I thought we had been hiking sufficiently to stay in shape, but that was in the corridor and day-hiking on the Hermit.  No packs.  Hermit is rough, but as rough as the Hermit is compared to the BA or SK, it is still a threshold trail. I had my brand-new REI Flash 55, which is FIVE pounds lighter than my old pack, so at least my pack weight was below 25 pounds.  

We started down Grandview in snow and ice.  Second week in October, and of course it snowed.  I had my ice grippers in the car, and I didn't even make it across the parking lot before I went back for them.  The ice at the top did stop most of the "ooh, look, there is a trail here" hikers.  

The Supai section of the Grandview was in good shape before our summer rains.  Now they are as bad as I have ever seen them. At least a dozen places the trail is gone, and one has to climb up, down, and around a huge rockslide. My stupid knee collapsed under me, which hurt, but I soldiered on.  I didn't trust it fully for the next four days, however.  

The west end trail down is about the same, though a few what may be new slides.  I do not traverse it enough to remember.  We had heard reports of a huge fire at Cottonwood Creek, and sure enough, most of the cottonwoods in the upper spring are history.  Someone had to burn their toilet paper rather than put it in a bag and carry it.  How is burning wet paper supposed to work anyway? 

Cottonwood flashed big this summer, and the lovely little waterfall where the Tonto crosses the Tapeats is gone. So is the campsite we used during our spring survey.  It used to sleep ten people, but now it doesn't even fit one person.  We bedded down under where the Tonto used to cross, just before a commercial group showed up, hee, hee. 

Hance creek next night.  Lots of flowing water, and Mel and I walked downstream for about two miles before the water got deep enough that it needed wading chest deep, so we turned around.  The canyon seems to open up beyond, and I think it is possible to get fairly close to the River, but probably not the whole way without ropes. 

Down to Red Canyon, which is about as rugged as always.  No surprises.  Camped on the beach after a discussion about trying to find the Alleged Spring of which I had heard rumors.  Supposedly where the route out leaves the stream bed, there is a spring just up the creek bed.  Since everything was running with water, we figured there might be potable water there, rather than settling the Colorado, which was the color of milk chocolate.  however inertia set in, and we put out muddy water to settle and camped near the River. 

In the morning we started out the Red Canyon route.  There used to be a number of rock jams to get around which could be bypassed by going up the banks, but we only found one, and the bypass route had apparently been washed out.  As the other rock jams seemed to be. 

When the trail climbed out, Mel and I took off to find the Alleged Spring.  We found potholes and running water, and willows, which are water indicators.  We are fairly certain than during spring or just after a rain, this would be a legitimate water source.  We also found stromatolites in the rock. Duh, where else would they be? 

Climbing up was hard. Again, Duh.  But harder than expected.  I had not carried a pack for nine months, and I had not been on a multi-day out-of-corridor hike in years.  It used to take us four hours to climb out Hance, this time it took between five and six.  I do not count all the times I had to throw my pack up ahead of me on a big rock because I could not trust my knee.

I remember how bad the Hance was, but not HOW bad it was.  I shall never go down that trail again, and I may not ever go up it either.  We had always bypassed Hance and hiked an extra day to to out Grandview, and now we remember why. 

One of the new rockslides on the Grandview

Trekking on the Tonto East

In Gollum's cave

Stromatolites.  Also Brad. 

 

 

We have returned from our North rim pilgrimage.  There was no Fourth of July water fight because the Park Service did not want to tell people to stand shoulder to shoulder and breathe in COVID cooties.  I am sure the masses of people we saw were all vaccinated, right?  right? 

We passed through Cameron on the way, the Navaho still require masks because they believe in science.  A blousy woman was incensed at the 'masks required' signs and demanded, "Isn't this Arizona?"  I said, "No, it is the Navaho Nation," pulled up my mask and walked in.  They are on a cross country trip with no masks?

We camped at Cape Final the first night and had the only rain of the trip. We were putting up the tent for the first time in five years in a hail storm. "This is the cross poll".  "No, THIS one is." 

We had a semi-view cabin on the North rim and the first thing that happens is a family strings a bunch of hammocks right in front of my porch and plop down.  Hammocks are not allowed by the Park Service because they are bad for the trees, and they ought not to be allowed by Forever Resorts because they look tacky.  Also, I did not pay extra for a view of fat tourists.  I have demanded a refund.  We shall see.  

I reported them and they were told to take them down.  They did, then immediately hung them back up and smirked at me because I could not get rid of them. 

We did all our hikes early because it was still in the 90's at 8,000 feet (!) One dark morning on the North Kaibab we saw the smallest little spotted skunk you have ever seen in the middle of the trail.  He chittered at me and climbed the wall and kept chittering.  I guess I am lucky all he did was chitter.

Then on to Bryce.  I have always wanted to hike the Thunder Mountain Trail at Red Canyon so we did.  I am fully confident that I shall never mountain bike it. 

I have also always wanted to hike to the Hat Shop at Bryce.  Every time I have tried something has gone wrong. So we started out from the lodge to hike the three miles to the trailhead, because the trail is only four miles round trip and that is not enough for us overachievers. We got to the trailhead and my sun umbrella had fallen out of the pack, so I ran back the three miles in 30 minutes and found it at the bottom of the first hill. Something did not want me to do this hike, but this time I was determined, so we caught the shuttle bus instead. 

The hike is nice, even some shade, but when we saw the hat shop we both wanted our money back.  I expected something like Mexican Hat, and this was a conglomerate with basalt clasts.  It might have been more impressive had it not been almost 100 degrees by now. Since I had gone to all that trouble to get my umbrella back, I hooked it to my pack for shade, but by the time we got out we were both thrashed from the heat.  

Two difference I noticed from the Canyon.  No runners.  I guess running the length of Bryce is not a social media "thing".  Also, at the Canyon everyone asks how far did you go, who far is it to three mile/the River/Santa Maria, are you going rim-to-rim?  Only one woman asked me where we had started from, and she wanted to know if her group was on the correct loop trail.  As it turns out, no. 

On the fairyland loop

Our trusty MSR fling at Cape Final. 

Sunrise from Cape Final

Sunrise over the navajo nation

Thunder Mountain trail.  Can I buy the tee shirt now? 

I love the Bryce Cabins.  They look like a fairy tale village. 

Hat shop.  Was it worth hiking in 100 degrees?

View from my front porch on the North Rim.  I want a refund.