Grand Canyon Trip Report - Tanner / Escalante / Tonto / Horseshoe Mesa   (May 14 - 19, 2004) by Larry Walker and Marty Pietz

Attendees: Brennan Basler, Robert Buhrman, Larry Lee, Rex Mast, Marty Pietz, Larry Walker

Brief Trail Description / Introduction: This trip report encompasses the Tanner Trail, the Escalante Route, a portion of the Tonto Plateau Trail, and Horseshoe Mesa Trail. This route is for experienced, hardened Grand Canyon hikers only; I would classify it as a strenuous backpacking trip. 5 to 6 days (4 to 5 nights) should be allowed for this trip; although, some have done it in 3 days. Obviously, your time depends on your goal: vacation or miles. This route begins at Lipan Point and ends at Grandview so a shuttling arrangement is required - it's about 10 to 15 miles between these two places via park roads. Dependable water exists only at the Colorado River and Page/Miner's Springs. Hance Creek has been flowing and wonderful each time we've been by, but both of those times were in the month of May. The Papago wash climb may be a bit challenging with a full pack; a nice 50 ft. piece of rope works very well here for a belay. There are several areas along the Escalante and the Tonto that are "exposed" - caution, as always, is all that's required. The route from Nevil's to Hance Rapids, which includes the Papago wash climb and scree slide, is challenging and route finding skills are required.

This approximately 31 mile trip connects the Tanner Trail to the Escalante Route and exits via the Grandview Trail. Although the Escalante Route is not a maintained trail, it is adequately marked with cairns in the areas where it is not obvious. You should be well experienced with hiking in the Grand Canyon beyond the corridor trails before attempting this trip as parts of this remote route are strenuous. There is significant exposure on portions of the route and some class 4 climbing is encountered at Papago Canyon. This time of year (especially considering the drought conditions in the western US) the Colorado River and Page Spring (sometimes called Miners Spring) are the only year round water sources. We found water in Hance Creek, but this is not considered a permanent water source. We allow an average speed of about 1 to 1 1/2 miles an hour when we hike for several reasons. First, we look around at the scenery and take a lot of pictures. Second, we generally take these trips in late Spring/early Summer when the temperature gets toward 100 degrees F during the day. Third, we generally find some trees or rocks to retreat under like the reptiles during the hottest part of the day and take a nap. After all, we're on vacation so why just burn miles.

Trail Stats:

Distances (per official GC document): Tanner Trailhead to Tanner Beach - 9.0 miles Tanner Beach to Cardenas Creek - 3.0 miles Cardenas Creek to Hance Rapids - 9.0 miles Hance Rapids to Horseshoe Mesa - 9.9 miles Horseshoe Mesa to Grandview Trailhead - 3.0 miles Total: 33.9 miles

May 14, 2004 - Friday, Day One: Left Phoenix about 21:30. Rex's plane was delayed about 2 hours. Drove our typical route through Flagstaff to Sunset Crater for our overnight lodging. Got to Sunset Crater cinders area [SUNSET waypoint] about 01:30.

Friday, May 14: Larry W and Marty picked up Brennan and headed to the airport in Phoenix to pick up Rex at 6:15 PM. Rex's plane was delayed arriving, so we finally picked him up at 8:30 PM. We went to Bob's house and loaded some of the equipment into the back of Larry Lee's truck and the two vehicles roared off to Flagstaff around 9:30 PM. Arriving at Denny's Restaurant in Flagstaff after midnight we got a midnight snack and headed for the traditional 2 AM sleeping spot in the volcanic cinders just North of Sunset Crater.

May 15, 2004 - Saturday, Day Two: Did our usual stop for breakfast and shopping at Cameron trading post. Stopped by Wukoki / Wupatki ruins to make sure they were still intact. Saw a couple of pronghorn antelopes on the way to Cameron. Got walking on Tanner about 12:30. First part is fairly steep. Takes about 1.5 hours to get to the saddle point at Escalante Butte [SADDL2 waypoint]. Arrived at top of redwall [REDWAL waypoint] at 16:30 to stay for the night. This is an awesome open view of the canyon and the sky. You can see almost all the way to the Little Colorado River about 10 miles away. Good green pork burritos for supper. Kind of overcast for the night, but stars and satellites were plentiful.

