For birthday this year, I had my usual cabin at Phantom, and we spent the layover day hiking to the top of Phantom Rock.  Well, where one can see the top.  I'm not crazy yet.  Just climb up the Clear Creek Trail and turn left.

We figured it would be pretty easy off trail to walk the Tonto level.  After all, this is where the Tonto Trail exists on the south side.  At first it was OK, then we got into a couple of rock slides which were hairy.  Fortunately I found a game trail that led us through the worst of things.  We spotted a cairn where we needed to climb down for our view.  Coincidence? 

A slippery down climb led us to the view.  It was nervous-making for me to sit that close to the cliff for so long, and I freaked myself out hiking back.  I spotted the game trail again, about 200 feet below us, and after a sketchy down climb/slide/slip got back into the groove.  

Then two days later I hiked down with NPS fish crew to help clear invasive trout from Bright Angel Creek.  We walked slowly upstream shocking fish to stun them, gathered them all up, counted the natives and disposed of the trout.  The trout are killed, then cleaned, then the larger ones given to any who wish to consume them.  Smaller trout are sent to an aviary in New Mexico where the Zuni raise eagles for ceremonial purposes.  Part of the job is PR, so when hikers stopped to see what was happening, someone bounded up to the trail to explain.  Apparently the fly fishermen are not pleased with this project.  But like the fish crew says, there are trout all over the world.  The humpback chub is only found in the Colorado River drainage.

Then the govmint shut down, so we were supposed to hike out early.  A surprise blizzard moved in that night, so we were told to hang around, clean the bunkhouse, inventory the supplies, and don't have any fun.  I left the bunkhouse an hour before the kids so they wouldn't have to wait for me.  One of them left an hour and a half after I did and caught me at the rim, but the rest not.  Guess there is life in the old girl yet.

What a nice week spent with lovely young people who do important work in the out of doors.  Trained scientists, many of them with Master's Degrees, working at temporary jobs because there aren't full time positions. The way they bounded gracefully from wet rock to wet rock was rather disconcerting as I dragged my elder self up and around the boulders.  Flaunting their supple muscles and flexible joints.  Just wait guys.  Time catches up with us all.  

Yesterday I had a tour on South Kaibab, and there was so much graffiti!  I did not want to stop with my group every few feet, so I went back today and it took me two hours to erase everything down to Cedar Mesa.  Here is the poem I wrote whilst hiking back out.  Xarlo is Lorax spelled backward.

I am the Xarlo

I speak for the rocks

To protect them from those

With heads full of blocks.

The rocks by themselves

Are pretty much matchless

They are not improved

By your infantile scratches.

Your hearts and your names

Your dates and your wit.

Your drawings of dogs

You know what:  just quit.

The facts of your deed

You wish to exert

But just take a picture

 Or buy a tee shirt.

Over Christmas break we hiked to Plateau Point, the tipoff, the Hermit trail, hiked to Phantom and spent two nights and went to Ribbon Falls on our layover day.  Four times in and out Skeleton Point.  About a 60 mile vacation.  Also erased graffiti off the South Kaibab every. single. hike.  Lots of rock writing on the Hermit, too, but we only get down there about once a month.

Saw the total eclipse.  We flew to Denver (three hours) rented a car (one hour) drove to Cheyenne (2 hours).  Then we had time to visit Sierra Trading Post and buy a bunch of stuff we REALLY needed.  Everyone warned us about traffic, so we got a really early start.  At 5 AM the drive was horrible until Glendo, where almost everyone got off.  I guess that was THE place to be  They had a festival and all.

Stopped in Douglas to use the bathroom, and a lady in the store on the phone said, "I dunno whey they all when there: we've got nobody here!".  Continued to Casper: four hours in the car.

We met with new friends and watched the eclipse.  I've seen a annular with a ring of fire, and a couple of 70 and 80 percents, but this was amazing.  I started to cry (admittedly, it doesn't take much to make me cry).

