tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57487141183049228682024-03-05T22:59:02.745-08:00SmozillaTrip reports, recipes, and whatever else I feel like putting up here.Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-90229123073066105772016-01-12T09:03:00.000-08:002016-01-12T09:03:26.047-08:00100 Miles to New Year's: The Gear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So after writing the trip report for our latest hike, I thought I'd add a section about the gear I used. This was a hard trip, and we really put our gear to the test. Everything worked well, and few items were spurious, so I feel like I have a pretty good setup right now and it might be worth sharing. I'll share my whole gear list, and then go through a few of the items that I really like.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuHCdXu1x_z-3U4hxrmjyeXdgXByTr7Vov9XcTS6Yyy_51DNW3mLh3bYeloD5pwvYhuHZ-ufGHgLrA0QUeabM9IkwgJdeYhkFNYyChAzSQzM-PfIa-vQe-iTyneEMqSnMuBocct0Sjz-S/s1600/gearlist-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuHCdXu1x_z-3U4hxrmjyeXdgXByTr7Vov9XcTS6Yyy_51DNW3mLh3bYeloD5pwvYhuHZ-ufGHgLrA0QUeabM9IkwgJdeYhkFNYyChAzSQzM-PfIa-vQe-iTyneEMqSnMuBocct0Sjz-S/s640/gearlist-1.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tpTEisZdFaarCSK8Tzh6ciyFK_4lEortshD0Mt4qt1-OIpkkgDY5ocvB5XxsmHqtd5ZEMjXFv8B0MN53BcUe9EeLtqCFvKd9cOhztg8XWgWfTigtBsMb5Zr758-mzHbXi9Xvr_FKQLCH/s1600/gearlist-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tpTEisZdFaarCSK8Tzh6ciyFK_4lEortshD0Mt4qt1-OIpkkgDY5ocvB5XxsmHqtd5ZEMjXFv8B0MN53BcUe9EeLtqCFvKd9cOhztg8XWgWfTigtBsMb5Zr758-mzHbXi9Xvr_FKQLCH/s640/gearlist-2.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weights are in grams on the left, then ounces, then pounds (in bold). Yeah, I'm stuck in a horrible place in between metric and imperial. Deal with it.</td></tr>
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So that's the list of everything I carried, and here are some of the items that really stood out. I picked 8 items total, 4 bought and 4 homemade:<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Purchased Items:</b></h2>
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<b>Locus Gear CP3 Trekking Poles</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrx3yM2thWzJeLXttNu3BvQxR677cWqceMV9-wqADsqQBBxuLzctnnI1g-j2d4USgIxxDFgFHu7ZXMQZ-hEdnO9KAbYB8AjvlCNQQuCEfJcc3-9N7bSMQZkcb3Fvl7ngJfhjISZ1cIetWv/s1600/cp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrx3yM2thWzJeLXttNu3BvQxR677cWqceMV9-wqADsqQBBxuLzctnnI1g-j2d4USgIxxDFgFHu7ZXMQZ-hEdnO9KAbYB8AjvlCNQQuCEfJcc3-9N7bSMQZkcb3Fvl7ngJfhjISZ1cIetWv/s320/cp3.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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Best trekking poles ever. Hands down. No contest. I love these poles. I don't always use trekking poles, but when I'm hiking steep trails, or if I'm off trail in the desert, I find them incredibly useful. And when I switched from a normal aluminum pair of poles to these carbon fiber ones, it was a revelation. No other gear change has had a more noticeable effect than switching to lighter poles. It makes sense, too - 8 oz weight savings is a lot on an item that you're swinging around and lifting all day with your hands. Using these poles is such a delight compared to my old aluminum ones.<br />
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These poles have now been on multiple off-trail Grand Canyon adventures with me, and they've held up great. I use them for countless purposes and they've really become an extension of my body. I don't think I could even enumerate all of the things I use them for, because they are so ingrained in me that I think there are lots of little ways I use them that I'm not even aware of. Suffice it to say, I put these poles to the test, and I put a <i>lot</i> of weight on them over the course of this hike. But here's a short list of uses:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>For stability on loose terrain</li>
<li>Saving my knees on steep descents</li>
<li>"Pole-vaulting" gaps between rocks (saves energy versus dropping in and out)</li>
<li>Taking pressure off of my downhill foot when contouring off-trail (for the first 4 days of this hike I had my left pole set to 4" longer than my right pole, and I'm sure I prevented a blister in my left foot by using my poles).</li>
<li>Reducing strain on my knees when climbing up or down small boulders</li>
<li>Planting the poles on the ground to change my angle of force to a rock that I'm on, allowing me to walk down steeper rock faces than otherwise possible. Yay, physics!</li>
<li>For extra propulsion when climbing up a hill. Might as well use my upper body as well as my legs</li>
<li>Tied together to make a pole for the pyramid tent (see below)</li>
<li>Used with a 3rd pole and a <a href="http://www.trail-pix.com/">Trailpix</a> to make a backcountry tripod for night photography</li>
</ul>
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That's all I can think of for now, but basically the gist is this: these poles are delightfully light and amazingly tough for their weight. On last year's trip I used them about half the time, and they were definitely worth carrying. On this trip I used them 90% of the time, only taking them off for some flat wash walking. These were easily my most valuable item on the trail. If you are clumsy then you could break them hiking off trail, but if you're reasonably nimble they'll treat you well.</div>
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<b>Zpacks Fleece Hat</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-4x65vfm81HxxIC6KdjbSBddMl9VanHRjf1c-vvGVTaoSJTs88RH5IVXjzy_kHtAc0utMSPme7vmfqyjipTQVemS-EueMBhGZKX8QvBVTYosmeUumvOL4tHAMW7mnwSbU5qEO_x_pm1G/s1600/fleece_hat_angle_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-4x65vfm81HxxIC6KdjbSBddMl9VanHRjf1c-vvGVTaoSJTs88RH5IVXjzy_kHtAc0utMSPme7vmfqyjipTQVemS-EueMBhGZKX8QvBVTYosmeUumvOL4tHAMW7mnwSbU5qEO_x_pm1G/s200/fleece_hat_angle_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Not too much to say about this one. It's a hat! But it's a particularly well designed one, with double-layering around the years for extra warmth. It's packable enough to fit in a pants pocket, so this was my go-to layer for temperature regulation during the hike. I could put it on and off without removing my pack, and I did so dozens of times a day on this trip.<br />
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<b>Exped Downmat Lite 5 and Exped Pillow</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12U7_Oirh2B2sMribtiQljy6XPm4zydNrtBkSGRePGuip1C_-5LUornoapmIpa6oY3tA_2MjcZcw7AGUsEUYlnTTZsVAXVUay16P8MZIDN2BWhocNMD4fMp5z-W18zXIth9ZXjZzHPxX4/s1600/downmat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12U7_Oirh2B2sMribtiQljy6XPm4zydNrtBkSGRePGuip1C_-5LUornoapmIpa6oY3tA_2MjcZcw7AGUsEUYlnTTZsVAXVUay16P8MZIDN2BWhocNMD4fMp5z-W18zXIth9ZXjZzHPxX4/s320/downmat.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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So I've resisted getting an inflatable sleeping pad for a long time. Two years ago I got an inflatable pillow, and it was a revelation. I still wanted to keep my closed cell foam pads but I finally got an inflatable when I realized that they make them with insulation inside. On last year's hike there were several nights where I felt the cold of the ground rising up through my sleeping pad. Not much, but enough to make me realize I was wasting energy that way. If an insulated inflatable pad would keep those cold spots away, it would pay for its weight on long trips by reducing my food intake.</div>
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Some of the lighter downmats have had delamination issues. If you google for it you'll find a number of users who have had issues. But the Lite 5 is made of a bit heavier fabric and I haven't seen a single report of failure, so I decided to go with this version.</div>
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It's definitely heavier than my old closed cell foam pads, but it's a lot warmer. And, of course, it's outrageously comfortable. And coincidence or not, I've been hiking out with more food since I got it. Might be time to drop my food total from 2 lbs/day to 1.8 lbs/day.</div>
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<b>1/2" Tubular Webbing</b></div>
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Instead of a rope, we carry a 35-foot piece of climbing webbing to haul packs with. If you're not familiar with the terminology, "webbing" basically just means that it's a flat rope rather than round. Flat rope is a bit more abrasion resistant and also makes a more comfortable handline than p-cord. The 1/2" webbing that we used is lighter than typical climbing webbing and has a breaking strength of "only" 1000 pounds or so. Plenty good enough for handlines and pack hauls. We got it at the Zion Adventure Company in Springdale, Utah, but I'm sure there are other sources.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Homemade Items:</b></h2>
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<b>"Awkward Mittens, version 2.0"</b></div>
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These are a homemade set of mittens. I should take a photo of them, but they are pretty simple. They're made by just tracing my hand for a pattern, adding some seam allowance, and sewing two of that pattern together. Then they were made smaller until I got a good fit. They're called awkward mittens because one time at a backcountry campsite I said <i>"I'm not drunk, I just have awkward mittens!"</i>, and the name has stuck.</div>
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Anyway, version 2.0 of the mitts was made with a 200-weight Polartec windblock fleece, and they are sooo much better than the first pair. The windblock fleece really does work, and even on our extremely cold and windy day after Christmas my hands were fine. And since I made them myself with no frills, they are very light (about 1 oz for the pair). I get cold hands easily, so this is an extremely valuable ounce.</div>
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<b>CCF Cozy</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt9f2TmhJaOoA0BcyjUUIi7Mu6iSRVyoQame729c9xRMJMSDLfqUAEkrq42hyncGIUL66flRgnOM1ByIhnJt1EBT-pcZ2Gg9Af_h2uRglKzjivlFDFj-stuswi6_at8-1qIiyK8aOMlhx/s1600/cozy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt9f2TmhJaOoA0BcyjUUIi7Mu6iSRVyoQame729c9xRMJMSDLfqUAEkrq42hyncGIUL66flRgnOM1ByIhnJt1EBT-pcZ2Gg9Af_h2uRglKzjivlFDFj-stuswi6_at8-1qIiyK8aOMlhx/s320/cozy.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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CCF stands for "closed cell foam". Anyone can make one of these with an old sleeping pad and some contact cement. My cozy fits around a 750 ml Toaks Titanium mug, and I use it to eat my dinners and also have hot drinks. Maybe I'm a slow eater, but in the winter I find it hard to eat a meal before it gets cold. With the cozy, that is no longer an issue. And I can savor a hot drink for half an hour without it getting too cold. For summer hiking this might be a spurious item, but for winter it's amazing. Why slam your hot cocoa when you can take your time and enjoy it?</div>
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<b>Rogue Panda Backpack<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQoN6KTFiy0h0JobEwOySiWv2O1TNOS1NPpQkHw-RET05SsHGtcCuR9AeoG2I5m1RjHY4XSm2FaU51ekgzzve-BEwpCRbSxTdn3R_tCvhQ2R160ITEBBmFR93jOdU_cxVsMnSfVEO5oZ0/s1600/pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQoN6KTFiy0h0JobEwOySiWv2O1TNOS1NPpQkHw-RET05SsHGtcCuR9AeoG2I5m1RjHY4XSm2FaU51ekgzzve-BEwpCRbSxTdn3R_tCvhQ2R160ITEBBmFR93jOdU_cxVsMnSfVEO5oZ0/s320/pack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pack I took on this hike. It's no longer so shiny and white.</td></tr>
