Cows, heat, and awful plants, September 7th Left camp this morning and headed along roads again...up, down, all around, chasing jackrabbits and watching falcons on the hunt. Most of the bulldozed cattle tanks I passed (4) held considerable amounts of water, but I did not sample any of it, although at least 2 of the tanks looked palatable. Eventually
I crested a small rise and dropped into a basin full of cattle.
Heading down canyon to CR 109, I ended up taking the entire
herd along with me, as they were either thinking it was time
to go to slaughter (better than this scrubby 'ol desert) or
were just too darned stupid to go the other way. Most likely
it was the latter. I was telling them to git up and git a move
on, and they pretty much obliged, again showing their disapproval
by moo-ing and poo-ing.
Through the course of the afternoon, I have found only 3 shady spots. The first I ate lunch at below a cliffband, the second was a desperate crawl beneath a tamarisk tree, and the third I find myself at now in late afternoon, trying to escape the burden of the sun beneath a rock outcropping. It is very hot and I am generally pretty uncomfortable. Drinking hot water also does not give much in the way of relief. My feet have begun to swell a little which is typical on hot, hard surfaced road walks, and I have developed two small blisters, the first of the trip, on each of the tops of my pinky toes. If they become a problem, I'll have to amputate. Book deal hear I come! Another desert survival story to grace the shelves. I am pretty content sitting here in the 3rd shade...eager to get moving but vowing to myself I'd sit out the hottest part of the day. Hack Canyon is a fairly broad, crumbly walled canyon. The upper tiers of rock are cream in color while the lower bands are rusty red. Not particularly spectacular, but big, quiet and beautiful. There is also an abundance of some weedy invasive exotic plant that is in absolutely every area of disturbed soil. I have no idea what it is, but once I find out, I am going to start a petition drive to have the country of its origin napalmed. It is god-awful stuff. Lower Hack
Canyon was quite nice as it began to cut more aggressively
downward through layers of sandstone. Brian Down Kanab Creek, September 8th An exceptionally unmotivated start, led to a hard-won day of ridiculous goals, scenic beauty, and general water filled merriment. My cramped camp of the night before was comfortable enough, but the blast furnace of hot air coming through Kanab Creek from the main canyon was an unwelcome bedmate. Although I was just sleeping with a silk weight liner (no sleeping bag) I was sweatin' all night long --- and never seemed to get more than a few hours of continuous sleep. Sweat would buildup on my forehead, cascade downward, run through my eyebrows and then into my eyes, bringing the salt from the previous days efforts along with it. A rude awakening at any hour. I never use water for anything else besides basic hygiene and drinking when in the desert and certainly at a camp that is dry. Better a dirty face, than a tongue swollen from thirst. Anyway, when morning did come around I was less than excited about the day. I had planned on doing the entire 22 miles to the Colorado River, but doubted with my morning attitude that would be possible.
The creek bed of Kanab Creek is like most desert creek beds, sometimes as smooth and hard as sidewalk, other times gooey and slippery, and still other times a loose jumble of cobbles, boulders, and jammed debris. However, unlike a lot of desert creek beds, Kanab Creek has a good flow of water for the lower half of the canyon. As such I was only carrying a liter or two of drinking water which certainly helped to reduce the pack weight. Eventually my legs started to loosen up, and now motivated, tried to get my brain on board to participate for the rest of the day in a meaningful manner. Obliging slightly, I took out the maps and figured I'd done about 12 miles. Seeing as how it was early afternoon, if I put the hustle on I could conceivably make it to the Colorado River, ~10 miles away. Still not convinced I pushed onward over the rocky creek bed, resolute that the days destiny was already determined. Rounding a bend I caught a whiff of watery-sweetness on the breeze, and then heard the unmistakable plish-plash of water dripping on stone. Knowing the mileage, it must be Showerbath Spring, a lush, over hanging eden of fern and moss coolly dripping over the warm waters of Kanab Creek. I slipped out of my pack and clothes and immediately postponed myself under the largest faucet..the cool water pounding at my shoulders, rinsing my body of the accumulated trail grit, and washing away the sour attitude from my brain. Heavenly. Divine. Just a few words that come to mind. I tested the rest of the faucets as well, dancing merrily between each one, amazed at this oasis within such harsh country. Reinvigorated, I ate a snack, got dressed and headed back down canyon with a new perspective on the day, physically and mentally cleansed and feeling very much alive.