Driving back we met everyone who had come north of Glendo all at the same time.  Eight hours to drive 180 miles.  If we had been thinking clearly, we would have taken turns walking whenever there was a 15 minute car jam.

First thing in the morning, I had put four gallons of water in the car, brought sandwiches, and topped off the gas (it only needed three gallons, but still...)  We were laughing at this on the way up, but not on the way back.  We ate our sandwiches, drank the water, and almost ran out of gas.  When we got to Cheyenne, the station there was out of regular!  So we loaded on a few gallons of premium to get us as far as a cheap station.  Got an early start for the airport next morning because of potential traffic snarls, but no traffic into Denver thank goodness.

Three hour flight back, delayed a half hour because Trump was landing in Phoenix and all flights were grounded.  Then an hour back to Flag, and drive home.  13 hour travel days three days in a row! Next time we should sign up on an eclipse cruise.

NASA photo.  I was not going to waste any of my 2 and a half minutes fiddling with a camera

Studying geology with Elliot

The whole motley crew

First summer vaycay is done.

First we drove to Mesa Verde and did the Petroglyph Trail, Balcony House, and Cliff Palace.  Then through Paonia to visit with HCN.  I told the editor I was one of his contributors, and he said, "Oh, yeah, your pieces generate a lot of comments".  That's why I don't read them.

Next to the Yampa River for a geology class.  I can recommend the Antler Hotel in Vernal.  OARS took us on a five-day geology trip.  Brad and I paddled rubber duckies for two days.  Only on the flat water: I am a wimp.  High, high water.  More water, in fact, than on our last Grand Canyon trip.  Were able to do some nice hikes to Wagon Wheel Point and Jones Hole.

Then to Capitol Reef.  Did the length of Sulfur Creek, the Navajo Knobs, Sheets Canyon (a slot), Golden Dome, Cassidy Arch, and Cohab Canyon.  Tried to find a soft deposition deformation feature in Spring Canyon, but hiked five miles and missed it.  Would have probably helped to look at the photograph in the geology book BEFORE.

Hit the Kolob section of Zion on the way back and did the 14 mile trek into Kolob Arch.  Hike was long and sandy and hot, and they have bitey bugs.  The arch was really cool, though, and worth the trip.  Lucked out with the weather: the high was 82, and two days later it was in the 90's.

Brad and I in the double duckie

pictograph at Jones Hole

Steamboat rock where Green meets the Yampa

The slot in Sheet sCanyon

Getting down from Sulfur Creek

down

Kolob Arch

Hiking along Timber Creek to the arch

Hiking down Hermit because SK was muddy.  Got all the way into Dripping Springs and out without seeing anyone else.  This, of course, changed when we got to the Hermit Junction.

Among other pilgrims, we met three commercial groups.  Two of which were backpacking, starting down at 11:30. I would not start a group of newbies down a non-maintained trail at 11:30.  Indeed, I would not start a group down a maintained trail that late.

I elbowed my way through a half-dozen backpackers before the guide giggled, "Oh, yes, (tee, hee), uphill has the right of way."  The next guide was telling his group that "of course, I am slowing my pace down for you".  Real professional.  Then he turned to me.

"You folks go to the Creek and back?"

"15 miles round trip, hardly."

"Oh, I bet folks have done it!".

Yeah, don't patronize me, punk.  Although assuming I could hike 15 miles before 11:30 is pretty flattering, I suppose.

To obtain a CUA (commercial use authorization} one fills out a form, pays $300, and gets liability insurance.  One must have a WFR and have hiked the trail one is leading on at least twice.

There are a plethora of CUAs at Grand Canyon, some more competent than others.  Indeed, I turned in one group that I was sure was illegal, only to be told that, unfortunately, they did have a CUA.

One ranger complains that the CUAs do not have desert experience, much less Grand Canyon experience, and they hike to Phantom Ranch on a day permit.  When someone in their group is in trouble, they send them to the Ranger station.