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</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Full disclosure: Rogue Panda is my company. So this might sound like an ad, but I'm really just talking about the features of the pack that I like. This was my 3rd prototype backpacking pack and it convinced me to start making them for sale. I use the Zpacks Arc Blast suspension system with a couple of modifications, including a beefier hipbelt and a different attachment system. This makes the pack better able to handle big water carries, for those days where your light pack gets burdened down with an extra 15 pounds of water for a few hours.</div>
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The material is a laminate material with a dyneema face fabric and an interior waterproofing layer. It's incredibly durable and fully waterproof, yet lightweight. I seal the seams for an actual waterproof pack. It's trustworthy enough that I just stuff my sleeping bag into the bottom, no dry sack required.</div>
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I don't have a name for the pack yet, but I've named all of my packs after Arizona trail sections, so I'll probably pick one of those. I'm leaning towards the "Catalina". It's got a nice ring to it, I think.</div>
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<b>Pyramid Tent</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXKp__v8Qt3_RUU7FA2rB1JgLf5xbamzowED1L5EeqnNa6_41Y-2k43obPjEqWakrD7DorhXvrlfsWN4MFPKIaAyKkGErcnQRKROT30f8r5WmuAQ1oFIt-Pv_OrJT6VpxcIgpu3fexMWv/s1600/tent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXKp__v8Qt3_RUU7FA2rB1JgLf5xbamzowED1L5EeqnNa6_41Y-2k43obPjEqWakrD7DorhXvrlfsWN4MFPKIaAyKkGErcnQRKROT30f8r5WmuAQ1oFIt-Pv_OrJT6VpxcIgpu3fexMWv/s320/tent.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My old 'mid tent in extremely high winds last year</td></tr>
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So I've made a couple pyramid tents before out of silnylon, but my most recent one was made out of silpoly from RipstopByTheRoll. Silpoly has the advantage of having very little stretch, so you don't need to adjust guylines if the tent gets wet during the night.</div>
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I really like this pyramid tent for the canyon, for a number of reasons:</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>It weighs 1.5 lbs for a solid 2-3 person shelter.</li>
<li>Pyramid tents do extremely well in wind.</li>
<li>It makes use of my trekking poles for the pole, which saves weight.</li>
<li>Mine doesn't have a floor, which is superfluous weight when you cowboy camp a lot and carry an ultralight heat-shrink-film groundsheet instead*.</li>
<li>It's roomy. Really roomy. Three people can sleep in it in a pinch.</li>
<li>You can rig it with the doors open as a windblock and still see the stars, but be able to quickly close the door if it starts to rain.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
I recently I decided to start making tents for sale and bought a roll of fabric. Again, no name or price just yet. I'm working out just a couple of kinks and then they'll be for sale.</div>
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So anyway, there's the gear talk! Hope you enjoyed it.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>*Don't talk to me about Tyvek. It's heavy. What's that, you say? It was free from a construction site? So what? A window insulation kit is like 10 bucks, and it'll save you 5 ounces versus Tyvek. Find a better price/weight deal anywhere else and I'll eat my shoe.**</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>** Not really. But seriously, you can't do much better than that.</i></div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-65116981637624215872016-01-12T09:02:00.004-08:002016-01-12T09:26:24.285-08:00100 Miles to New Year's: Part Three of Three (Lava to Phantom)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Note: This is part three of a three-part trip report. If you'd like to start reading at the beginning, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2016/01/100-miles-to-new-years-part-one-of.html">click here</a>.</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPHkSTuoO6zcAg4fzZ3CPp2HvZ_GjdsLricIzKi8l2Ikq_DbYKenN69ZwPXMsC2GxuCRHM4wmMunRU0ItAiPUlXZc9n1YFwqLzAkTb4eoka9NGLMmFhHhP-Im3tkMuvLSC9BYkw-Ip_WN/s1600/HikePart2Part3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPHkSTuoO6zcAg4fzZ3CPp2HvZ_GjdsLricIzKi8l2Ikq_DbYKenN69ZwPXMsC2GxuCRHM4wmMunRU0ItAiPUlXZc9n1YFwqLzAkTb4eoka9NGLMmFhHhP-Im3tkMuvLSC9BYkw-Ip_WN/s640/HikePart2Part3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our route (blue) and campsites (yellow)</td></tr>
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<b>Day 7: </b>8.7 miles<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It's like hiking in a moonscape. Except if it were an actual moonscape, there'd be no air, and therefore no helicopters. </i>- Craig</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Between Lava Creek and Basalt Creek, along the Colorado River, lies one of the scariest sections of terrain in the whole Grand Canyon. The Dox sandstone is in the Grand Canyon Supergroup, a group of rocks that only shows up in particular places in the canyon. When the right part of the Dox shows up, it creates some very rough terrain. Everything about it is wrong - the rock is too hard to sink your feet into, but loose enough to put dozens of pebbles under your feet. It lies at a steep angle of repose, often above cliffs, with serious cheese-grating exposure. The section between Lava and Basalt is often referred to as a "ball bearings traverse". It has injured several hikers, and the potential for serious harm is real.</div>
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We, of course, intended to go nowhere near it.<br />
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The classic route to avoid this section of Dox is to go all the way to the headwaters of Lava Creek and head up to the saddle between Juno temple and the North Rim. We decided not to do that because the section up to the saddle is supposed to be a bit tricky, and was surely covered in at least a bit of snow at the time. And furthermore, we'd heard about another route from Tom Martin and were interested in trying it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R7SoAPGAltTacvnxhfpfivrfEc7Y5BbvfcBzPeCw7ViHIhzjTq2asB6gplxcMmQnE0EzNewKK1jzOXq1QVJDhyphenhyphenDck9zNhWWjczbKARS3cu8YcyjHi37ZThpqbGRLQUcMB8T0IDgb1o5x/s1600/R0021469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R7SoAPGAltTacvnxhfpfivrfEc7Y5BbvfcBzPeCw7ViHIhzjTq2asB6gplxcMmQnE0EzNewKK1jzOXq1QVJDhyphenhyphenDck9zNhWWjczbKARS3cu8YcyjHi37ZThpqbGRLQUcMB8T0IDgb1o5x/s640/R0021469.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lava Creek had water in it as far as we hiked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we hiked a short distance up Lava Creek from our campsite and turned left into a wash. This would take us all the way up to a break in the Tapeats (a 2000 foot elevation gain). From there, we could continue down the opposing drainage on the other side, which would take us down to Basalt. From there we could contour over into Unkar, having saved our skins from the treacherous Dox. It's very easy to find the right drainage, because it's the one that goes up to the saddle between two small buttes above the Tapeats (heights 5136 and 5221 on the USGS 7.5 map).<br />
<br />
Our drainage started as a gentle wash, and then things got interesting. We hit a rock unit that was tilted by about a 20% grade. The wash had eroded down to the level of the rock unit and created a ramp. It lasted for at least a quarter mile, and was the easiest way to gain elevation that I've ever seen in the Grand Canyon. No wasted energy, no slipping feet, no boulders or dryfalls to climb over. Just a steady stairmaster climb. The rest of the climbing was relatively easy, and soon we were on top of the Tapeats.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IHqg1L0D4x2z9wbnm8lRkegiKerkWATqdqGorIy1T5n1gQQMeCHCv-QT45Sny2k9ihTdFJjDrNyV8x9vRR27cPWRTiaG9u4eGlUmTT7G4kLvH-FY90dS6NnO0IoYrT96uw4I9IBeiKHD/s1600/R0021480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IHqg1L0D4x2z9wbnm8lRkegiKerkWATqdqGorIy1T5n1gQQMeCHCv-QT45Sny2k9ihTdFJjDrNyV8x9vRR27cPWRTiaG9u4eGlUmTT7G4kLvH-FY90dS6NnO0IoYrT96uw4I9IBeiKHD/s640/R0021480.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up, up, up and away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once on top, we looked down the drainage opposite and quickly questioned our map reading skills. Was this really the route that Tom had told us about? From above, it looked like it ended in an impossible pouroff. I wish I'd taken a photo. After consulting our maps we decided that we were right, and that the route down should be directly below us. We started on down towards the apparent dropoff with some confidence - Grand Canyon routes often look harder from above, so it must not end in a cliff after all.<br />
<br />
The "cliff" turned out to be just an easy 10 foot downclimb, and then we were below the Tapeats and on our way. Now we just had to descend the drainage into the east fork of Basalt creek. Of course these things are rarely as easy as they seem. I think we were pretty tired, because it seemed like the chockstones and pouroffs in the drainage would never end. But in retrospect, I'm not sure it was really that bad.<br />
<br />
It was at this point in the day that I concocted another fairy tale of Grand Canyon history. Back in the great depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a lot of checkdams to control erosion in the arid Southwest. So I came up with a character called Alexander Porov. Porov was a Russian immigrant, and he was really good at his job. In fact, he was such an overachiever that whenever other CCC workers found a really large chockstone in a wash, they would say "looks like another Porov job". This morphed over time into the commonly used phrase "pouroff" (much like how "duct tape" was originally called "duck tape". Look it up if you don't believe me).<br />
<br />
