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| Backpack | 20.00 Miles |
6,026 AEG |
| | Backpack | 20.00 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 6,026 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Another epic trip spent down in the canyon with Todd (Chumley), Kyle (Tought_Boots) and Larry (Squatpuke). This all started back in June when I scored a 3 day backpacking permit starting on the New Hance trail. The time flew by and all the details worked themselves out and before long we were off for the adventure!
Day 1 (Saturday, Sept 22)
The day started at Mather Campground. Larry's wife would kindly shuttle us to Grandview Trailhead to dump Todd's Tacoma and then drop us off at the New Hance Trailhead. We started hiking around 9am. The trail immediately starts descending down and its rough going. We made slow progress as we scrambled down rough sections and worked our way around the numerous obstacles that impeded progress. Carrying a full backpack made this trail that much more difficult. There are a few short easy sections but they never last. We were constantly scrambling down the trail. I chose not to use hiking poles and this enabled me to use my hands on the down climb sections. The trail somewhat levels off as you traverse along the Supai Group and there were actually a few short climbs mixed in. Several sections of trail were blown away by rockslides that make proceeding difficult. Hiking this trail is a lot of work and very physical going. We took a short break just above the Redwall. The views are stunning, especially the Hakatai Shale in Red Canyon! I was excited to get down there! We continued on and made our way down the Redwall following a very steep and loose section of trail. We proceeded very slowly and carefully and we were all glad when the trail leveled off. Once you're below the Redwall the going becomes much easier compared to the upper section of trail. We still had three miles to go but we made good time. Before long we dropped down into the bed of Red Canyon and made our way to the Colorado River. All of us were glad to arrive! The hike down took us four hours to complete and was roughly 7 miles and 4,400 feet of descent.
While down at the river, we had a look around and found a nice campsite nestled under a mesquite tree. There was plenty of room for all our tents and lots of branches for hanging food and gear. About an hour after getting camp set up we saw some rafters making their way down river. They stopped above the rapid so they could spot a good line through. Todd, Larry and I took a walk over to their boats to say hi. They were a private group from Salt Lake City and were spending a few weeks on the river. While chatting they offered us a few beers that Todd and I gladly accepted! The Tecate was delicious even though it was a little warm. Before long the rafters departed and we watched them head down the rapid. It looked like a fun ride!
The last part of our day was spent hiking up the Escalante Trail. We followed the trail for just under a mile until we reached the rockslide that takes the trail away from the river. This portion will have to wait for another day. The rest of the evening was spent under the party lights in our camp. Some mice were checking us out hoping to steal some food. We had all our food in ratsacks and the mice left empty handed. We were all asleep by 9pm.
Day 2 (Sunday, Sept 23)
We broke camp around 8am and started hiking west on the Tonto Trail. The trail condition was significantly better compared to New Hance. We made our way and enjoyed the amazing views along the hike. As we proceeded west, we were rewarded with an excellent view of John Hance's Asbestos Mine across the river. It must have been quite an experience working down here over 100 years ago. We continued on and hiked past Mineral Canyon and then finally reached the Hance Creek drainage where the trail turns to the south. It was late morning by the time we reached the junction with Hance Creek. There are lots of nice campsites and plenty of clear water flowing. We selected a site under a Cottonwood Tree and then got ourselves settled. We discussed hiking down to Sockdolager but all of us were fine resting and relaxing during the afternoon. A light rain shower came through during the afternoon that cooled things off a bit. The rest of the day and evening flew by and was uneventful.
Day 3 (Monday, Sept 24)
Our final day in the canyon. All of us knew the hike was going to be a grind because we had a lot of elevation to climb and a lot of miles to cover. We started hiking a little before 8am and made our way up. The first mile from Hance Creek is relatively easy hiking along the Tonto Trail. We then reached the junction with our route that would take us past Page Spring and on to Horseshoe Mesa. Our pace slowed as we started gaining elevation. We all stopped regularly to snap photos and enjoy this amazing canyon! I don't want this trip to end. All of us took a break at Page Spring where some of us topped off water and enjoyed the shade. After a few minutes we were on our way and we grinded up the trail. There are some old mining relics to enjoy on the hike up. I was very glad when we finally topped out on Horseshoe Mesa. We took a break over by the cabin and then started on our final stretch that would return us to the car parked at Grandview. The going was very slow. We were lucky because there were patches of shade that helped immensely. For the most part we all spaced out and made our way up on our own. This was the only point during the trip I wish I had hiking poles. Luckily all of us did fine and made it to the rim right around noon. It's stunning how many tourists are present at Grandview. There were only a few below the rim.
Our trip was over. It was a wonderful adventure with an awesome group! We all gathered around Todd's truck and unpacked our gear and got situated for the ride home. It was bittersweet being over. I could have spent another three days below the rim. Oh well, time to start planning the next trip! |
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