is now 2:15 and we're ready to go.
FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 27, 7:15 p.m.
We are
camped somewhere in White Creek. Bob’s trip yesterday
to the west side of Powell Plateau was unsuccessful. He
came out at the wrong point on the west side and tried to
negotiate a drainage and ended up on the east side, much to
his confusion. He headed back to camp, arriving at 1:00 PM.
We had lunch and laid around all afternoon. I read quite a
bit and took in the canyon views through my binoculars
until dinnertime, which consisted of chicken paprikash and
green beans. The temperature last night was 37 degrees.
We decided to hike off the plateau three days earlier than
planned and start down the Bass trail today. Last night the
barometer was falling, and combining that with wind, I was
able to predict rain today. This morning it was cloudy and
by the time we finished lunch at the truck, we could see a
thunderstorm coming rapidly at us. We started down to the
saddle about 1:25, when the wind picked up and the rain
started. It drizzled on and off for about an hour or so.
The talus slope we followed down was rough going and steep
in places. Bob fell a couple of times, once tumbling head
over heels into the bushes. I caught him by his leg and he
had to de-pack to get up again. His arm is sore from the
fall. We passed the 5697 elevation benchmark at 4:00. Both
getting tired, we found a wide spot in the creek (3 to 4
feet above the creek bed) at about 4:30. A 20-minute hike
down the canyon without packs reveals no better place than
where we are. We decided to stay here for the night, hoping
that it won't rain any more, although a weather forecast I
heard on the radio while at the truck said it would rain
through tomorrow also. We enjoyed another sherry beef
dinner tonight. Space is at a premium and I'm sleeping on a
slope. We'll see how well I sleep tonight.
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 28, 6:25 a.m.
I slept
pretty lousy last night. I felt a little damp and awoke
just about every hour, finding myself rolling against the
side of the tent. The temperature was 49 degrees last
night. We had a little drizzle this morning but it is
clearing now.
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 28, 2:00 p.m.
We
finally made it through the Redwall and are at the bottom
of White Creek having lunch. We left camp at 8:00 this
morning. We counted 3 drainages as per the trail guide
sheet given to us by the ranger, but it turned out to be 5
drainages. The last drainage was the way down the Redwall.
Going up and down these drainage’s almost got the
better of me. We stopped at 10:00 for a half-hour break. I
was beat. We stopped again at the top of the Redwall and
took our packs off to scout the route down. I got real
bummed. My foot was aching and I was asking myself why I
was here. We found the trail, a talus slope to a narrow
ledge across the Redwall to another talus slope with
switch-backs to the bottom. It was rough going and I
remained bummed all the way down, as Bob will testify. We
started down the Redwall about 11:15 and reached the bottom
at approximately 12:45.
We stopped at the bottom for a break and met a man from
Colorado who was solo hiking up the canyon. His itinerary
was just the reverse of ours; Bass trail the first week and
Powell Plateau the second week. We talked for a while and
exchanged information. He informed us of water being
downstream about 5 minutes. He also said that we should
stay off the Tonto platform; the creek bed was easier. He
said that a burro trail up Shinumo was easy going. A nice
place to camp would be found at the confluence of Shinumo
Creek and White Creek, which was about 4 miles from here.
He said it would make a good base camp for day trips to the
river, etc.
Right now it is very peaceful and cool with the sound of
birds chirping and water flowing. I cooled my feet off in
the creek; it felt real good. I feel the worst part is over
(I hope).
In looking at the map, I noticed that the benchmarks are
noted 6 feet lower than they are actually stamped. Examples
would be the 5691 elevation benchmark on the map actually
being stamped 5697 and the 5006 benchmark actually being
stamped 5012. They seem to be consistently marked this way,
perhaps from an incorrect original measurement or a change
in elevation. Also, a benchmark we came across about 100
feet above White Creek near the bottom of the Redwall
descent stamped 4527 is not even on the map. It's now 2:30
and we'll be leaving in a few minutes.
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 29, 6:30 a.m.
We hiked
down river until about 4:15 PM yesterday. Bob was beat. We
found a knoll overlooking the small narrows of the creek as
it curves out into the Tonto. We camped here and took our
first bath since a week ago! It sure feels good. There are
nice pools here, with 3 or 4 chutes leading into little
pools. There were plenty of little pink frogs to greet me
when I jumped in. They blended in so well with the
surrounding rock that I didn't see them until they jumped
out of my way.
It really feels like the canyon now. We had a nice sunset
and watched the moon as it slowly lit up the canyon,
although we went to bed at 9:15, long before the moon
actually hit us. We were going to sleep minus our tents
last night but saw lightning across the canyon on the south
rim and after a long debate, decided to set them up so we
wouldn't be faced with doing it while it was raining in the
middle of the night. And of course it didn't rain at all
last night.