The upside of coming up with this story was that, when I next encountered a large pouroff or chockstone, I could say "Curse you, Alexander!". Backcountry humor . . . there's just nothing like it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74JJKjOMBBYk34S7P56SqnRKOhwH0R-KigbLXoWDtoxT8JUvf-PTDbqfoYX7eXTsLau1xdxDPXvTgNLl0DSXRlnZx1IOSp540ZusFv09NTaAOziGBc1O-EYfx8zDx56wcGoRCHOHlveKR/s1600/R0021510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74JJKjOMBBYk34S7P56SqnRKOhwH0R-KigbLXoWDtoxT8JUvf-PTDbqfoYX7eXTsLau1xdxDPXvTgNLl0DSXRlnZx1IOSp540ZusFv09NTaAOziGBc1O-EYfx8zDx56wcGoRCHOHlveKR/s640/R0021510.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig descending a small "Porov"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the last "Porovs" that we encountered we bypassed with a short climb (20 feet) up a Dox slope. It was the spiciest moment of the trip, hands down. Though serious injury was not in the cards, it would've been a very painful fall. That little taste of the Dox was enough to convince us that a few hours of hard hiking was well worth avoiding the ball bearings traverse.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XS7OWx3E-RSG6s6ieONQ7RLCnyBXu7xObWuKf5SR7KIIRhedLImIfQO_zwR3NpPAorVT-z0OkloVn2EGfhcFfhupdSxrMtA_9zkAHbISVtH5FFoyucqhbbaKb-7B3mLWAawLWa9IcxUy/s1600/R0021532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XS7OWx3E-RSG6s6ieONQ7RLCnyBXu7xObWuKf5SR7KIIRhedLImIfQO_zwR3NpPAorVT-z0OkloVn2EGfhcFfhupdSxrMtA_9zkAHbISVtH5FFoyucqhbbaKb-7B3mLWAawLWa9IcxUy/s640/R0021532.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking upriver from the beach at Basalt. Somewhere in there is the dreaded section of Dox.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We headed down Basalt to the river and made our way over to Unkar. From Basalt to Unkar we crossed the Dox Formation, but a different part of it than the traverse we avoided. This section was full of red rock that was soft enough to dig your feet into, so not so scary. It was an interesting landscape - it had the feel of an alluvial fan deposit, but the drainages had very steep sides because they were actually cut in bedrock. Very interesting stuff.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRizy0JjSrSbFkEypXDNWu_Yt4yOTtNcnWVyDSQNbJnM2rINw7ogQm0vtWYQ_AkZXWrEYe5CVg9GyfwyL0a3eMaUK-bEJcTU8B8k-I_nnDRBdxjHa6Jx5P75uXP0ylAan8prpyHQWMwr_/s1600/R0021538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRizy0JjSrSbFkEypXDNWu_Yt4yOTtNcnWVyDSQNbJnM2rINw7ogQm0vtWYQ_AkZXWrEYe5CVg9GyfwyL0a3eMaUK-bEJcTU8B8k-I_nnDRBdxjHa6Jx5P75uXP0ylAan8prpyHQWMwr_/s640/R0021538.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contouring over to Unkar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because the drainages were so unusually steep-sided, we found it most efficient to keep contouring higher to head most of them. This put us farther and farther from the river, so after we headed the final drainage we dropped directly west into Unkar creek a couple miles up. There was flowing water where we crossed the creekbed, and we found a nice site right on the other side and set up the tent.<br />
<br />
Although parts of this day were pretty tough, it felt great to be over my illness. This was the first day that I really felt good since we started the trip. We camped that night with a view of Vishnu temple, another potential summit objective.<br />
<br />
<b>Day 8:</b> 8.1 miles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Fiery orb of hate during the summer, cute yellow kitten during the winter.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Craig, remarking on the sun's inability to warm us when faced with the slightest breeze</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After our brief return to contouring the day before, today's objective was simple: hike up Unkar Creek, hang a left to climb to the saddle between Vishnu Temple and Freya Castle, and drop down into Vishnu Creek.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Our route from the day before had put us a couple of miles up Unkar Creek already, so it didn't take long until we hit the left fork that would take us to the saddle. The hiking was straightforward until we hit a pouroff in the Tapeats. There was an obvious bypass off to the left that looked easy enough. Craig decided to head up that way, and reported it to be as easy as it looked.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I, on the other hand, felt a chill in my bones and desperately wanted to get out of the shade. I took a look at the right side and thought I spied a route that would be 3 chili peppers at the most. Maybe a bit exposed, but pretty easy. And most importantly, basking in the morning sun! I picked my way up the route, deer prints lifting my spirits, and sure enough it went. There was just one spicy, yet easy, traverse on a Tapeats ledge.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-QeiOv92wkpafhDpFyxGCRZCtsLeNiVXlQEljHytkWWU1XbMYKX4GJx5u9MWc9Kqo3v-DLKAz51SsUPHEgT3E4IN2n0YA3TYHCSNezaJXqhHdJqC986Hpcz7j9EgP0dapbdOzWn6_sjS/s1600/R0021562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-QeiOv92wkpafhDpFyxGCRZCtsLeNiVXlQEljHytkWWU1XbMYKX4GJx5u9MWc9Kqo3v-DLKAz51SsUPHEgT3E4IN2n0YA3TYHCSNezaJXqhHdJqC986Hpcz7j9EgP0dapbdOzWn6_sjS/s640/R0021562.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spicy part of my Tapeats route. Totally worth it to get some sunshine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After that it was pretty easy going on top of the Tonto. My sunshine didn't last long and soon enough I met back up with Craig on the creek bottom, in the shade. Brr. It was straightforward boulder-hopping for a while, until we got near the top of the Redwall. Here the possible routes split again and there were a couple of choices. And again, Craig chose the left and I chose the right, although sunshine was not the reason this time. I just thought the right side looked like more secure climbing.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YSbZ8g97oacLcdTl2ASGlZ0gFvA4-D9hMiOxwQiZ71JPB5HexMNPWrIkT2Gz2Le2S1ok6UUzF2MQLh5EE04xQeJIVu9qFNic36bB2wEVS7tefVvnevPV3pNLbrpknUHP8X9e32R8xfcv/s1600/R0021569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YSbZ8g97oacLcdTl2ASGlZ0gFvA4-D9hMiOxwQiZ71JPB5HexMNPWrIkT2Gz2Le2S1ok6UUzF2MQLh5EE04xQeJIVu9qFNic36bB2wEVS7tefVvnevPV3pNLbrpknUHP8X9e32R8xfcv/s640/R0021569.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My choice of the two Redwall gulleys. I'm always most comfortable climbing in a crack or a chimney so this felt pretty secure to me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For this one, our webbing came out and we hauled packs. Well, I actually climbed my route with my pack on and just hauled up Craig's. I'm not sure if that's indicative of the ease of the route, my skill at climbing, or just my stubbornness, not wanting to deal with hauling my pack. I think the stubbornness played a pretty big role.<br />
<br />
After that it was a short walk to the Vishnu/Freya saddle. We had lunch while we briefly contemplated climbing Vishnu. Both of us were feeling really beat up, and Craig had started to feel a bit sick as well, so it was an easy decision to postpone that adventure for another time. Plus, there was snow all over the route. Craig has a history of bailing on GC summits (doesn't everyone?), so he walked over to the first little cliff band and back so he could claim a summit "attempt".<br />
<br />
The route down to Vishnu creek was very straightforward. There is just one bypass at a large dryfall, where a large, obvious ledge heads out right. Soon the ledge reaches a talus slope and you can head down to Vishnu creek. We downclimbed an easy 15-foot section of rock to reach the talus, but if you continued around the corner it might be even easier.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRckGWqS_oarGHgroR0krwD1Z5hQ3wnTcjtkGHT6DkJxHt7kkugvE-CO5qUKY0J3xrMelKYqrv4rsRjlcnZ2yUWYN8w_zc-w-qAn6_irLKyTnAb_m_T-8TF5ThfCYUMUT_zfC3WCVtdZWP/s1600/R0021581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRckGWqS_oarGHgroR0krwD1Z5hQ3wnTcjtkGHT6DkJxHt7kkugvE-CO5qUKY0J3xrMelKYqrv4rsRjlcnZ2yUWYN8w_zc-w-qAn6_irLKyTnAb_m_T-8TF5ThfCYUMUT_zfC3WCVtdZWP/s640/R0021581.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking our route down to the Redwall talus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We headed down Vishnu creek, passing numerous full potholes and an ice-covered spring. Soon the Tapeats appeared and we hiked down the narrows a bit until we found some large spring-fed potholes and a route up and out on the right. We filled up a few liters and got up onto the Tonto platform.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIAd2EVr1LUNl5Q3vjmwMG09wRdcokljjahzScIjUWrfQhuMH0ujbfsPuww_tCGmfBNNjaWEJL-uREAEKqMP0p8ZwcEfbbrnFLqypvL9i1mR3y_UtS-oP6ni0UmaXNn2qIxMivse90xeX/s1600/R0021619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIAd2EVr1LUNl5Q3vjmwMG09wRdcokljjahzScIjUWrfQhuMH0ujbfsPuww_tCGmfBNNjaWEJL-uREAEKqMP0p8ZwcEfbbrnFLqypvL9i1mR3y_UtS-oP6ni0UmaXNn2qIxMivse90xeX/s640/R0021619.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back on the Tonto!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was nice to get back to the old, familiar Tonto. Last year's trip ended with a couple days of contouring on the Tonto level, heading upriver to Phantom Ranch. This year would end with a couple days of contouring heading downriver to the Ranch. Nice symmetry.<br />
<br />
We contoured for an hour or so and got out onto the plateau, directly below Hall Butte. We ditched the tent, which was a nice change. Last year we only used it a couple of nights, but this year's hike was wetter, windier and colder so we had the tent up almost every night. Camping under the stars in the desert is such a great experience. I miss my conservation corps days, when I would camp out more than half the year without a tent. There's an intimacy with the outdoors that you don't really experience any other way. Fortunately I still get to sleep out on backpacking trips. Well, usually.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gRgKvDgUeTkoELcgWNkPOdLgSEYvRGLqntnw41BovYFw9C2rE67U1ler-hcug64iS6Hxz70U3ZoJAC_LtPCdhZbSMvVV4MFV5sVvEYdfwI279ywFRohCwesco2pzjtM3xjkTjhyS1b6d/s1600/R0021627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gRgKvDgUeTkoELcgWNkPOdLgSEYvRGLqntnw41BovYFw9C2rE67U1ler-hcug64iS6Hxz70U3ZoJAC_LtPCdhZbSMvVV4MFV5sVvEYdfwI279ywFRohCwesco2pzjtM3xjkTjhyS1b6d/s640/R0021627.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Cowboy camping at last!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of our camp, it was nice to get one on the Tonto; they are some of our favorites. When the skies are clear and the winds are light, camping out on the plateau is much warmer than camping in a drainage. It's also generally easy to find a flat spot, and the sunrise and sunset views are fantastic. Carrying water a couple of miles is a small price to pay.<br />
<br />
<b>Day 9: </b>16.1 miles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There's a river down there! </i>- Nick</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You can see it?</i> - Craig</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>No, but it's down there!</i> - Nick</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
From Vishnu Creek to Clear Creek there are a couple of options. One is up and over the Redwall, passing Hall's Butte and Angel's Gate. We'd read in Grand Canyon Summits Select that the descent from Angel's gate had some 4th class face climbing. 4th class can mean a lot of things. Sometimes it's easy, and sometimes it's terrifying. Anyway, new routes are always harder going down than up, so we decided to play it safe and hike the Tonto around. We're pretty fast Tonto hikers and besides, we hadn't contoured much in a few days so we were due for some more!<br />
<br />
Looking at the map, we realized that we had a decision to make on where to camp. Go all the way to Phantom tonight or stop in Clear Creek? There were a few things to consider:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>We were smelling the barn. We were tired, and the cold takes a lot out of you when you're in it day in and day out. Both of us just felt like finishing the hike.</li>
<li>We'd probably make it into the Clear Creek use area in the afternoon, which would mean the logical camp would be up on the Tonto, and the next day we'd hike out.</li>
<li>We had friends staying at the Phantom Ranch bunkhouse, volunteering for a fish crew. The rather warm, no-need-to-get-in-your-sleeping-bag-at-6pm bunkhouse.</li>
<li>Remember that barn? Still smelling it.</li>
<li>Said friends at Phantom had beer. Tasty beer. Carried down by mules.</li>
