Participants:
Bob Buhrman, Heidi Ekstrom, Marty Pietz, Larry Walker, Amy Wiemann

Friday, May 29:
     Amy, Heidi, Larry and Marty roll out of Mesa about 6:00PM, Meet at Bob’s house and roll North by 7:30. By 10PM we are at Denny’s in Flagstaff and after a late dinner, we head up Arizona SR89 to the Sunset Crater National Monument turnoff. We follow the loop road thru the Monument and into BLM/Coconino National Forest land north of the Monument. Here we turn off into the volcanic cinders and throw out our sleeping bags near midnight as the waxing quarter moon sets. The Milky Way is brilliant as the mountains to the South of us block the lights of Flagstaff and there is virtually no light pollution from the Navajo Nation to the North.

Saturday, May 30:
     We fly out of the sack about 7AM and perform our annual check of the Wukoki ruin in the Wupatki National Monument before heading back North on highway 89 to the Cameron Trading Post for a hearty breakfast.
     After getting more than our moneys worth of food, we visit the Gallery located in the Cameron’s original home next to the trading post. The rugs, pottery and baskets in the Gallery are spectacular and the gracious clerk shows us the upstairs private area which is apparently for vip guests (not us). He also plays some of the hand carved flutes for us. Amy tries out a flute as well with a rousing ditty (see the video). Back on the road, we head North to the Bitter Springs turnoff and pickup highway 89A. We stop at the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River; no giant condors on the rocks below today. A short side trip to Lee’s Ferry is in order as Amy and Heidi have never seen the giant hoodoo rocks on pedestals. The Paria River is rather low and not dumping a lot of silt into the Colorado.
     Onward to Cliff Dwellers for gas and lunch from the ice chest in the back of the truck. While a thunderstorm moves in and wets everything down very nicely, we take cover under the gas station canopy and enjoy ice cream after lunch.
     After the rain passes we’re back on the road heading West on SR89A to the House Rock Ranch turnoff between mileposts 559 and 560. The road appears suitable at this time of the year for 2 wheel drive vehicles and the rain has wet the dust down. We proceed South for about 19 miles to FSR632 then turn left (at least Larry, Heidi and Amy do, Bob and Marty overshoot the turn by about 4 miles and have to backtrack). Follow FSR632 for about 3 miles and you come to a seldom if ever used airstrip with a sign instructing you to drive on the right side of the airstrip. A few buildings which are apparently the former Arizona Buffalo Ranch headquarters, now headquarters for the House Rock Wildlife Preserve are near the end of the airstrip. About ½ mile further is a gate (remember to close the gate after passing through), then another ¼ mile to the trailhead which is simply the end of the road at the rim. We are the only vehicles there.
     The packs are checked over and we start down the trail about 5PM. There is a cairn that marks the top of a chute that is the beginning of the descent. The route is steep, exposed and covered with lots of loose talus rock and scree. There have been a lot of rockslides so we are very cautious. By about 6PM we are on a shelf that sticks out of the Toroweap Limestone formation and we are about ½ way down to the streambed below. We decide to camp there tonight as we are unfamiliar with the route and do not want to get caught in the dark while still downclimbing. There is plenty of room to roll out the sleeping bags on the shelf. Larry scouts ahead to find the route for the next morning while Marty starts up the stove to heat dinner of green pork burritos with mandarin orange fruit cup for dessert. The wind blows pretty hard for a good part of the night and the windscreen for the stove is heard bouncing over the edge of the shelf before Marty can grab it.

