To the Grand Canyon

I was glad to make an early start in the morning, and headed back into Sedona to a picturesque breakfast by Bell Rock and Courtehouse Butte before the crowds arrived. More info on the region here.

Great spot for a Kona Coffee

I then made my way back up the valley to the West Fork Trail, which I’d decided I’d use as a warm-up 6mi trail run.

West Fork Trail (canyon walk)

It was fantastic to get out of the car and start interacting with the environment, rather than just viewing it from a distance. The track meandered past an apple grove then headed between two tall, red rock canyon walls. It was spectacular to be surrounded by these cliffs as I wound my way along the dappled early morning sunlight of the trail, crossing  the creek 13 times as I went. 

Creek crossing beneath the cliffs

After 90min I’d reached the end-point. The canyon had narrowed, so now there was only room for the creek. If only I had a few more days to explore! This would make an excellent overnight walk, especially traipsing through the narrow creek. I turned, and made great time jogging back (without photo stops this time).

Contemplating a longer overnight hike

Back on the road, I quickly made it to Flagstaff, where I dropped into Barnes and Nobel to pick up a book (John Muir’s, “My first Summer in the Sierra”) and use the wifi to search out a potential “dispersed” campsite for the night and call Billy on Skype. In a small backstreet of Flagstaff, I came across this fantastic halloween display - good one Allen! 

Distractions aside, it was on to the Grand Canyon!

Scenic route to the Grand Canyon along Highway 180

Once again, it was late in the day when I had my first glimpse of the canyon. Wow! The sight is unbelievable. Expansive, jagged. Real, but then surreal at the same time – the view warps your sense of scale and I couldn’t tell you if the canyon was 1mi or 10mi across (the pamphlet at the entrance gate confirmed it’s more like 10mi).

First view of the Grand Canyon

I passed 4 carparks packed with cars and RV’s glinting in the last hot rays of the sun outside the main Visitors Centre and wound my way through some backstreets to the out-of-the-way Backcountry permits office. The ranger told me I’d have to wait until later in the week to hike my preferred Bright Angel – South Kaibab route, and laughed when I asked about the Rim to Rim walk (apparently people apply for hiking permits for this months in advance).

Instead he suggested I take a lesser known route down Hermit’s Trail, “for experienced Grand Canyon walkers only” on the South Rim of the canyon to the west of the main tourist attractions. Usually only accessible by the shuttle, I’d need a passcode to get through the gate to access the road. He also warned me that the trail wasn’t maintained, with a number of rock slides to negotiate.

There didn’t seem too many other options, so this was going to be it! My route to the Colorado River, down and back up the great Grand Canyon, 20+miles in total and more than 4,500ft descent (then ascent!) over two days. Phew!

The ranger also told me about a great camping spot, alongside Forest Road (FR)310, in the nearby Kaibab State Forest. Yay! I headed out on the dirt (un-signposted) road just past mile marker 253, and quickly spotted a place in the trees. In the last light of the day, I put up the tent, started up the stove and was feeling pretty happy about things.

A nice campsite to end the day...so I thought

Mid way through my tomato-salami pasta bake, I heard barking nearby. Grrrr, someone has a dog with them, I hope they’re not too inquisitive or aggressive. The sound turned to a high pitched scream. What on earth was that?!?! With dogs on my mind, I thought it may have been a wolverine. Or worse, a pack of wolverines, circling my campsite ready to attack (and attracted by the salami).

I contemplated moving to the car. But then the ranger hadn’t warned me of any crazy animals (and I had asked!). So I hoped that the creature would leave, and tucked myself into the tent. The noise continued for an hour, whilst I read through all the pamphlets I’d been provided on the park. A small note in one of the newsletter columns mentioned that deer rutting season started in October. The penny dropped. Earlier in the day I’d seen plenty of deer and elk around. I convinced myself it was bambi, not wolverine. Phew.

(for those interested, here’s a link to the crazy sound! You’d freak out too!)