<li>Did I mention a barn?</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So basically we decided that it was all or nothing - either make it to Phantom that night and hang out with our friends, or stop at Clear Creek and miss them the next day while they were at work. The decision was pretty easy. As long as we made it to Clear Creek by a reasonable time in the afternoon, we could still make it to Phantom before it got too late. Even if it got dark, we'd be on a trail by then so we could just hike via headlamp. So we set off, contouring once again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs8ol1Ket3jb8XFv0Qu284vWVhCGWH57kNtKiD3JyM3aMCqS4qmbpL7FFy0erzF2plH2TIGrbvNFDWE4uPaXOVM6Lps-RBsISNHlxwphJN1lAM-rcQjuHE7fhVYFjdv8Lu0YKfsTncHSR/s1600/R0021640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs8ol1Ket3jb8XFv0Qu284vWVhCGWH57kNtKiD3JyM3aMCqS4qmbpL7FFy0erzF2plH2TIGrbvNFDWE4uPaXOVM6Lps-RBsISNHlxwphJN1lAM-rcQjuHE7fhVYFjdv8Lu0YKfsTncHSR/s640/R0021640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello there Zoro!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The contouring was easy (<i>so</i> much easier than above the Redwall) and soon enough we rounded a corner and got a great view of Zoroaster Temple and Brahma Temple. It was nice to see those familiar faces again.<br />
<br />
We followed the same basic strategy all of the way to Clear Creek: contour high around the points and low across the drainages. Contouring high around the points shortens the route and means that you can head a lot of smaller drainages. So although you have to climb a lot to cut off the point, you avoid some up and down as well. Even if it's not more energy efficient, it's definitely faster than trying to stay low and contour around the point.<br />
<br />
Crossing the drainages low means that you can sometimes limit how far you have to hike up them before crossing. The layer below the Tonto platform is the Tapeats, and usually you have to walk a ways into a drainage before you can cross it. But sometimes you'll see a route down the Tapeats cliffs into the drainage and out the other side. These routes are almost always faster than walking all the way up and around.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3vBu9FWKIN4DlmaGQ4Db92HBl8hOoWNmP9yJo1MD47u_pOLRuj5nk3CiXKjRsfHAVtkdBAdFgCjKXqLUjj_eFUpoWr5ie80xQfFk6U47t4wh6FsOdfwuqX9Uj7S9dkq4lIps4VfFRBzL/s1600/R0021632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3vBu9FWKIN4DlmaGQ4Db92HBl8hOoWNmP9yJo1MD47u_pOLRuj5nk3CiXKjRsfHAVtkdBAdFgCjKXqLUjj_eFUpoWr5ie80xQfFk6U47t4wh6FsOdfwuqX9Uj7S9dkq4lIps4VfFRBzL/s640/R0021632.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Tapeats drainages we crossed required a bit of pack hauling and climbing. Not as hard as it looks (I'd give it 3 chili peppers).</td></tr>
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By noon we were contouring high above Clear Creek. Our plan was to walk up a ways until we could enter the east fork of the creek, but on our way there we spied a possible route down the Tapeats cliffs. We could see that the route would be pretty easy for a long ways, but we couldn't see the top 15 feet. It looked like a sheer cliff from a distance, and even as I walked up to it I thought it wasn't going to go. But sure enough, when I looked over the edge I saw that it was broken up by a couple of ledges and would be surprisingly easy - 2 chili peppers or so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UASPcvqbF8ORiFDf8kbmlXNPU8454m7dX7hLYNxPgZ4HD344IuzEY8hVwoZR35_aZjXEK1VY5HtNN4QBata1bwwmsD6Y48MCH1WQE7D-bxdCT5HOopH7lAAd4d7sycHaKhD_p2MZcNVE/s1600/R0021647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UASPcvqbF8ORiFDf8kbmlXNPU8454m7dX7hLYNxPgZ4HD344IuzEY8hVwoZR35_aZjXEK1VY5HtNN4QBata1bwwmsD6Y48MCH1WQE7D-bxdCT5HOopH7lAAd4d7sycHaKhD_p2MZcNVE/s640/R0021647.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing down the top 15 feet of Tapeats cliff.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRBmFv1jzHJ_Xylreh2geAdTfjZ_A-luUOfc1-zbTvbq8NN09UIDz4SO2N52lOgAHVh2pnjRydJnNKz5n9zCXWNIuiJuSTr4cJ3PdZMVASN-RShAYgs-5xH3sYHt3YZ9dVzfHf6wr5n_b/s1600/R0021654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRBmFv1jzHJ_Xylreh2geAdTfjZ_A-luUOfc1-zbTvbq8NN09UIDz4SO2N52lOgAHVh2pnjRydJnNKz5n9zCXWNIuiJuSTr4cJ3PdZMVASN-RShAYgs-5xH3sYHt3YZ9dVzfHf6wr5n_b/s640/R0021654.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy hiking . . . for a while.</td></tr>
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That 15 feet of climbing got us to a saddle between the main cliff and a small separated Tapeats island. From that point on, the going was easy but steep down towards Clear Creek. We entered a wash and walked down it for a while, bypassing and/or downclimbing a few small pouroffs. Then we hit an extremely large dryfall that went all the way down to the creek. We could see the water flowing below us, but there was no clear way down to it.<br />
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We hiked up and over to our right, looking for a route down. We saw a possible route and checked it out, very carefully. Below the Tapeats lies the Vishnu Schist and Zoroaster Granite, two hard-yet-fractured rock layers. They are notoriously unstable to climb on, and caution is mandatory. The loosest part of this route was a short walk down a ridge of schist. It was short and extremely loose, so we walked it one at a time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHRT38iXKcUC3G3L-aR6g9fA5KZusCbRNrlk0DQhykmj_79N5gsul-9Eni-WK9S1GHGJr7iy_SndlAnikar3xfrO_jVe9S22PnjuLKkSMYrqJEaFv2tJ5Z_P7G4Y89iPmaA7ZFzDPgKpo/s1600/R0021665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHRT38iXKcUC3G3L-aR6g9fA5KZusCbRNrlk0DQhykmj_79N5gsul-9Eni-WK9S1GHGJr7iy_SndlAnikar3xfrO_jVe9S22PnjuLKkSMYrqJEaFv2tJ5Z_P7G4Y89iPmaA7ZFzDPgKpo/s640/R0021665.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ridge of Vishnu Schist. Not quite as exposed as it looks in the photo, but loose. About 15 feet below this point we climbed down off the ridge, to the right .</td></tr>
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Once through that section, it was an easy walk to the creek bottom. From there, we could walk the creek bottom up, and there's also a use trail which we were able to stay on most of the time. In about an hour we were up to where the Clear Creek Trail comes in.<br />
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Finally, a trail! We took a short break, got a bit of water from the creek, and considered the time. It was 3:30 PM, a bit later than when we had wanted to arrive there. Still, there was plenty of time for us to get up out of the creek and onto the Tonto. If we hadn't had friends at Phantom we would've had a leisurely rest of the afternoon and camped up there. But we thought seeing them was worth some night hiking, so we headed up and out of the creek.<br />
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I didn't take many photos on this section, because we were hiking fast. But I'll never forget how amazing it was to walk on a trail after so many days of climbing over rocks. Contouring was just so . . . effortless. No longer did I have to devote constant attention to what the best route might be to bypass the next obstacle. When I came to a drainage, I just stayed on the trail and it brought me smoothly into it and out the other side. It was like walking on a cloud.<br />
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We took a brief break as the sun set, to change layers and have a quick snack. And, of course, appreciate the view:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUux80_ve8fMp7r4i_lnYojI_oPmfYNnmlJeHRHypWuxaMWCvfB5-NmG31EolscDoQ1btRbaN-WOWiJUJ970YrXJ1IbdxyyphSuyA50muUURvbB0ZJeGLJUzge6MS7LmMK9z5W3QUS4m5E/s1600/R0021701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUux80_ve8fMp7r4i_lnYojI_oPmfYNnmlJeHRHypWuxaMWCvfB5-NmG31EolscDoQ1btRbaN-WOWiJUJ970YrXJ1IbdxyyphSuyA50muUURvbB0ZJeGLJUzge6MS7LmMK9z5W3QUS4m5E/s640/R0021701.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun setting on Angel's Gate.</td></tr>
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Soon we were heading down the switchbacks into Bright Angel Canyon, and we could see the lights of Phantom. We got there at 6:30 PM, 3 hours after we started. It's 9 miles from Clear Creek to the Ranch, so we'd averaged 3 miles an hour. Not too bad. But most importantly, we got to hang out with our friends for a few hours.<br />
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It was also amazing just to be in a heated room. We had warm sleeping bags on this trip, and we weren't actually cold at night when we camped. But getting into your sleeping bag at sunset gets a little old. At Phantom, we didn't get into our sleeping bags until almost 10 o'clock! There's nothing like backpacking for 9 days to make you appreciate the comfort that a heated space provides. It was pure luxury.<br />
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<b>Day 10</b>:<b> </b>7.1 miles</div>
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<i>Did you go all the way to the bottom? </i>- tourist on the South Kaibab</div>
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<i>... sort of.</i> - Nick</div>
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Today was the same end as last year's trip, just a quick jaunt up the South Kaibab trail. Just like last year, I didn't think it was smart on my feet to go for a personal best time up the trail. My feet didn't hurt as much this year, but after a 16 mile day I didn't think a speed run was a good decision. Oh, well. If you risk injury to get your hiking time under an arbitrary number, you're missing the point.<br />
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The hike up was pleasant, with blue skies and a chill in the air. I soon realized that I couldn't have done a speed run anyway, because I would have given myself an asthma attack from breathing in the cold air. Even taking it easy as I was, my asthma got to me a little. But soon we were on the rim again. And for the first time, I could look out and say "I've hiked across that as far as the eye can see". Between this year's hike and last year's, we had completed a line from South Canyon to Kanab Creek. That means that at any of the usual viewpoints on the South Rim, I can look to the north and see part of the line that we've hiked. Pretty cool.<br />
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<b>Epilogue</b><br />
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When we completed our trip last year, I didn't think I'd be writing another trip report a year later on another big connecting trip. But here we are! We've completed South Canyon to Kanab Creek, and we just have to complete Lee's Ferry to South in order to have the first half of the section hike completed. So far the hiking has been more interesting and varied than I ever could have imagined, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the Grandest of Canyons!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A toast at our Lava Creek cache, to good beer and a good hike.</td></tr>
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<i>Note: This is the end of the trip report, but I also wrote a little post about gear, which you can <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2016/01/100-miles-to-new-years-gear.html">read here</a>.</i></div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-43295575685785426792016-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:002016-03-20T08:49:04.546-07:00100 Miles to New Year's: Part Two (Butte Fault Route)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Note: This is part two of a three-part trip report. To start at the beginning, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2016/01/100-miles-to-new-years-part-one-of.html">click here</a>.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO3BgxLfa67XVrWikbipropK6n0RZM0InasDSOicNQkIfIyIx7fCKlW-vnBTev-JABEEc7yyqDPf9VGKiu6WBfXaqaBc_HyaYl5aK8asgd0Z8k64_ouemZBWO2Cb-QZTeiJxgLwNsUueQ/s1600/HikePart2Part2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO3BgxLfa67XVrWikbipropK6n0RZM0InasDSOicNQkIfIyIx7fCKlW-vnBTev-JABEEc7yyqDPf9VGKiu6WBfXaqaBc_HyaYl5aK8asgd0Z8k64_ouemZBWO2Cb-QZTeiJxgLwNsUueQ/s640/HikePart2Part2.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