Saturday, May 15: Up with the sun and after a brief visit to the Wupatki ruins, we eat breakfast at the Cameron Trading Post and head into the East Entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park. Larry Lee's truck is ferried to Grandview Point where we will exit in 5 days, and we start down the Tanner Trail at around 1:30 PM to tonight's camp on top of the Redwall Formation. The wind is brisk at times, but this plus scattered clouds are welcome cooling from the mid-day sun. Dinner tonight is green chili burritos with mandarin orange fruit cups for dessert. About 4.5 hiking miles today.

May 16, 2004 - Sunday, Day Three: Start walking about 07:45. Brennan headed back to top as planned. We didn't know how Brennan would fare in the heat with a heavy pack, so we decided he would just overnight with us at the beginning and end of the trip. I think he could have made this trip just fine - although there is the issue of shear ledges... Arrive at Tanner Beach about 10:30. Walk down river to a beach [BEND waypoint] for lunch and rest and cooling of the feet. We meandered down to another beach area [CARD2 waypoint] for shade and swimming and napping. Walked further down to Cardenas Creek wash area to stay for night. Met another group of 2 guys and 3 girls with unbelievable amount of liquor (5 liters) - whoa, no thanks! Rex and Larry Lee seemed interested in staying for the party. Larry Lee and I caught 4, "pan sized" trout for extra supper goodies - Larry Lee's first fish catch in the Colorado. They were delicious. Excellent chicken and rice for dinner with cheese cake for dessert! Bats, stars, strange clouds, and satellites for after supper entertainment.

Sunday, May 16: Nothing beats grits for breakfast before it's goodbye until Tuesday night for Brennan who is returning via the Tanner trail and will meet us on Horseshoe mesa at the end of the trip. Down the Redwall and over Bright Angel Shale to the Dox Sandstone down to Tanner Rapids. Everyone agrees that the Shale and Dox part of the Tanner is our least favorite. There are no switchbacks, just a long plod down on the side of a dome. Rex describes it as downhill with your foot on the brake all the way - your brake pads get kinda hot. Finally we reach the mouth of Tanner Creek at the river. We head downstream a few miles and overnight at the mouth of Cardenas Creek. Chicken and rice smothered in chicken gravy along with freshly hooked trout fried in butter and lemon for dinner, cheesecake for dessert. Even though there is intermittent wind all night, a strange stationary cloud hangs off of the North rim all night . We speculate on what it is and settle it is either smoke from a forest fire or the cloaking of an alien ship observing us. About 6 hiking miles today.

May 17, 2004 - Monday, Day Four: Head out up the Escalante early, 07:15, to try and make Hance Rapids. Beautiful, tough walk. Plenty of up and down on this trail. Escalante means "climbing upwards" or "rising upward" similar to the word escalate, and boy this trail does "escalante" in places. Make Escalante wash / creek [ESCBCH waypoint] for lunch. Lounge around Escalante until about 15:00 and head out. We stopped for a good break at 75 Mile wash/creek and Nevil's Rapids [NEVILS & 75MLBC waypoints]. Then after about 2 hours of rough trail, we make it to Hance Rapids at 20:00. This last part is only about 2 miles, but takes 2 to 3 hours to complete. The big slow down is the "non-trail" along the beach, and the climb up and down at Papago wash. It's a fairly simple climb, but we used a belay rope just for safety - tired, weary, and unthinking hikers make for good accidents. It was a long day and we were happy to be at Red Canyon/Hance Rapids [RCBCH waypoint]. Indeed, hunger is the best sauce, but spaghetti and sausage with pistachio pudding for supper was wonderful - not a scrap left. Lots of heavy snoring this night.

