250 Days to Go - Phantom Ranch Part 2 & Horn



Bottom left side of Horn Rapid

 TL Report: Part two for our exchange hikers: Bright Angel Trail is well traveled and is in good condition. Plan 7-8 hours to hike in or out. The total distance is 9.3 miles. Indian Gardens can be reached in 3-4 hrs from the river. At Indian Gardens you will find water, resthouses, tables and the ranger station.

Bright Angel Trail Map. The South Rim trailhead starts bottom left.

Here are some more tips for safe hiking from Phantom to the South Rim or visa versa:  

1. Water: Carry AT LEAST two/three liters of water per person. More if possible. There will be potable water along Bright Angel Trail (at the One-and-a-Half-Mile and Three-Mile Resthouses and again at Indian Garden (4.6 miles from the rim). Water is NOT available at the River Resthouse.  Bring water purification tablets in case potable water is not available and you have to purify water from Garden  Creek. Bring drink mixes to mix with water to avoid water intoxication (electrolyte depletion).



Bright Angel Trail

2. Travel Light: The heaviest item in your pack should be water.  Emergency phones are available at all resthouses. You will not need to carry any river or camping equipment.
3. Beat the Heat: Hike after the sun goes down. In July the volcanic rock retains the sun's heat and hiking should wait until after midnight. Temps can reach over 100 degrees during the day.
4. Clothing: Wear loose clothing and a hat.
5. Don't hike alone: Travel with someone else and set a steady pace. DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF.
6. Food: Carry energy-producing snacks like candy bars, raisins, granola, gorp, etc. Try to eat food with salt to retain water. Remember depletion of salt in your blood and tissue can lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion and even heat stroke.
7. Shoes: Wear well-fitting, well-broken-in shoes. If you are hiking in, be sure your toes do not hit the front of your shoes when hiking downhill. Otherwise you won't have any toenails for the rest of the trip.



Elves Chasm Canyon



What the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Assoc has been chatting about this week: Sadly, news came last night that a non commercial river trip participant died after falling while free climbing at Elves Chasm at River Mile 117. Here is the NPS press release. As I have mentioned in previous posts, our trip will ask everyone to observe basic safety rules, one of which is not to free climb higher than you are tall. I know it's tempting to climb all the beautiful metamorphic rock but please remember that there can be catastrophic results when risk-taking on wilderness trips. This is not a dangerous trip, but not observing safety rules can make it so. Each of our trip experiences will impact every other tribe member, so, take one for the team and follow the safety guidelines!

Mileage This Week: River Mile 88-91. After leaving Phantom Ranch, we will continue down Adrenaline Alley (the 40-mile stretch from Sockdologar to Blacktail Canyon). Just past the Phantom Boat Beach we will pass under the Silver Bridge, which is the pedestrian bridge for Bright Angel Trail (no mules allowed on this one!)

At River Mile 89.5, We'll run Pipe Creek Rapid, class 3 (out of 10), a 7ft drop.

At River Mile 90.8, we'll scout Horn Rapid, class 8 (out of 10) an 8ft drop. Horn is considered to one of the most technically difficult rapids on the river, especially at lower water levels. We will definitely scout. The rapid is named from the spiraling water horns that form when water hits two rocks at high water.

Here are some videos of  Horn. First, how we DON'T want to run the rapid, and second, how we do want to run it.

GC History: Pipe Creek got it's name in 1894 when Miles and Ralph Cameron were hiking with two other men along the Tonto Plateau between Granview and Bright Angel trails. Ralph was ahead of the others when he found an old Meers Haum pipe that had washed downstream. He scratched a date on the pipe that was a hundred years earlier than the present date and left it where his companions would find it. After he let the others speculate, he finally confessed.



TransCanyon Water Pipeline

TransCanyon Water Pipeline
The Silver Bridge was built in the late 1960s connecting the Bright Angel Trail from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch and the North Rim. Only hiker traffic may cross this suspension bridge but that’s not the only thing moving across the canyon here. The Silver Bridge also provides a support structure for one of the great engineering feats of the Grand Canyon and a vital support for tourism at this popular national park—the transcanyon water pipeline. Through an extensive system of pipelines and pump houses, 500,000 gallons of water a day are piped from Roaring Springs near the North Rim down Bright Angel Canyon through Phantom Ranch, across the Colorado River suspended from Silver Bridge and then pumped up to the South Rim tourist area. This journey down one side of the canyon and up the other provides almost all the water for the South Rim developed areas—where most of the lodging, restaurants, and visitor services are located. Without this pipeline, the Grand Canyon Village could not support the millions of tourists that flock to the South Rim each year.




Equipment/Camp/Info Check: Staying OFF the Cryptobiotic Crust.

Crypto means hidden, and biota means life. So Crypto "crust" is made of very small organisms that can't be seen by the naked eye. Each time your boot lands on a patch of crypto - crunch, crunch, crunch - you destroy it and thus jeopardize every living thing in the vicinity, all of which contribute to the beauty you came here to see.



"Stop! Don't take that step!"



Crust trampled to dust can take up to 250 years to fully regenerate. Meanwhile, water runoff increases by up to 50% (think flashflood), soil loss increases by up to 600% (think duststorm), and the windblown sand kills yet more crypto by burying it and preventing photosynthesis (think Boston Strangler).

Freeze! Step away from the crust!

Whenever you're not hiking on an established trail, be alert for crypto. Avoid it diligently. Go around. Rock hop. Opt for gravel or sand. Follow drainage paths (rivulets, washes) where crypto doesn't grow. If you must walk on crypto, imagine it's a grave. Get off asap. Minimize damage by letting companions to follow your precise steps, so your group doesn't rampage a broad swath.   Remember, "Don't Bust the Crust!"



Next Deadline: Final trip balance is due January 15th. If your trip status changes at anytime (ie, need to do a half instead of a whole trip), please let me know as soon as possible so we can fill your ½ space. This will lower your cost.