<b>Day 5: </b>6.8 miles<br />
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<i>Someone could make a movie about people hiking this route . . . and call it "A Fault in our Buttes"</i></div>
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- Nick</div>
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We awoke on Christmas Day to rain falling on the tent. Wait, on second thought, that's sleet! By the time we had packed up the sleet had turned to snow, and we had ourselves a white Christmas, pretty much at river level. It was a beautiful day, not too cold, and I felt a little better than the day before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1PbQ7viAY4K73LusZJ2J9_b68KEArghqodGa0pagK2-fVkDUZii2tqfL1Nhu_pdJf9BWMvv0LPCYUbEhFDWhZhtwV0Sa6xQgGzLK0Mvnuuf1TDISZsfl4X-uOp4WRdjtU4wagOR-88aY/s1600/R0021303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1PbQ7viAY4K73LusZJ2J9_b68KEArghqodGa0pagK2-fVkDUZii2tqfL1Nhu_pdJf9BWMvv0LPCYUbEhFDWhZhtwV0Sa6xQgGzLK0Mvnuuf1TDISZsfl4X-uOp4WRdjtU4wagOR-88aY/s640/R0021303.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxA_Lzuj_IU52HLRYN8BWhJkqw2oyMWyffyS9oODtzEdJZeQBFrB8yPqFktSIeN-TGzYLn0gVWP_QRjUfwDm4O3c7meJi_5N9ZVerMWX7SRmWYr4PadKlji9dXhOqM_ZrnFOJ4vUASV00/s1600/R0021308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxA_Lzuj_IU52HLRYN8BWhJkqw2oyMWyffyS9oODtzEdJZeQBFrB8yPqFktSIeN-TGzYLn0gVWP_QRjUfwDm4O3c7meJi_5N9ZVerMWX7SRmWYr4PadKlji9dXhOqM_ZrnFOJ4vUASV00/s640/R0021308.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accumulating snow on the Butte Fault! And on my hat!</td></tr>
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We headed up creek a little ways and turned left up a drainage. This was the start of the Butte Fault route, something that had been on my list for years. The Butte Fault is a major fault in the Grand Canyon, responsible for much of the uplift that raised the Kaibab Plateau and allowed for the 5000-foot depth of the central Grand Canyon. The massive displacement of the fault (about 3000 feet) created a large fault zone of weakened rock. This makes for relatively easy walking for several miles, behind a line of buttes that the fault is named for. The first one was Nankoweap Mesa, and originally we had planned to climb it on this trip. But between the snow and my illness, we decided to skip the side hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YJMCd6WfMVrXap8vmyn1m3Ro1G6MS2WsppeArA7-Pw4hNNzeDEpkl_xPMNDxyK1AZdQKNXwViK8VpkmmOsIdfO2hrkO2-27UhZ42U3LXJvfuRogb8oI1dmaPWZB28EXZN-zXv4Kde0JY/s1600/R0021358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YJMCd6WfMVrXap8vmyn1m3Ro1G6MS2WsppeArA7-Pw4hNNzeDEpkl_xPMNDxyK1AZdQKNXwViK8VpkmmOsIdfO2hrkO2-27UhZ42U3LXJvfuRogb8oI1dmaPWZB28EXZN-zXv4Kde0JY/s640/R0021358.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unique landscapes. I think these are Supergroup layers but I don't know which ones.</td></tr>
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There are several route options between Nankoweap Creek and Kwagunt Creek. I don't think we took the best one, but I don't care because our route was absolutely beautiful. The landscape is like nothing I've seen anywhere else. Rolling grassy hills to the west, towering buttes to the east, with rock layers turned vertical in between. And geologic wonders abound! I don't think you can go wrong hiking anywhere in this area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPUz06IurRAY_dzunb9154ScOrTzGJ5-p5nGiniIAzLt34gzvLy6TilphSASMJ3wLmRBXnd-_QUPM2VB9xMirWq1nrREjdYW0KFbmRwUuW-1mC8YZgSvKJn5YJOsepBVJ8GeG1e9ald5u/s1600/R0021313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPUz06IurRAY_dzunb9154ScOrTzGJ5-p5nGiniIAzLt34gzvLy6TilphSASMJ3wLmRBXnd-_QUPM2VB9xMirWq1nrREjdYW0KFbmRwUuW-1mC8YZgSvKJn5YJOsepBVJ8GeG1e9ald5u/s640/R0021313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jointed rock, layer unknown.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlIgoH_leQ2xrXAX3TCEo3KTk1R00eWOFbj1oH6jQX9sM_uxHuZVfv56cObZpzS9ruphxL9g3sLC4YepNdQkfMXgkrDd1PebkWXsqKqJOB1UT2xWOUJO8t9ysaHuzG6wsnYLnz2RS_bBb/s1600/R0021361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlIgoH_leQ2xrXAX3TCEo3KTk1R00eWOFbj1oH6jQX9sM_uxHuZVfv56cObZpzS9ruphxL9g3sLC4YepNdQkfMXgkrDd1PebkWXsqKqJOB1UT2xWOUJO8t9ysaHuzG6wsnYLnz2RS_bBb/s640/R0021361.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stromatolites!</td></tr>
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Our route took us up and over the ridge just east of Nankoweap Butte. The route down into Kwagunt Creek was steep, but uneventful. Kwagunt was a gorgeous drainage and had a good amount of flow where we crossed it. There are narrows below the fault and you can hike the creek down to the river, but we left that for another time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSorrInSM3T5KCtfXm8kCdKftOe3_iWnSdwgi2MeVQ2JktkvzObQn2G58gcI6YSKF4aSk9WTqMExD0eAjMZo-D2CVaq6kU9RGWXUtHuRaj8tLvkmnFjwTrjSXsLYhLlobVn1kcR-FW5Wm5/s1600/R0021323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSorrInSM3T5KCtfXm8kCdKftOe3_iWnSdwgi2MeVQ2JktkvzObQn2G58gcI6YSKF4aSk9WTqMExD0eAjMZo-D2CVaq6kU9RGWXUtHuRaj8tLvkmnFjwTrjSXsLYhLlobVn1kcR-FW5Wm5/s640/R0021323.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up and over into Kwagunt.</td></tr>
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Kwagunt was our last reliable water until Lava Creek, about 8 miles away. We picked up a modest amount of water and moved on - you don't sweat much in December and if push came to shove we could probably find more by exploring down one of the other creeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj769YZaoE9e11upQV6EBD_pcY8jaAl2ZYUanciwz9wEmaoky4PauCzBQJ8w0uXbihMRUFi-VFqnBRA-DStKaLpadplonBxpqvmfTbMCOKTUJourxc6XiaPGw6uhn2Dd9ELAURngJV2NnG0/s1600/pano1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj769YZaoE9e11upQV6EBD_pcY8jaAl2ZYUanciwz9wEmaoky4PauCzBQJ8w0uXbihMRUFi-VFqnBRA-DStKaLpadplonBxpqvmfTbMCOKTUJourxc6XiaPGw6uhn2Dd9ELAURngJV2NnG0/s640/pano1b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue skies, clouds, sunshine and snow took turns throughout the day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Throughout the day squalls of snow moved in and out, so we spent about half the time in the sun. We went up and over into Malgosa Creek, and then up and over into Awatubi Creek. The temperature was moderate and the snow never got too thick, so it turned into a really nice day. And despite the large amount of elevation gain, the hiking felt much easier than in Marble Canyon. We found a lot of nifty rock formations and an old rusty kettle, and got into camp with a bit of time to explore down Awatubi Creek.<br />
<br />
There's not as much to write about for this section, because the route finding is so easy, and the walking is straightforward. You just follow the obvious line of drainages behind all of the buttes. Up, and down. More up. A little down. More up, then more down. Etc. However, despite that description it was never mundane - in fact, it was one of the most photogenic sections of the hike, and I'm definitely going back. Hopefully the photos will make up for my lack of writing inspiration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuYvtvEzymdJtozVLHmCc4aGQRWsO8T0UtrA7dhZohkflhYAcv_46W0tgbLtzrG3k8NV4Q6cD8YSX8KGLeuRpgjPYgcpFfYLU1afpy1lqUa48aGhXXREYo9aiGoEp_mT2zW1jpCBpsaoA/s1600/R0021393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuYvtvEzymdJtozVLHmCc4aGQRWsO8T0UtrA7dhZohkflhYAcv_46W0tgbLtzrG3k8NV4Q6cD8YSX8KGLeuRpgjPYgcpFfYLU1afpy1lqUa48aGhXXREYo9aiGoEp_mT2zW1jpCBpsaoA/s640/R0021393.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravity, it's a hell of a drug.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Day 6: </b>7.2 miles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This is a very lonely, quiet place. No life and nothing but cliffs and canyons. Rocks, rocks, rocks.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-Charles Walcott, 1882</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The forecast for the day was "blustery" (we had gotten a forecast through my Delorme Inreach the day before). And sure enough, when we woke up in the morning the tent was taking a beating. Fortunately pyramid tents shed wind extremely well, and the air inside the tent was remarkably calm.<br />
<br />
All good things must come to an end, though, and we wanted to make some miles. I was finally feeling better, apart from a mild cough. Plus, we had a food cache at the mouth of Lava Creek, and there were a couple of beers in it. So with that for motivation, we packed up and headed towards our last two saddles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvhuWg03iN_hrKZ7Aoro4I163MRRZ6t1sTrJYyMh7APSXLGvovhPJEt7YFqPR1WFxIRMbVe4xQ1QiL1ERtI-MvzaV0nNF1VbSuolbqwR9CoI4bOFycGldeUUGpPlAgBQWH7EIh9l1U6t5/s1600/R0021431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvhuWg03iN_hrKZ7Aoro4I163MRRZ6t1sTrJYyMh7APSXLGvovhPJEt7YFqPR1WFxIRMbVe4xQ1QiL1ERtI-MvzaV0nNF1VbSuolbqwR9CoI4bOFycGldeUUGpPlAgBQWH7EIh9l1U6t5/s640/R0021431.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great view of the curving layers of the Butte Fault, next to Kwagunt Butte.</td></tr>
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First was up and over into Sixtymile Creek. There's not much to say about it other than that the terrain was still beautiful but the weather was awful. It was pretty much the opposite of the day before, when it was snowy but otherwise great hiking weather. Instead, the storm had cleared and the skies were blue, but brutally cold winds robbed us of any of the warmth that the sun could give.<br />
<br />
I hiked as fast as I could manage without giving myself as asthma attack from the cold air. I rarely have problems with asthma these days, but icy winds can still take my breath away from time to time. I managed just fine, but didn't stop much to get my camera out so my photos are sparse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-GVZqia0G2CgWmgqP_NvkAN7_NYBSQljAePL7f0YRp78jttpMiFP0FPNdkse_M1mFn4IxcsN2SsipPrQGx3Hr9hf4awLbbnqlbbX8oi52zyfHJzTt0BZYo4K_gwE2zfzsMecT-_eRd_Q/s1600/R0021373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-GVZqia0G2CgWmgqP_NvkAN7_NYBSQljAePL7f0YRp78jttpMiFP0FPNdkse_M1mFn4IxcsN2SsipPrQGx3Hr9hf4awLbbnqlbbX8oi52zyfHJzTt0BZYo4K_gwE2zfzsMecT-_eRd_Q/s640/R0021373.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm short on photos, so here's a cool rock from the day before!</td></tr>
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After Sixtymile we went up and over into Carbon Creek, and I got the chance to check out the routes up to the top of Temple Butte. We didn't go explore any of them, but I saw enough from a distance to know that I'd like to come back and try to bag that summit someday.<br />
<br />
We headed down past the butte into Carbon Creek, and followed it down until it slotted up. From here there was a river runner's route that headed up and over a very low pass, down into Lava Creek. It seems likely that Lava Creek will pirate Carbon Creek in the very near future (on a geologic time scale at least). Before heading over, we explored the slot down to the river, where we spent a few seconds pondering how nice it might be to have such a ripping tailwind if you were floating down the river. Then we headed back to our packs, over the hill and down to the cache.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JcyaLP7cIZdZb1nCpzze1pe7xJ7CtJXnjZx46hUMW0pkOxUZQ1R81I2vLRvGO_rngePNREMTI13-unaeRA9g9OW4CC9blXsmvEQj-NB0t_xRGLszcVkI278ccKpYhMTgzN-FLjIGoWgR/s1600/R0021443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JcyaLP7cIZdZb1nCpzze1pe7xJ7CtJXnjZx46hUMW0pkOxUZQ1R81I2vLRvGO_rngePNREMTI13-unaeRA9g9OW4CC9blXsmvEQj-NB0t_xRGLszcVkI278ccKpYhMTgzN-FLjIGoWgR/s640/R0021443.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neat shale formations on the trail from Carbon to Lava.</td></tr>
