Kaibab Journal - Free Hiking the Grand Canyon - Kibbey Butte


Free Hiking the Grand Canyon - Kibbey Butte page 3

From my home in Flagstaff, Arizona, it is about four hours to the Grand Canyon Lodge, on the North Rim of the canyon. I left in the mid-afternoon on the day after the rim opened up in May. Once in the park I found a spot to cache some water. My plan was to park in the Kaibab National Forest, at the Nankoweap trailhead. The Kibbey route would dump me on the rim some six miles from where I had parked. I would follow alongside the paved Cape Royal road until I was able to follow a trail the rest of the way. I left two quarts of water where this trail crosses the road. Following a brief stop at the lodge, and a quick bite to eat, I was off to the trailhead, where I camped for the night. The next morning, I was up at 4:30 a.m. and ready to hike by 5:30 a.m. This hike was to serve another purpose--as an exercise in “doing without.” Far too often I find myself carrying 55 pounds, or more, when I backpack. There are three main reasons for this: I go on long hikes, the weather is quite variable and I enjoy some creature comforts. But, for this hike I left behind the tent, the sleeping bag, the stove, the fuel, the pots and pans, the Thermarest and the water filter. I brought along an air mattress (it packs small), a sheet, water tablets (for purifying) and sandwich making food. Consequently, my pack weighed exactly 25 pounds at the outset of the hike. The Nankoweap trail runs some nine to ten miles from this trailhead to the creek. During the summer this can be brutally hot, and it is not a desirable place to hike. When loaded down with weight, leaving at less than an ideal time in the morning and if inexperienced, a dry overnight camp may be necessary along the trail before reaching the creek (and it is still some three miles from here to the Colorado River). I was in good shape, and the conditions were nearly perfect, and I reached the creek by 10:15 a.m. Although a bit early, I decided that a longish lunch break was in order. When I hike, I find it very difficult to munch along the way. Unlike the chaos of my eating habits at home, on the trail I pretty much stick to three square meals a day, and do little in-between meal snacking. Despite knowing this, I invariably will end up a hike with mostly filled plastic baggies of corn nuts, peanuts, raisins and chocolates. I wonder if they appreciate my showing them around the Grand Canyon? By a quarter to noon, I was on my way up the creek. My target was the furthest spring that feeds Nankoweap Creek. It would be the last sure water until I reached the water cache I left on the rim. So, the afternoon was mostly spent rock hopping and crisscrossing the creek. It was laborious. It was tedious. It was mind-numbing after about thirty minutes. It took me three hours to reach my objective. With a break along the way, I arrived at a quarter past three. One of the characteristics I have noted while engaged in an intense hike is that background noises fade away. I hardly ever notice the airplanes and helicopters that fly overhead. At least, while I am hiking. During the day, when I am resting, I am usually too damn tired to be annoyed by the noise of these overflights. On the other hand, in the morning and the evening, when I am in a more reflective mood, all is quiet. It makes me wonder who the people are that complain about the overflight noise. Probably some bureaucrat, or lobbyist, ensconced away in a Washington, DC office. Or, some spoiled river rat, who is soaking up the sun on a sandy beach, putting away a cold one and wondering whether it will be steak or trout for dinner. Although it was relatively early in the day, and I dearly wanted to push on, I had to stop here. I knew I would need to rehydrate, and build up some extra reserves for the next day. On the map I looked to be just a little over two miles from, and some 3500 feet below the rim. I felt confident that my planning was paying off.