The temperature was about 50 degrees this morning. I forgot
to set the thermometer out last night. Dinner consisted of
shrimp Cantonese and peas. We discussed that the food was
beginning to taste the same, regardless of what it was,
although decided that it was still pretty good. I am
looking forward to real food. We talked about how we're
going to get out of here. Today we'll head for the
confluence of White and Shinumo creeks and set up a base
camp there until Wednesday or Thursday. I sure miss Sue. My
feet are sore and need rest.
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 29, 7:15 p.m.
We are
at the confluence of White and Shinumo creeks. We left the
trail camp at 10:00 AM, stopped for 15 minutes at a small
pool (were we saw the little pink frogs again) for a quick
dip and a little sunning, and at about 12:30 arrived at
Tapeats Narrows for lunch and exploration. We took about 1
hour. I climbed down in the narrows to take pictures. It
was very steep walled inside with moss growing from water
dripping on the chutes and ledges. We continued down the
creek until we reached the confluence at about 3:30. We
were very tired going through the narrows, and there were a
few tough spots. We had to hand our packs down in one spot
at the start of the narrows. I fell today while jumping off
a boulder at the bottom of the narrows. My feet are killing
me. Both heels, both little toes and both big toes are
really hurting. I noticed my right boot was coming
unstitched today. Tomorrow is a rest day.
It is very nice here. The elevation is approximately 2800
feet. The temperature is 70 degrees. There is a lot of
water coming down Shinumo creek. White creek flows into it,
although it ran on and off throughout the narrows and
before. It's getting a little windy here with some clouds.
It may rain, although I hope not. It's been clear all day
today. Sleeping without tent tonight. We just had a mouse
stop by and try to steal an empty hot chocolate wrapper. I
am going to bed now.
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 30, 12:30 p.m.
We had
no rain last night and it was pleasant all evening. It was
56 degrees last night. Today is a rest day. It is very
relaxing here. I soaked my feet for about half an hour this
morning. It was excellent and my feet are feeling better.
It's very warm in the sun right now, although there have
been some clouds today. It may rain somewhere. I traced on
the map where we've traveled and stayed. I watched a lizard
this morning. It was about 3 1/2 to 4 inches, had a
blue/gray body and tail, and a red head with one black band
at the neck. I also saw a lizard with many horizontal lines
along its body. We have red ants nearby and Bob diverted
them by placing beef jerky near their hole. They love it
and are devouring it fast. I washed my hair this morning.
What a relief. My hair was getting a little thick. My right
hand index finger and thumb are numb from clutching my
hiking stick so tightly.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 1, 7:55 a.m.
Yesterday
afternoon we hiked across the river to see the Indian ruins
and cave. There were quite a few pottery pieces to be found
in this area. We decided to climb up to a saddle above here
and, finding a break, scrambled our way up. While standing
at this saddle, a warm breeze could be felt and after a
while changed my mood. We climbed a little higher, but
seeing clouds almost completely covering the sky and rain
in the distance, decided to come down for dinner. We had
set our tents up above the creek earlier in the day and
after dinner when it started to sprinkle, we moved up to
them. Dinner consisted of chicken cashew with curry sauce.
It was very good. It is 58 degrees and clear this morning.
We will probably hike to the river today.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 1, 1:15 p.m.
We are
having lunch on a saddle overlooking the river watching the
rain coming at us. The wind is blowing from the north. We
decided not to go all the way down to the river; we didn't
want to walk back up. There are storms to the north and
south. We still have sun here though, with occasional drops
of rain. We left camp at 10:00 AM, hit Bass camp at about
11:30 and, after taking a wrong trail which side tracked us
to another pool that we jumped in, trudged our way up to
this saddle. The wind is increasing, getting very strong.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 2, 8:45 a.m.
We
stayed at the saddle for another 20 minutes or so. The wind
lessened and the storm blew by. The amazing Grand Canyon.
All around us were bad storms, but right above us it was
clear. We headed back, and stopped at Bass camp to inspect
relics and a pile of rocks that once was a huge ledge, but
was now broken into pieces revealing old mud-cracks and
shorelines with wave laps frozen in time. We left Bass camp
at about 3:10, hitting our camp at about 4:45. It was 56
degrees last night. Dinner was enchilada, the best Natural
High has to offer. I am getting tired of the other dinners
though. We had some clouds last night, but by bedtime they
were pretty much gone, revealing a beautiful starry sky. I
watched it for a while and then fell asleep. I awoke with a
stiff, sore back again. It will feel good to hang from my
bar in the kitchen and get a good nights rest in my real
bed. A man stopped by this morning asking "which way out of
here?". We theorize he must have come through Shinumo or
come down the high trail into Bass camp.