I continued to thread my way through the canyon, sometimes above the water, but most of the time in the actual creek. Turn after turn, twist after twist, the canyon walls continued to rise and the air blowing up Kanab Creek grew warmer. Eventually, with ~30 minutes to dusk, I rounded the last bend and saw the Colorado river flowing unnaturally green and cool as it passed the mouth of Kanab Creek. As I crossed the creek one last time towards my camp, I heard a clatter of stone. As I looked over my shoulder I saw 3 Bighorn Sheep coming down to the creek for an evening nightcap --- 2 males, and 1 female. Then, as I continued my retreat, a Ringtail scurried down the talus and hopped across the creek as well. What a treat. A great ending to an initially suspect day. Brian Along the Colorado, September 9th Another sweaty night. No chance at staying hydrated at this rate! Regardless, after yesterdays effort I slept well and was pleased to awake to more Bighorns this morning. I headed out of my camp at 6 am. ~7.5 miles of bouldery terrain awaited me and I wanted to get as much of it done before the sun became a factor. My ankles are pretty sore from yesterday's creek walk so I knew my pace would be a bit slower. It was nice to walk close (at times) to the river as it was easy to soak my hat and shirt in the water to try to keep cool throughout the day. Fortunately clouds rolled in for much of the morning and that helped with the temperature as well. The route from Kanab Creek to Cranberry Canyon was pretty slow going as much of it was steep, loose boulders and talus -- terrain that demanded careful attention to each step. Tedious. From Cranberry Canyon to Deer Creek was a bit better as it followed a decent trail above the river, but was certainly exposed to the sun. This portion of the route actually crossed 2-3 sizeable seeps with accessible water. Nearing Deer Creek, I was treated to another Bighorn Sheep before rounding the bend to Deer Creek Falls. ~7.5 miles in 6 hrs. Throughout the day I saw ~12 boats floating the river --- mostly commercial companies on big `J-Rigs' which are basically floating RV's. A few were parked at Deer Creek Falls which is a spectacular waterfall that spills out onto the banks of the river from a narrow canyon above.
I've definitely
neglected my hydration the past few days and am parked here
until I get things back in order. My camp tonight in Surprise
Valley is a only a few miles away. The Hayduke continues from Surprise Valley and then drops into Tapeats Creek and eventually exits Saddle Canyon at Muav Saddle. A classic Steck Route. I've decided against that route as it is technically beyond the scope of my hike, and not something I feel 100% safe attempting myself, especially in a reverse direction. Major kudos to the Hayduke founders for pulling that one off! Anyway, I'll head up to the rim tomorrow via the Bill Halm route and rejoin the Hayduke on the road to Point Sublime. Looking forward to the cooler nighttime temps of the North Rim. Brian To the Rim, September 10th After pushing off from Deer Springs, I hiked into Surprise Valley and about half way up the first major climb to the Esplanade. Although it was quite windy I found an exceptional camp on the leeward side of the slope. Personally, one aspect of lightweight hiking I really enjoy is tentless sleeping arrangements. To have the flexibility to just roll out a sleeping pad and call it a night has led to many a great, and impromptu camp. I had a great sleep primarily due to the much cooler temps. Pushing off at ~6 am, I chugged up the final few hundred feet to reach the Esplanade which is the main bench that is directly below each rim of the Grand Canyon. After ~3.5 miles of mostly flat, pleasant, slickrock hiking, I began the 3 mile, 2000 ft climb to Monument Point. The climb was not bad as the trail was in good shape and the sun had not yet risen high enough to hit the slopes. Climbing up, I paused occasionally to check out the map to identify landmarks within the canyon. A hikers perspective of the Grand Canyon is always changing as you walk into, or out of the Big Ditch. I find it interesting to keep pace with the sites and see how they change --- the color of light, the play of shadow, and perceived texture of the landscape. Anyway, I shortly made my way to the Trailhead at Monument Point, ate a quick snack and pushed off for the remainder of my day --- undulating forested dirt road walking during deer archery season.
Although I saw a bunch of `pick-up' hunters during the course of the day, there were actually far fewer than I had anticipated. Of the fellas I had talked to no one had had much luck let alone even seen something to shoot at...it was delightfully ironic to make camp this evening and have 3 bucks wander through my camp during dinner. Not too much more to report for the day other than the nuts and bolts: Camped at ~8,300 ft (nice and cool!) near the road junction to Swamp Point and the Point Sublime Rd...back on the Hayduke after ~26 miles of walking. Brian The North Rim, September 11th
Brian
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After
leaving the cattle behind I swung a left and proceeded down Hack
Canyon which will eventually drop me into Kanab Creek. There has
been road to follow all the way to the Kanab Creek Wilderness
Boundary which I just passed though. Three people have signed
the register since June 5. 
So,
off I went, stumbling down Kanab Creek in a mental haze and a
indifferent attitude towards the day. As such I was paying little
attention to maps, scenery, time, water, or any other things that
one should be paying attention to when in the out of doors. Onwards
I stumbled and grumbled my way through the morning.
Kanab
Creek is quite a canyon. Besides its abundance of good water and
springs, it a fun canyon to hike. Plenty of natural obstacles
such as boulders, deep pools of water, and interesting banks make
it continuously exciting. In addition, it has the grandeur and
majestic nature of a large desert canyon, but at the same time
it is subtle and intimate in its details. Interesting at any scale
or perspective. 
I
pulled up short of the flotilla and found a nice pool to take
a dip in and soak my feet --- quite refreshing. I spent more than
hour sitting around before heading up Deer Creek to Deer Springs
which is where I sit now. Deer Springs is also a real treat...water
pouring from a sandstone crack framed with moss and ferns.
Road
walking in the North Kaibab is actually pretty nice as the large
stands of Oak, Ponderosa, and Aspen provide cool shade, good smells,
and pleasant rustling with the breeze.
Arrived
early afternoon at the North Rim after 21 miles of road walking.
I am a day ahead of schedule and eager for a shower and some other
civilized luxuries. Talking with the ranger here has been a real
treat...VERY helpful and knowledgeable about the upcoming route.
Anyway, I'll be taking a few days off here to rest up and to get
back on schedule with my permit.