The new backcountry management plant would establish two concessionaires for backcountry hikes, both of which would be subject to more restricting.  The Park Service would also get a cut of the profits.  Needless to say, the CUAs don't want this.

One company brags that their enrollment has increased 300 percent.  This group also claims that the vast majority of people cannot hike the Canyon without a guide.

My response is, sure, with an attitude like that.  Tell your clients that they can't do it without you, and they will probably believe it

Going with a guide because they have the permits, because they carry the gear, because they fix the food, okay.  Signing up for a class in geology, or photography, or history, sure.  But not able?  Cannot?  Choose to, more like.

I have been on commercial Mountain Bike trips because they arranged the route and provided a sag wagon with all supplies.  Could I have done these trips myself?  Absolutely.  Was it worth hiring support?  Oh, yeah.  Were the guides professional?  Five out of six, yes.  The interpretation was another matter.  But that is the subject for another blog.

Spring break means a long trek, so we put in for the Gems.  Our backup plan was the Escalante Death March, but the road to South Bass was deemed to be OK so we went for it.

First obstacle: we start down Rowe Well Road and there is a big sign: road closed. So we went to the backcountry office.  There is a big line of people waiting for last minute permits, so I ambushed the ranger putting up the flag and asked about the closure.  She didn’t know, so she called head of Law Enforcement, and they didn’t know, so they told us if we had a permit, just drive the road.

Road was dry though rutted.  Someone had been out there in the two feet of snow we got last week (more about this later).  We paid our fee to the Supai and they took our permit number.  Interesting, since I am sure we saw a couple down there sans permit.  The mile just past the four-way junction was horrible: I thought I had the wrong road. 

Five years ago when we got to Bass Tanks, we hiked to the River. This time we just sat in the shade.  Gravity must have increased since then. 

We met a group from Tucson hiking the opposite way.  They asked how we got to the trailhead, and we told them a friend drove us.  "That's some friend!".  Of course, since he lives here, he didn't have a long commute.  So they told us they tried to get to the trailhead two weeks ago, but the road was so muddy they had to have two people behind the truck trying to keep it from sliding off the road altogether.  So THAT's where the ruts came from!

Water in all named canyons except Agate.  We were kind of planning on water in Agate, but alas, no water.  So, said we, it is about an hour and a half around to Slate, and that is still in our use area. After an hour and a half, I came around the corner and saw that we still had to round Charybdis Rock, and kind of lost it.  Three hours later we finally stumble into Slate. However it was a lovely campsite, and we were in fine shape to get into Boucher early the next day.

Met a guy day hiking from Boucher to who knows where, no water, no hat, no nothin’.  He declined to chat.  Probably dehydrated already.

Boucher was more than full, because a group from Dallas who had wanted to do the Gems but couldn’t figure out the car shuttle decided to go down the Boucher Trail (for their first hike in the Canyon ever!) and it “wiped them out” so they stayed where they were instead of hiking to Serpentine and back, which their permit was for.  I questioned them casually and was told they were going to camp “At the very edge of the Boucher use area” and hike out Hermit.  Had lots of time to hike to the River.  Boucher is such a pretty beach.

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Hiking above Hermit Rapid

Victim of dehydration

This is the only way to scout Crystal

The hole in Crystal Rapid

filtering

hiking out Hermit

Carried my trust squirt bottle, and got two graffiti panels

Another easy trek into Hermit, and another hike to the River.  Get back and lo and behold, there is Dallas trying to camp ON Hermit Creek.  The Boucher use area is above the creek.  They wandered about for a few hours helplessly, so I finally informed them that their use area was not here.  Hermit Creek use area was full, they would have to move.  They did.  I may have mentioned that I work “with the Park Service”.  I did not say “for” because that would be a fib.  Anyhow, they left, and we saw them briefly as they started out next day.  I informed the BCO that they would probably take two days coming out Hermit, because they were that kind of group, and thus would be illegal again.  Ratting people out is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.