We haven't decided yet whether to leave today, making a
leisurely 3 day trek out, hang around and explore Shinumo
amphitheater, or just hang out and relax for the big haul
out. No real hurry I guess. Another beautiful day in the
canyon.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 2, 6:30 p.m.
We just
had dinner at 4000 foot knoll we stopped at a few nights
back. We had sweet & sour shrimp which was mm-mm good
and ranks up there with the enchilada dinner. Today we left
camp at 12 noon (we screwed around a lot) and reached
Tapeats Narrows at 1:45. We came upon a man who was shaving
(how disgustingly civilized) who had spent the night in the
narrows. He and his lady-friend were on one of many
research trips for a foundation that held the Bass
collection. They were headed down canyon and were forced to
camp here at sunset. Later we met a group of three guys who
were headed down. They had a Katadyn pump and were pumping
water out of the barely trickling creek. Bob and I hiked to
the pool we dipped in on the way down and stayed for about
45 minutes. We reached this trail camp at about 4:30, both
ready for it. We're not using our tents tonight. We had
nice weather all day. My left foot is still sore. It's
getting pretty dark now and I can't see to write.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3, 7:15 a.m.
I slept
pretty lousy last night, tossing and turning. The
temperature last night was 56 degrees. A little wind blew
around midnight. We were up at 5 AM, just before sunrise.
The moon was still visible and the stars were real pretty.
I laid in my sleeping bag watching them slowly fade away
into the brightening sky. We had an early breakfast and
goofed off as usual. We will be leaving soon.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3, 10:00 a.m.
We are
about two-thirds way up the Redwall. We just finished
climbing the talus slope and are about to walk along the
shelf. We left camp at 8:00 and reached the bottom of the
Redwall at 8:45. Our time is excellent so far. Bob got off
the trail coming up the slope and ended scrambling up a
drainage that got more and more steep. I found the trail
and continued up above Bob and assisted him with rope up
the last 30 feet or so.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3, 12:15 p.m.
We are
having lunch now. We've made excellent progress today. We
met three other hikers coming down. We are under some trees
in White Creek (a little trickle here) about 10 minutes
south of where we camped our first night down here. The
last hour has been a killer. Those drainages leading to the
top of the Redwall are really taxing. The weather has been
excellent all day with not a cloud to be seen. The Redwall
was easier than I expected, probably because I was in a
lousy mood when we came down. We will be walking out today.
We are both ready.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3, 2:00 p.m.
This is
the end of our lunch break and we are about to tackle the
last part of the trail to the rim, with a brief stop to
collect Bob's cache at the cabin. We are hoping to stay at
the lodge this evening, having a real dinner, etc.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3, 4:15 p.m.
We are
at the saddle and I'm really pooped. It was very steep
coming up the slope below the Coconino. There was lots of
brush and I'm glad I wore long pants today. Bob is at the
cabin getting his food and water he cached there last
Friday. The slope was worse than the Redwall. It was a real
trudge and we took many breaks. I'm surprised we didn't
have more accidents coming down during the rain the other
day. It is very slick. We'll rest here for about half an
hour and then continue to the rim.
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 4, 7:30 a.m.
We made
it up to Swamp Point in 45 minutes, reaching there at 5:30.
A total of six other vehicles were parked there. We were
amazed, because ours was the only one when we arrived 2
weeks ago. We were a little disappointed that it was
seemingly so popular. A man was jogging down as we were
trudging up. I remember smelling the faint scent of soap as
he passed. I looked forward all the more to a shower, nice
and hot. Bob talked to a retired couple in a VW van for a
while. They had walked many miles in the canyon. I hope I
am doing so at that age. They both looked very healthy.
We headed for the lodge and reached there after dark, about
7:30. We had no problem getting a cabin. We made dinner
reservations for 8:30 and then hit the shower - ahhh! We
stopped by the saloon for a beer and then had a dinner of
filet, baked potato, salad and a bottle of Cabernet. I got
slightly blitzed. I slept well, got up at sunrise and
walked to Bright Angel Point and watched the canyon unfold
her colors for me. My feet still hurt and my right hand is
still numb.
Climbing out occurred so fast, yet so slow. Here I am
sitting in a cabin when less than 24 hours ago I was hard
at work fighting my way out of the canyon. This has been a
good trip, despite the few bad days I had. When all the
pains are gone, as always, nothing but the good memories
will remain. I'll be back to do it all over again, I'm
sure.