Monday, May 17: Breakfast and on the trail at 7 AM. Climb up and up to bypass Unkar Rapids. There is a fine view of the sheer cliffs to the river below. We work up Escalante creek on the East, cross over and descend down a side drainage on the West side to the Colorado at the mouth of Escalante Creek. After a short walk on the beach, it's back up the eastern side of 75 Mile Canyon and then a climb down over a small dry waterfall to the creek bed of 75 mile creek and out on the beach to Nevil's Rapids. We speak to briefly and beg some beer from some rafters on the beach below Nevil's. They invite us for dinner, but we are running out of daylight and still have to climb a wall at the mouth of Papago Canyon. This climb is about 50 feet of class 4 with adequate nubbins and cracks for fists and toes. Since we are at the end of a long day with heavy packs, we break out the rope and belay our group up the wall. Another 50 feet of vertical scrambling and a short walk over the top, and we start down the talus slide on the west side of the wall. There is considerable breakdown and loose rock, so we spread out in case anything breaks loose. Shortly we are down on the beach and we bushwhack through the tamarisks to the mouth of Red Canyon. Spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic breadsticks for dinner followed by pistachio pudding. It is only 1.5 miles from the mouth of 75 Mile Canyon to the mouth of Red Canyon, but it takes us over 2 hours to negotiate the distance because of the climb at Papago Canyon. About 7.5 hiking miles today

May 18, 2004 - Tuesday, Day Five: Roll out towards the Tonto Plateau about 06:45. This is a much flatter trail than the Escalante. Lots of mild exposure accentuated by the 40 mph gusts of wind. Rex gave us a good scare stumbling a bit near the edge while taking pictures and not paying close attention - good thing Marty was close by to snag him; the view finder effect can be deadly. Arrive at Hance Creek about 12:30 [HNCCRK waypoint]. Find a good shade tree for napping [COTTRE waypoint]. Water flowing in creek just like last time, but it looked like it would be disappearing soon. Water taste was not bad. Bumped in to a couple of guys from Michigan on their summer break touring the southwest. They were doing the Red Canyon / Tonto / Grandview route. Depart from Hance Creek about 15:00. After stop at Page/Miner's Spring for good water, make Horseshoe Mesa about 18:30 [HSMCMP waypoint]. Brennan was there waiting. We should have had him pack down some bottled water for cache at the trail saddle. Saw a huge mouse / rat / possum - guess they eat good here. Red Beans and Rice for supper, a favorite dish, with applesauce for dessert. Good sleeping in cool air.

Tuesday, May 18: Leave Red Canyon at 6:45 AM. We climb up the East side and around Mineral Canyon, exiting on the West side around Ayer point. By now we can see Horseshoe mesa above and to the Southwest. We hike up into Hance canyon and descend to the running creek bed. Lunch and a nap under the cottonwood trees. We exit Hance canyon on the West and climb up to Miner's spring (also called Page spring). We tank up with water at the spring and climb up the redwall to Horseshoe Mesa where Brennan is waiting for us. A fine dinner of red beans and rice with an applesauce fruit cup and cookies for desert, a suitable reward for another 12 hour hiking day. A large rat (or small possum) tries to get into Marty's trash from a rock windbreak. We hang the food and trash up in a tree and bed down. The stars are always great on Horseshoe mesa. About 10 hiking miles today

May 19, 2004 - Wednesday, Day Six: Explore Cave of the Domes and take lots of pictures. All would really like to spend the day here exploring, but the call of the rim was strong. Depart around 10:30; Out by 13:30. Grandview/Horseshoe Mesa trail earns it reputation for being steep! Great to have a shower even if it costs $3.00. Stop for Bright Angel Lodge chow and then head back to Phoenix.

Wednesday, May 19: Breakfast and then off to Cave of the Domes. Always a worthwhile side trip when visiting Horseshoe mesa. No time to see the mine tunnels this trip. We start up the 3 mile Grandview Trail around 11:30 AM and are out around 3 PM. Shower, Bright Angel Lodge dining room, Drive home.

Overall Comments: Great hike. Marty did well on food planning. Helicopters and planes are around, but not too bad. Surprisingly, we didn't see any snakes - others we talked to had. We definitely could have used an extra day on this trip for rest and play - my bad planning. Many sore/blistered feet in the crowd this time, which is unusual. Sorry about the cryptic report; not much time these days. You may notice that Marty and my times and distances don't exactly match... that's good! God once again allowed us a safe trip - thanks and praise be to Him.

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