Sunday, May 31: (Pentecost, Happy Birthday Church, Acts 2:1-13)
    Dawn breaks and oatmeal boils. We pack up and continue the descent. The first part of the downclimb below the Toroweap is on limestone ridges which empties onto a slickrock bench. Traversing the bench, Bob spots the formerly airborne windscreen to the stove. The bench gives out to a steep boulder field that we navigate down to the streambed before bushwhacking across the stream. All in all, we have descended about 1130 feet (344m) from the trailhead and we are glad. Now the route is obvious and mostly in the streambed which alternates between slickrock, brush and boulders. There are several dry falls we have to work around by climbing up and around, but the routes are pretty easy to find. Some are marked with cairns, others just follow the obvious looking route. It is apparent that flash floods sweep through here, so be cautious and know where the high ground is. We take breaks every hour and there is adequate shade to be found next to rocks and ridges. Many pools of water, some filled with pollywogs dot the streambed, but it looks like the summer will dry them up before the monsoon rains arrive in late July.
    At about 12:30 we stop on a fine rock shelf and eat lunch, avocado-salmon stuffed pita, then stretch out take a nap. Everyone is up about 3PM and we decide to dayhike the rest of the way to the Colorado River and keep this spot for our camp tonight. Daypacks are loaded with water bottles and cameras and we set out. It takes about 1 ½ hours to cover the 3 miles to the river and the climb down the Redwall formation to the beach is nearly as steep as the climb at the trailhead. Ultimately we are glad this part was a dayhike as nobody liked the idea of hauling heavy packs down and then up this formation just to sleep by the river. An oar powered rafting party was at the beach. Larry fished (caught 3 and released), Bob washed up, and Amy, Heidi, and Marty hiked down toward Vassey’s Paradise, an artesian spring that spews from the cliff cascading for about 75 feet, then dumps all fern covered into the Colorado River. Our goal was to fill the water bottles from the spring. The rafters tried to dissuade us from going to the spring as they reckoned river level made the approach too dangerous. They offered us life jackets to take for the traverse along the river which was a slickrock friction route ending in a thicket of poison ivy. As an alternative, they offered to fill our water bottles with their electric powered filter system and we accepted. Heidi and Amy discussed how to become river raft guides with a couple of the women guides and then one of the guides handed Marty a couple of beers (rafters are always friendly and generous). Amy, one month shy of her 21st birthday, declined as she expressed she would never want to disappoint her parents by drinking before she was 21. Heidi was thrilled to discover that rafters carry sit down toilets (ammo can with a seat). After the water was filled and the fish all released, we climb back up the Redwall, noting the small Anasazi pit house ruin to our right about ¼ the way up, and return to our campsite, arriving about 8PM. We fixed up a fine dinner of spaghetti with summer sausage meat sauce and strawberry cheesecake for dessert. We hit the rock as the bats swoop close overhead all night.

Monday, June 1
    Up early, well fed packed up and rolling, we head for the trailhead. The route in the streambed passes quickly and by 11:30 we are back in the thicket at the base of the climbout. We eat lunch, rest a bit and start the climb around 12:30. It is very warm, middle 90’s likely, and we are happy when the sun is obscured by clouds for some of the time. It is about 40 minutes until we are on the shelf where we slept Saturday night. Another rest and we push on to the top. Everyone is out by 2PM. We tidy up, pile in the trucks and roll toward a flat tire that is waiting to leap onto Larry’s truck. The spare is installed and then onward to the Jacob Lake Inn for a look at the lodge while the tire is repaired at the next door Chevron station. When we arrive at the North Rim Park entrance, everyone piles into one truck and head for the showers. After cleaning up we had hoped to eat in the North Rim Lodge dining room, but there were no tables available until 9PM. We watched the sunset on the veranda, admired the Brighty of the Grand Canyon statue, and headed to Kaibab Lodge, 20 miles or so north of the park entrance to eat. We camped in the aspens and ponderosas near the East Rim Overlook.

Tuesday, June 2
    We pack up and return to the Jacob Lake Inn for a fine breakfast and move out to reverse our route back to the valley. Gas at Marble Canyon, a quick stop at Cameron and lunch at Stromboli’s Italian in Flagstaff. We are back at Bob’s house in Phoenix by 3:30 and in Mesa by 4:30.
    Overall it was a fine trip offering solitude and the usual stunning scenery with fine hiking companions. I would recommend that anyone considering this trip have significant previous Grand Canyon experience on the remote trails and routes before attempting this route. Although we did not, some folks may choose to lower packs on portions of the upper descent. If steep exposure and scrambling on loose rock bother you then this trip is not for you. Although we found lots of water, the only dependable water source is the Colorado River and the spring at Vassey’s Paradise.