I stood knee deep in the middle of the turquoise blue of the Little Colorado River. We were fording the tributary several hundred feet from where its turquoise waters mix with the emerald current of the Colorado. One more step forward and I plunged into the Little Colorado up to my neck. My Olympic-class doggie paddle sufficed to bring me across the river and to the start of the Beamer Trail.
“It’s good!!” I shouted across the bank, shivering slightly on the southern shore.
Tangent spent the next 20 minutes looking for a different path across. “I don’t trust getting my backpack wet!”
He forded at some rapids that did not hide neck-deep pools.
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From Jacob Lake we joined up with the Arizona Trail (AZT), wandering across the Kaibab Plateau. After an evening on the plateau that dropped to 9 degrees Fahrenheit, we diverted from the AZT toward warmer pastures with a 6000 foot descent from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the west bank of the Colorado River, entering the Grand Canyon via the Nankoweap Trail — the “hardest named trail” in the park (it’s technically Marble Canyon until the Little Colorado River confluence).
We touched the bank of the Colorado River and found a raft crew of New Zealanders parked on the beach. They offered us beer and produce! I gladly helped share their burden of too much food.
After noshing some nourishment, we set off down the western bank of the river. Our goal was to cover 8 “river miles” before dark. It was very slow going. We wove in and out of sand dunes, gaining hundreds of feet to divert around a side canyon only to drop hundreds of feet back down to the shore. 12 miles and almost 6 hours of hiking later, we were still 2 river miles away from our destination. The point that we would hitch across the river to the eastern shore.
In the morning, we traveled on a beautifully placed rock bench, making good time to the precisely named “61.1 mile” beach. Thanks geology! From there, we waited.
45 minutes went by with no sign of any rafts. Tangent had finished sewing and repairing his gear. Another 30 minutes passed. I was deep in a yoga pose when Tangent shouted, “Raft!!!”
I threw on my shoes, packed my backpack, and in less than 2 minutes I was standing atop a rock, jutting out into the middle of the river, waving my arms at the approaching rafts. So much for savasana, but I am glad that my shirt shares colors with a traffic cone!
As the raft approached, Tangent stuck out his thumb. I tried a more practical approach.
“Hi!” I shouted. “Can you take us to the other side?!”
The raft slowed down. A few shouted inquiries and they approached our little beach, motioning us to jump aboard. They handed us life jackets and we made idle conversation with the raft group, as though picking up hitchhikers on your float down the Grand Canyon is typical. About 10 minutes later we landed on the next beach down. This time on the eastern shore.
The raft crew got out to take pictures of the scenic Little Colorado River. It’s just too bad that no one caught pictures of me swimming the confluence.
From the Beamer Trail we made our way to the Escalante Trail, and then finally to the meandering, winding, lazy contour of the Tonto Trail.
At about 1400 feet above the Colorado River, the Tonto travels around 90 miles on a cliff band that, for whatever geologic reason, makes for an exceptionally good, walkable bench. It contours away from the main Grand Canyon through side canyons, and then sometimes through side canyons of those canyons, before eventually wrapping you back toward the river. You may travel 15 miles along the Tonto to make your way some 3 river miles down the Colorado.
We are now at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. We will be making our way to the North Rim again, following the Tonto for another 60 miles before hitching across the river to enjoy a series of historic trails, boulder fields, and side canyons that will be exceptionally slow going. Eventually, the path will bring us up many thousands of feet to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and to a water cache that Tangent left over a month ago at Hack Canyon.
It’s going to be a long 8-day carry to Colorado City. Oof.
May you remain well hydrated until then,
Jeff