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The cache had been packed by me a couple months before, and placed there by a river trip (Thanks guys!). Inside was lots of food, plus some cocoa and peppermint schnapps, and some extra fuel for the alcohol stove. But also, beer! This time I packed two Wet Snout milk snouts (from Sleepy Dog Brewing in Tempe) and one Moonlight Vanilla Porter (by Borderlands Brewing in Tucson). There's nothing like a good stout or porter to soothe your soul on a cold winter's day. We got the food we wanted out of the cache, left our trash and some excess items, and drank our stouts on the way back up to our packs. We set up camp out of the wind, in the shelter of some mesquite trees. We went to bed, hoping for better weather tomorrow.<br />
<br />
And thus ended our exploration of the Butte Fault route. A whirlwind and sometimes miserable hike from Nankoweap to Lava in two days. Nonetheless, it was absolutely gorgeous and I'm happy we included it in our route. I'm already making plans to hike this section again at a more leisurely pace. Preferably with better weather and less illness, so that going slow and exploring would actually be fun. So many places in the area deserve further exploration, so I see another trip (or two, or three...) in my future.<br />
<br />
<i>Note: Leaving food caches in the canyon is a privilege that should not be abused. Caches should be well hidden and every effort should be made to prevent rodents or other critters from getting into your cache. A single food cache could have a huge impact if compromised by wildlife. For this cache, we vacuum sealed our food (to reduce odor and add another layer of water protection) and put it in a bucket with a tight-fitting gasket lid. Don't skimp on critter protection out there, and pick your empty caches up as soon as you can once your trip is over.</i></div>
Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-91990557328679409122016-01-08T16:18:00.005-08:002016-01-12T17:49:11.395-08:00100 Miles to New Year's: Part One of Three (Marble Canyon)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK29GWC6zBt0agxA47NX7mt85H25rW7VGGvjXSciAOi7AvL7LV297px7WaDR8R4KAhyWaTZHL1utuLYegAMEGYZUhBbRACe9ZIyByq8u_VvTXCUPezxGweo8aj77xiQ-3njFkg9La7Ufu/s1600/FullHikePart2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK29GWC6zBt0agxA47NX7mt85H25rW7VGGvjXSciAOi7AvL7LV297px7WaDR8R4KAhyWaTZHL1utuLYegAMEGYZUhBbRACe9ZIyByq8u_VvTXCUPezxGweo8aj77xiQ-3njFkg9La7Ufu/s640/FullHikePart2.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole enchilada. Yellow dots are campsites.</td></tr>
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<br />
Time for another trip report! This one was from South Canyon to Nankoweap. I'll be posting it in three parts - one for the Marble Canyon section, one for the Butte Fault route, and one for the rest of the trip. Above this is a map of the entire trip we took, and below is a map of the section described in this post. Read below for the detailed description and photos.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Note: I make use of my "chili pepper" scale of spiciness for exposed routes in this trip report. In short:</i></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><i>1 chili pepper: My cousin Pam could do it (i.e. not exposed at all)</i></li>
<li><i>2 chili peppers: Craig can handle it with ease (exposure or tricky climbing, usually not both together)</i></li>
<li><i>3 chili peppers: I can handle it, no problem. Scrambling with exposure. Usually this is 3rd class but sometimes 4th.</i></li>
<li><i>4 chili peppers: I can handle it but I'm in "free solo" mode, which means never taking two limbs off the rock at once, assuming that every hold will break off, and being extremely focused the whole time</i></li>
<li><i>5 chili peppers: No way, Jose.</i></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmselQIBfRXmECI6gDoqafW-qQut5LTmF8MS2u1LDw67Tt9cevSmKJrW4PjpqJYD_6Cw-70dwK2qY3yLMBJCgiT325FW4jypn0EBRm7X7scm0tcthH15IDI9sOes9U4J7ISSxIu55L21WI/s1600/HikePart2Part1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmselQIBfRXmECI6gDoqafW-qQut5LTmF8MS2u1LDw67Tt9cevSmKJrW4PjpqJYD_6Cw-70dwK2qY3yLMBJCgiT325FW4jypn0EBRm7X7scm0tcthH15IDI9sOes9U4J7ISSxIu55L21WI/s640/HikePart2Part1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part one of the hike (Marble Canyon section)</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 0: </b>0.7 miles<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Squeeeel screeech . . . screeeech . . . screeech . . .</i> <i>scrape . . .</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Nick's Subaru</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
8 am. Snow on the ground with a bit more falling. A beautiful winter's day in Flagstaff. Bags packed, shuttle driver ready, coffee in the cup holder. And now this. What could it be? Cursory examination of the front wheels yielded little insight, nor did a short drive around the block. Could be serious; might not be. Either way, not worth risking a long drive down a dirt road. With our only vehicle with any kind of clearance out of commission, what to do? But I digress. Best to start at the beginning.<br />
<br />
Last year my friend Craig and I embarked on a landmark hike for us, 100 miles across the Grand Canyon, with most of it off-trail. That hike started as an isolated adventure, conceived one afternoon in the Grand Canyon Backcountry Office while looking at Harvey Butchart's map of routes in the canyon, and realizing how we could connect many of his lines into one hike. But in the months afterward, it turned into a plan to hike the entire north side of the river in sections, from Lee's Ferry to Pierce Ferry. There would be 6 total. With the first one down we set our sights on the section from Nankoweap to Phantom Ranch for our second trip. This would meet up with our previous trip and mirror it, coming in from the other side. (<i>To read last year's trip report, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-1.html">click here</a>)</i><br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the present. With my Subaru in questionable condition, we were unwilling to take it out to the remote Nankoweap trailhead. So we decided to switch vehicles, to my Dad's Civic hybrid (our shuttle vehicle from the year before). It had handled Hack Canyon remarkably well on the last hike, but we felt it lacked the clearance to make it to the end of the Nankoweap road. The solution was clear - grab a couple more days' of food and start at South Canyon instead.<br />
<br />
The decision to start at South would add 3 days to our trip, and they were some pretty hard ones - but we didn't know that last part just yet. We packed our bags again, drove up to the South Rim and got the permit, and then headed off to the trailhead. The road out to South Canyon was in great shape and we only bottomed out twice on our way out there. We stopped a short distance from the actual trailhead, when the road got rocky. My Dad dropped us off, wished us luck, and headed on down the road.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqGdLyNTBbVT-zCACev0nWkCzBy8lQ0f1_AkIalaJdR4DkGoqUn0QpNDcCQ065YGDKcyWri5d3LrSPssdZF3Hyn9f2WqjVL1sh4anBolkkILOks7CYv_f3zpy3Uy0YKapfOU-BVG4TLbi/s1600/R0021004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqGdLyNTBbVT-zCACev0nWkCzBy8lQ0f1_AkIalaJdR4DkGoqUn0QpNDcCQ065YGDKcyWri5d3LrSPssdZF3Hyn9f2WqjVL1sh4anBolkkILOks7CYv_f3zpy3Uy0YKapfOU-BVG4TLbi/s640/R0021004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">See you later, Dad!</td></tr>
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And just like last year, we were committed. Us, our packs, and the big ditch. No vehicle to turn back to, just miles and miles ahead. It was late afternoon so we hiked just a little bit and then set up our tent and got out the maps, taking a closer look at the days ahead. It begins!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifsSc2FL7FJlPGH_m0t4uXuDQzwyj8g8JTcSmF9c7XueydtuSoIZegqPKYfgNl9yCS6jCukGbsD8EwNqYcjE28Qon55wugCrS_mMzumhR6Ll3_DzHKSxq5-IqBtQ2CZT_MRurguPbev_M/s1600/R0021002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifsSc2FL7FJlPGH_m0t4uXuDQzwyj8g8JTcSmF9c7XueydtuSoIZegqPKYfgNl9yCS6jCukGbsD8EwNqYcjE28Qon55wugCrS_mMzumhR6Ll3_DzHKSxq5-IqBtQ2CZT_MRurguPbev_M/s640/R0021002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Few things feel more committing than getting dropped off at the end of a desert road, carrying everything you need for two weeks of travel on your backs.</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 1: </b>11.7 miles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A one, a one, a one two three nope!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Craig, trying unsuccessfully to get out of his sleeping bag on our first cold morning</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkSqeh7z4BCOzG7qFHhLwd4GBV-ezqU_4B2OnDPLBIedzUK7tJmVJnYxrbZCiTfW_54xRY3cgVBCC6YRu7rx_ZDo6aLz1vKNgz5FULNy8bhCGKSNBrXultMK4DmU2Vvm_ajhVtr8bSsSl/s1600/R0021017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkSqeh7z4BCOzG7qFHhLwd4GBV-ezqU_4B2OnDPLBIedzUK7tJmVJnYxrbZCiTfW_54xRY3cgVBCC6YRu7rx_ZDo6aLz1vKNgz5FULNy8bhCGKSNBrXultMK4DmU2Vvm_ajhVtr8bSsSl/s640/R0021017.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cold snap hit northern AZ just before our hike. In South Canyon, evidence remained.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We awoke to cold temperatures, but mild weather near the top of South Canyon. The route down into the bed of the canyon is very steep (2.5 chili peppers on my 5-pepper exposure scale), and in less than an hour we were near the bottom of the Hermit shale. The walk down the drainage was easy and straightforward, with a few minor bypasses and patches of vegetation to fight through. Despite moderate temperatures in the canyon, there was quite a bit of ice left from the cold snap of a few days before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmwJhodv9w-Cdgu8_tF7EbJO3gZLIkDG8gGiCYwV4KHHaX90v3tJbhCi77TKqAdZBvXxkHGnNhVRiFGnsd9ADmTZJ83n2Qd5p6go5sNBE5HrgTW_UykKcYJr5dzkes5diDkuQ2KSfk4KH/s1600/R0021010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmwJhodv9w-Cdgu8_tF7EbJO3gZLIkDG8gGiCYwV4KHHaX90v3tJbhCi77TKqAdZBvXxkHGnNhVRiFGnsd9ADmTZJ83n2Qd5p6go5sNBE5HrgTW_UykKcYJr5dzkes5diDkuQ2KSfk4KH/s640/R0021010.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the route down into South Canyon. Spot the wildlife</td></tr>
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Walking down South Canyon was pleasant, and soon we were at the top of the Redwall limestone, where we would begin contouring south above the Colorado River. This section of the Grand Canyon is unique, in that the Redwall forms a steep cliff directly into the river for several miles. This means that walking next to the river is impossible, so the only options are to go above the Redwall or above the Supai. We chose to hike above the Redwall, because it seemed like easier walking and we thought we'd have a good chance of finding water pockets in the drainages.<br />
<br />
