This was a tough, 50 mile loop hike that I have dreamed about doing for a year or two. It starts on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon near Desert View, and descends 9.5 miles for 4500' down the Tanner Trail to the Colorado River. From there it is 18 miles round trip up and back to the Little Colorado River; then 11 miles down river along the Escalante Route to Hance Rapids; and finally 8.5 miles up through Red Canyon on the New Hance Trail back to the rim (where it's a hitchhike of 8 miles back to the car). All of these trails were new to me, and I knew that some of them had tough spots with ledges and exposure and route-finding required.
I woke up at 3AM after getting only three hours of sleep, and drove to Lipan Point where I parked the truck and started (solo) off the rim with a 30 lb pack, with 35 mph south winds howling. Not too soon thereafter I was forced to put on crampons and carefully walk across 2 foot deep snowdrifts that sloped down right to the edge of the cliff. Luckily the snow ended after the first half mile and it was dry all the way to the river. I met only four people during the day, and finally got to the river after 4 hours. I took a nice long break at Tanner Rapids under a shady ledge before venturing north along the river's Beamer Trail for three miles to my first (and second night's) camp at Palisades, next to Lava Canyon Rapids (where Stephanie and I spent one night across the river during our river trip). The wind was so strong that I thought I might get blown off the 300' high ledge down into the river while hiking the Beamer. My poles helped stabilize me, and I found a high bypass in one spot that was much safer. At camp, I quickly set up the tent, ate dinner, and collapsed from being so sleepy. The winds and light rains continued until about 11PM, but I was fast asleep for most of 12 hours.
The next morning I awoke and dayhiked 6 miles each way along the Beamer Trail to the Little Colorado River. Luckily there was no wind, and the weather remained beautiful the rest of the trip. The Beamer is a beautiful hike on some ledges (not so scary) high above the river. I was a little disappointed to see the LCR flowing all muddy, but what can you expect during spring runoff. That night I returned and enjoyed some of the big, clean sandy beaches at Palisades, as well as Tanner's old cabin ruins and his mine.
The next morning I hiked back to Tanner Rapids, rested under my nice ledge, and then continued downriver about 3 miles to Cardenas Creek. Cardenas is a nice area. I dayhiked that evening up to some old Anasazi ruins on the hilltop, where there were some spectacular panoramic 360 degree views. The next morning I continued down the Escalante route, enjoying the views way up high before returning down Escalante Canyon back to the river. From there you are forced to climb back up and down into 75 Mile Canyon. This is a really scenic part of the canyon, as you can look upriver and see the regular rock layers, and then you turn and look downriver to see the supergroup layers and the Vishnu come up out of the ground. I took a nice long break in 75 Mile Canyon narrows before venturing past Nevills Rapids (where Brooke and I spent one night during our river trip) down to Papago Canyon and the challenging 300' high Papago rock slide. Descending the rock slide was not as bad as some of the things I read, and before I knew it I was downriver a half mile to my final camp spot at Hance Rapids.
There were only a few people camping here at Hance, and I ended up finding a nice camp spot high above the river with views of the rapids. The next morning I hiked up and out of the canyon in about 5 hours. I was able to get a hitch back to the truck within 15 minutes from a nice couple. I was really amazed at how beautiful, diverse, and remote this area of the canyon was. I didn't see any people at all on the Beamer, Escalante, or New Hance Trails. Luckily I did not need crampons at the top of the New Hance. My pack weight was down to about 24 lbs at the end.
The weather and drive both ways was great. The trails were through some beautiful parts of the canyon. I enjoyed my meals, and even drinking the silty Colorado River water. Hiking alone was a little nerve racking at first, but by the second day I was fine. I noticed how strong my senses became (smell, hearing, taste, etc), and my dreams each night were so vivid and lasted for so long! Finishing the hike was rewarded with a great sense of accomplishment.
A view of the trail and beyond, halfway down Tanner.
A football field sized beach at Palisades--look at how clean and pristine!
The Little Colorado (bottom right, and muddy) and Colorado Rivers' confluence.
The Hilltop Ruin above Cardenas Beach along the Escalante route.
My pack on cliff edge 600' above Unkar Rapids.
Me during sunrise on Cardenas beach.
Last night's camp spot above Hance Rapids.
Halfway up Red Canyon, looking back down.
Oh what an incredible feeling to top out!
Panoramic video along the high point of the Escalante Route
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