We filled up with what we thought was just enough water to make it to the 50 mile route (our next route to the river), albeit very dehydrated. This is a common strategy for us - fill up with the bare minimum and hope to find more for comfort. (Note: this is a safe strategy for experienced hikers in the winter - not so safe in the summer. Hike smart and know your abilities). We figured we'd be at Nankoweep in a couple of days if we hiked fast, so we packed a few liters of water each out of South Canyon.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigEnhDhYP6gagdI5n-pOs4B_mAB5WBSo1q0LXae8OQsMDrj3sZM3hHmWsYqSgneFhfWN4VeLbC1O6RytI12lRKci5x4BSaoVigsGp-Hnuds5Q4zJ2MLkSzvX36xra-oLsGYTywBssQtwq/s1600/R0021024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigEnhDhYP6gagdI5n-pOs4B_mAB5WBSo1q0LXae8OQsMDrj3sZM3hHmWsYqSgneFhfWN4VeLbC1O6RytI12lRKci5x4BSaoVigsGp-Hnuds5Q4zJ2MLkSzvX36xra-oLsGYTywBssQtwq/s640/R0021024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walked over a natural bridge. Because, why not?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At first, the walking was pretty easy, atop Redwall benches high above the river. The views were fantastic, looking down at Vasey's Paradise and Redwall Cavern along the way. We even walked over a natural bridge in the Redwall on the way out of South Canyon. But soon the side drainages started adding up and the going got tougher. We barely got to the edge of our use area at dusk and set up camp. I was feeling pretty worn out, and wondering if maybe I should start doing warm-up trips before these hikes?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1rI-0WpijdXGc-ueh7gPbDL87fQbLn0uzRWMsr_ri8b450xK21U1X-pK2XDDEaQiO-pLgdCR6nEi1sCm_UsksNhq5KUB_3QkwWTUlPU5I_xzD0JL30a18qpW8tgHK2z4nh0b9cEl54eQ/s1600/R0021031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1rI-0WpijdXGc-ueh7gPbDL87fQbLn0uzRWMsr_ri8b450xK21U1X-pK2XDDEaQiO-pLgdCR6nEi1sCm_UsksNhq5KUB_3QkwWTUlPU5I_xzD0JL30a18qpW8tgHK2z4nh0b9cEl54eQ/s640/R0021031.jpg" width="422" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Day 2: </b>10 miles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I hate that phrase 'contouring around'. It makes it sound so easy, when it is often so hard.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-George Steck, <i>Grand Canyon Loop Hikes</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
It begins with a bit of mild irritation. Maybe I'm just a bit dehydrated, I think to myself. Maybe I'll lay off the liquor tonight and have a cup of tea. My throat will feel better in the morning, right? Right.<br />
<br />
Of course, it usually doesn't turn out that way . . . and this time was no exception. When we woke up this morning, I knew I was sick. Sick with what could become a simple cold, or a case of the flu. There was no sense in dwelling on it, but it certainly had the chance to make me miserable. Two years before I'd hiked from South Bass to Boucher on the Tonto and on the 2nd day I'd come down with the H1N1 virus (AKA the swine flu). It lasted the entire 8-day trip and a few days after, and it was some of the most miserable hiking I'd ever done. And that trip was on a trail!<br />
<br />
I knew now that we would hike slower than expected, and also that I was going to want to drink a lot more water. So I was happy when we came across water in a couple of minor drainages early on in the day. We felt pretty confident after that that we would find water in lots of drainages coming from the rim. Even if some of those potholes were below accessible pouroffs, we could still get water in the other ones.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQD4ielWV7x3Yrxhpb_ha6qqfi_ONzR2aLjjvisSiMMn4M_gIj8QscPAuaqkDalELF4Cr98RwbHXhsxQBUeUIl1YBKXd3AqFrCBdDeRi4QEvvRnsx68SgUua9iPVlBcWGeYqmipHIL7hr/s1600/R0021048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQD4ielWV7x3Yrxhpb_ha6qqfi_ONzR2aLjjvisSiMMn4M_gIj8QscPAuaqkDalELF4Cr98RwbHXhsxQBUeUIl1YBKXd3AqFrCBdDeRi4QEvvRnsx68SgUua9iPVlBcWGeYqmipHIL7hr/s640/R0021048.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water pockets we found in a minor drainage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With our water issues more or less settled, we set about the task of getting some miles under our feet. Easier said than done. At times, we had easy contouring to contend with, but overall the Redwall contouring was among the toughest walking I've done anywhere.<br />
<br />
There's no easy answer as to why. The Tonto platform has many of the same challenges (boulder fields and washes to cross, cliffs to avoid and big drainages to head). So we knew what to expect at a basic level. I think the Redwall section just has fewer flat sections and more obstacles to contend with. This is partly due to the nature of the Redwall and also to the friable nature of the Supai, which contributed most of the blocks that we had to climb over in those boulder fields. On the Tonto you can get long sections without crossing any major drainages or scrambling over boulder fields. On the Redwall, it seems like you never get a break.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja8Zy3vww6Dk7kVXMTJUugqj6yH0Q8v17zqZNUO-NzYc4E2EoI9LDKmfBkXEGuh0ydfS4qr9Kl8m66wGiL6G6XrF_GSSN_BDauh2berU4VTrNpq4V2YWwWBIV1eTVhfwnqx0ZTJyQWFwO/s1600/R0021043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja8Zy3vww6Dk7kVXMTJUugqj6yH0Q8v17zqZNUO-NzYc4E2EoI9LDKmfBkXEGuh0ydfS4qr9Kl8m66wGiL6G6XrF_GSSN_BDauh2berU4VTrNpq4V2YWwWBIV1eTVhfwnqx0ZTJyQWFwO/s640/R0021043.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Redwall doesn't offer as expansive of a plateau to contour on as the Tonto does. But sometimes you get nice deer trails, right on the edge!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On the way we encountered the old Marble Dam site. Back in the 1950's, surveys were carried out here for the proposed dam. At the time this was outside of Grand Canyon National Park. There were also proposals to direct most of the river's water through a tunnel all the way over to the Kanab Creek area in order to generate hydroelectric power without building a dam in the park itself! Thankfully both of these plans were scrapped and Marble Canyon was added to the National Park in 1975. Some trash still remains from the exploratory drilling surveys, however.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDOxw_NMV3pQWaM6QACnncPg6N2OghTfnEY_9KntTplO43zsj6xwwWoEjCJpVBKb8L154JDwZCN7j4L7-K0LzV_QjuDFEHlHBq2hl93AVIagNAE0gF8o9Q1v0J1Xcx7iLiklKZbcmNzI-/s1600/R0021054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDOxw_NMV3pQWaM6QACnncPg6N2OghTfnEY_9KntTplO43zsj6xwwWoEjCJpVBKb8L154JDwZCN7j4L7-K0LzV_QjuDFEHlHBq2hl93AVIagNAE0gF8o9Q1v0J1Xcx7iLiklKZbcmNzI-/s640/R0021054.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some trash left by the dam surveyors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We continued on to 36.7 mile canyon, where we had heard of a large pothole from Butchart's book. We had found other water so we didn't need it, but we were curious to find it. When we got there the pothole was below a large chockstone and dryfall. Climbing down looked pretty tough (I'd rate it 4.5 chili peppers on my 5-pepper scale, which means I'd do it if I had to but I'd try very hard to avoid it). We pondered a scheme of lowering a water bottle on a string, which I think would have worked, but we didn't need the water so we saved ourselves the effort.<br />
<br />
It was on this section that we thought up a scheme for getting water on this route. I have some 3mm spectra guyline which has a pretty high breaking strength. So if you brought several hundred feet of it, along with a small waterproof bag, you could put a rock in the bag, throw it into the river from above the Redwall, and drag up drinkable water. You could even put "Please Fill With Beer" on the side and you could throw it in front of river parties. The whole setup would weigh a couple of pounds and would work in a few places along the route. That said, I'd much rather just go in winter after a storm, when you can find water in potholes. But the scheme would be a lot of fun to try.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPPOPbdA7JJITqg3bgoH9ty-I5sVEKyldwDTdWMZNAdY9nhk6nWv6r2oAcBe6v9pvyDnC5siqeEE9qApKCxlgnKNT9SqMtRe5L1rS2kfTzchilFppzJgFFtMdPuLX7iA-hESg8MH3cgJj/s1600/R0021060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPPOPbdA7JJITqg3bgoH9ty-I5sVEKyldwDTdWMZNAdY9nhk6nWv6r2oAcBe6v9pvyDnC5siqeEE9qApKCxlgnKNT9SqMtRe5L1rS2kfTzchilFppzJgFFtMdPuLX7iA-hESg8MH3cgJj/s640/R0021060.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water in the last canyon before Buck Farm. There was an easy tunnel route (2 chili peppers) under this chockstone to reach the potholes below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our last part of the day was to cross Buck Farm canyon. We could see the other side a couple hundred yards away, but had to walk about a mile in, head the two major forks of the drainage, and walk a mile back. And of course, there were some side drainages and boulder fields to cross along the way. So we looked across, picked a target campsite, and headed on in. It took us a couple of hours to get around all of the side drainages, but we did find accessible water in the south fork, so that was nice.<br />
<br />
When we got to camp, we took a look at a shortcut we had been eyeing on our topo map. Point Hansbrough extends for a couple of miles out into the canyon, and rather than walking several miles around it, we could head for a saddle where the top cliff band of Supai breaks down. Or at least that's what it looked like on the map. When we got there and took a good look, we could see a probable route up through the lower Supai cliffs. We had no idea if we could get down the other side, but in the Supai you can usually find a way, so we felt pretty confident about the next day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB44O0fIzFV11sVWutIq1qBaaGOAzBY5cx3jbuFixT70HnmsonwYxMgpBDELPdmlMD-SNK6LB2eOxi7YbsFtxwQJsRof7G9bumkcPywHnqpwAAp8fWmHQkM2v2zhUzI2K5yOEKfb3N3Vh/s1600/R0021056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB44O0fIzFV11sVWutIq1qBaaGOAzBY5cx3jbuFixT70HnmsonwYxMgpBDELPdmlMD-SNK6LB2eOxi7YbsFtxwQJsRof7G9bumkcPywHnqpwAAp8fWmHQkM2v2zhUzI2K5yOEKfb3N3Vh/s640/R0021056.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes the Redwall walking is easy . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemP4ijSE5L8EhLTDnXmslZL2Kqy2ZT4Ex6xF7zhLjkw8EsGtgyK7aN1o3U56yzHgfGlsob4T05UeEhu2jEKSgdi2EpH6XSn_UfVCWFHg9Aa1njLAm9y4anFr1lN8Cgu1bY0uJiCGckBbI/s1600/R0021058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemP4ijSE5L8EhLTDnXmslZL2Kqy2ZT4Ex6xF7zhLjkw8EsGtgyK7aN1o3U56yzHgfGlsob4T05UeEhu2jEKSgdi2EpH6XSn_UfVCWFHg9Aa1njLAm9y4anFr1lN8Cgu1bY0uJiCGckBbI/s640/R0021058.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And sometimes you come to a side drainage and it looks like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Day 3: </b>10.2 miles<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I think I'll contour just below the really big potatoes, above the baby reds. </i>- Craig</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Stop reminding me that I forgot the butter! - </i>Nick</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZFlRA3WVH8ld0Mg1iuG18uQ_W8iEUJ1YyDdzvGd5MZfkB_ZWI3xeZ94R60gNHfIh32quru6GO4xbK2qVTIRgY-bQFB_RGupCvhXcDy7yAc4PzJXqjAfa5PAShbd5xDneZltG-BLMURma/s1600/R0021064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZFlRA3WVH8ld0Mg1iuG18uQ_W8iEUJ1YyDdzvGd5MZfkB_ZWI3xeZ94R60gNHfIh32quru6GO4xbK2qVTIRgY-bQFB_RGupCvhXcDy7yAc4PzJXqjAfa5PAShbd5xDneZltG-BLMURma/s640/R0021064.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the second Supai band, heading up to the Point Hansbrough saddle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I woke up still sick, but our Point Hansbrough route buoyed my spirits. Cutting the corner gave us the chance to do 3 river miles in just a couple of hours, an unheard of pace when it comes to Grand Canyon contouring. We headed over to the base below the saddle and our route still looked easy, so we picked our way through the bottom two Supai bands with a bit of scrambling. The third band had a bit more climbing, but it wasn't hard and there was little exposure. From there it was an easy walk to the top of the saddle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrH30z2zrE_Lf_pEjvGBcvZisbj8UZ4m5KiJblfAZpR2TOObMEAPycb0T21OlL0Ir-A9Q4LC0ruu3VxgaPQju85W585qxurLFqMLZhwEAnZ1t_dli7bTgEZ_NJLh28nF_oF0kkUR6rfd5/s1600/R0021067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrH30z2zrE_Lf_pEjvGBcvZisbj8UZ4m5KiJblfAZpR2TOObMEAPycb0T21OlL0Ir-A9Q4LC0ruu3VxgaPQju85W585qxurLFqMLZhwEAnZ1t_dli7bTgEZ_NJLh28nF_oF0kkUR6rfd5/s640/R0021067.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Point Hansbrough saddle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I kept my expectations pretty low before arriving at the saddle, expecting to find continuous Supai cliffs on the other side. If so, we would have contoured downstream above each layer of Supai until finding a break. Fortunately, there was a talus slope next to the saddle that covered all of the Supai, so we were able to get down immediately back to the top of the Redwall. 3 river miles in about an hour - not bad!<br />
<br />
The rest of the day followed the same pattern as the one before. It was becoming familiar - I would wake up with a lot of energy from a restful night of sleep, and walk fairly quickly for the first half of the day. Then in the afternoon my illness and tiredness would catch up to me and I'd slow down quite a bit. So as we neared Saddle Canyon I was starting to get pretty tired. Fortunately Craig was paying attention to the map and noticed that the point above the mouth of Saddle on the upstream side would likely have a really good view both up and down the river, so we focused on that as our goal for a late lunch break.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4RYRyDDXtsjzpz126hqFHZ3_hNgpDqxcqhgQz5l9nnK7WNsPy-YlxjLjOjzAkTIszWIuAqLc9OMjhMXyS_NCTBG_LpqdvyHgG4JCncyLgByN9EMJnwaUn5ct_sqe8Auu68j4_l5s4UJA/s1600/R0021069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4RYRyDDXtsjzpz126hqFHZ3_hNgpDqxcqhgQz5l9nnK7WNsPy-YlxjLjOjzAkTIszWIuAqLc9OMjhMXyS_NCTBG_LpqdvyHgG4JCncyLgByN9EMJnwaUn5ct_sqe8Auu68j4_l5s4UJA/s640/R0021069.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some rare easy walking on the way to Saddle Canyon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Craig arrived there first and walked to the edge to eat his lunch. As he neared the edge he startled a bird that was just under the cliff edge. He made a positive identification of it being a condor by looking down on it from above and seeing the strap that holds the number tag on! It flew over his head and then over mine, about 15 feet up. It was hard to read the number while it was moving but we think it was 27 or 57. It circled over our heads a couple times, then flew high up and we lost sight of it. It was the closest I've ever come to a condor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyUzStzWQhCxSkGONa_OQtokJmRnDmhHFapp7_bJAEq3anc5jueDAg2NTQHbBclxbdCoYYhO2sUbCUWJidsIH9T2YKpr0KDPiIn8Kc3xQYnjOPxpGpALzX4Mzb2vMa0n-Lrb3uo3zwd9S/s1600/R0021078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyUzStzWQhCxSkGONa_OQtokJmRnDmhHFapp7_bJAEq3anc5jueDAg2NTQHbBclxbdCoYYhO2sUbCUWJidsIH9T2YKpr0KDPiIn8Kc3xQYnjOPxpGpALzX4Mzb2vMa0n-Lrb3uo3zwd9S/s640/R0021078.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably the best wildlife shot I've gotten in the canyon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After that, I took a panoramic shot of the bend in the river. This is one of those places that I'll have to go back to sometime. After much scheming on how, I think I'm going to rappel Saddle Canyon, hike out to the point, and use the ropes to lean out over the edge. That way I could get a panorama that showed the whole view of the river's bend. In fact I would camp there and take at least two panos, one at sunset and one at sunrise. Plus some night photography. We could then continue upstream and hike out Buck Farm.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-Dqgjzd1KvX0Uy7LFSFowk2yJztwk5kHA9JQYqBuh0cXSbeZ1_5sTtab1Wnb0NZXmu00ketQAetSo9_cZDJa3FLWMgh7ELYgZB_7HX6h_0Oo8OsJCK66nYRTX_D_6yoAeTnX-ZPssTh/s1600/pano1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-Dqgjzd1KvX0Uy7LFSFowk2yJztwk5kHA9JQYqBuh0cXSbeZ1_5sTtab1Wnb0NZXmu00ketQAetSo9_cZDJa3FLWMgh7ELYgZB_7HX6h_0Oo8OsJCK66nYRTX_D_6yoAeTnX-ZPssTh/s640/pano1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pano I shot above the mouth of Saddle. One of these days I'll come back and get a better shot...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It took us a long time to move on past Saddle, and just as we got past it the weather changed. The wind picked up, and soon we were walking through wind-blown sleet and rain. But it wasn't too cold and the wind was at our backs, so the walking was pretty pleasant for a while. As we headed into the next major drainage, the rain turned heavier and we decided to take shelter.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJT7BStUI21S7KCqG1FublEUqdPBYU4WgP_A82Drn7W_CzMN6JPIfjnQzm8hJBDb7sYSE0Dar1dMqurhgW0JWcSNdnpdxx1Qy0LbzEJN5VHrmvnW8XOPg5M-FKPOGN7QylIdeo_kBkcRsb/s1600/R0021232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJT7BStUI21S7KCqG1FublEUqdPBYU4WgP_A82Drn7W_CzMN6JPIfjnQzm8hJBDb7sYSE0Dar1dMqurhgW0JWcSNdnpdxx1Qy0LbzEJN5VHrmvnW8XOPg5M-FKPOGN7QylIdeo_kBkcRsb/s640/R0021232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just past Saddle Canyon.</td></tr>
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Often in the canyon (and throughout the Southwest) the heaviest precipitation comes in along a front and lasts just a few minutes. Since we needed to take a break anyway, we found an overhang and waited out the storm. By the time we'd eaten some food, looked at maps and talked about possible campsites, the rain had abated and we were on our way. We made our way across that drainage, contoured around into 50 mile canyon, and found a flat campsite on the other side, up and out of the creek.<br />
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We set up the tent and I got into my sleeping bag before 5 pm. I was still feeling sick and very worn out. We had finally passed what was to be our original entry into the Canyon - the route down off of the rim in the drainage north of 50 mile. It only took 3 hard days to get there.<br />
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<b>Day 4: </b>9.5 miles<br />
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<i>Do not release outdoors</i></div>
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- Writing on a scrap of a helium balloon, found above the Little Nankoweap route</div>
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Finally, we were going to make it to Nankoweap! I was feeling worse every day, so we decided to make this a low-mileage day and camp at Nankoweap creek. Turned into a few more miles than we thought, but it still felt relatively easy. We could see a bit of trail heading out of 50 mile, but from our campsite we decided it would be more efficient to head up a talus slope to the top of the Supai and then find a way down somewhere on the other side.<br />
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The going was easy enough, and soon we were on top of the Supai. We could see a route down, but we'd have to backtrack a bit to descend, then contour over a few drainages and some boulder fields we could see below us. I convinced Craig that we should just contour on top of the Supai until the Little Nankoweap drainage and then find a way down. It looked so easy from where we were standing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIH5tR1DSb97XZXLss4dWBvYL5vM2yjKhApzQNh-9hhIdhrz3BofjgTWI4gpbKYiGZxj_x4pMKCxtXMsNECzs1YXB4O9EYwe2aeGDmouMy8243funpaRjsZbPP5fV6JAmf0Hx6sncqe0d/s1600/R0021258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIH5tR1DSb97XZXLss4dWBvYL5vM2yjKhApzQNh-9hhIdhrz3BofjgTWI4gpbKYiGZxj_x4pMKCxtXMsNECzs1YXB4O9EYwe2aeGDmouMy8243funpaRjsZbPP5fV6JAmf0Hx6sncqe0d/s640/R0021258.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from above the Supai near Little Nankoweap</td></tr>
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Of course, when we got around the next corner we realized that we'd have some drainages to cross up there as well. I'm still not sure which route would've been faster, but we got to the point before Little Nankoweap soon enough and found a way down right off of the point. The views down to the mouth of Nankoweap Creek were incredible. Soon we were on the river runner's trail that heads down the Little Nankoweap redwall route.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiCo66g-H4SUaxJgVmXglcGn3AmPqxjWtpRLJmAsLpyKFI3rXkDAybYiCvmn4GgcGRRGZ0-CuRefYlGeiDLMP9P-T3eO0Y6BZpsAOVRYdNCgK0IjwEYlLaPUkGG6kHxpc9qt2F5Y3yTK8/s1600/R0021271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiCo66g-H4SUaxJgVmXglcGn3AmPqxjWtpRLJmAsLpyKFI3rXkDAybYiCvmn4GgcGRRGZ0-CuRefYlGeiDLMP9P-T3eO0Y6BZpsAOVRYdNCgK0IjwEYlLaPUkGG6kHxpc9qt2F5Y3yTK8/s640/R0021271.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of the descent into Little Nankoweap</td></tr>
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The Little Nankoweap route is steep and exposed, including two spots where we passed packs. It's a solid 3+ chili pepper route. But the route is well-used, so it's cairned and easy to find. Soon we were at the bottom and it was a short walk down to the river. Craig went off to see the granaries and I laid out in the sun to rest (I'd seen the granaries twice before). The sun was shining and the temperature was mild, but I needed every one of my layers on to feel warm. I'm pretty sure I had a fever at that point. Craig returned and we hiked up creek to a campsite near where the Nankoweap trail hits the creek and set up camp early, around 4 pm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsa7VUJyGLP9G2NtcJYIbZh7dl_qWW53cSGj3g-BZYccx5D8J0cHVJuCp_yawZqgCEiSG4Gjyn4NYRGVW0cVns8nqr3gQAaYxjFD3YyvIVrKo0tJi1_9_Z5tR8dcAw8i8GzB1C34BbdKY/s1600/R0021290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsa7VUJyGLP9G2NtcJYIbZh7dl_qWW53cSGj3g-BZYccx5D8J0cHVJuCp_yawZqgCEiSG4Gjyn4NYRGVW0cVns8nqr3gQAaYxjFD3YyvIVrKo0tJi1_9_Z5tR8dcAw8i8GzB1C34BbdKY/s640/R0021290.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig took this shot of Mount Hayden standing tall while I was resting in my sleeping bag.</td></tr>
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We were exhausted, but excited to move on from the Marble Canyon section of our journey, into new territory. We knew that the Butte Fault route wasn't a walk in the park, and I wasn't getting better any time soon. But at least we wouldn't have to contour for a while.<br />
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<i>To read the next chapter of the trip report, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2016/01/100-miles-to-new-years-part-two-butte.html">click here</a>.</i></div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-81017582623585046552014-12-28T16:53:00.003-08:002015-01-16T07:17:34.580-08:00100 Miles to Christmas - Part 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxU4EaU_QPZ1jvTGTq8E-F8Uqc_-MhrsVC2DDfscC-Eg4H5pTKK54Kfg3Ag7qcn-UfBN3va2HpqRA2eHSypG5OV070Xr_8HzejHqEM7JREO_19KryLaSPfs_sR0awthieop26a9WDeJmI/s1600/section+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxU4EaU_QPZ1jvTGTq8E-F8Uqc_-MhrsVC2DDfscC-Eg4H5pTKK54Kfg3Ag7qcn-UfBN3va2HpqRA2eHSypG5OV070Xr_8HzejHqEM7JREO_19KryLaSPfs_sR0awthieop26a9WDeJmI/s1600/section+4.png" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the fourth and final installment of a four-part trip report. To start from the beginning, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-1.html">click here</a>.<br />
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<b>Day 10:</b><br />
Personal sunrise 9:10 am<br />
Personal sunset 3:26 pm<br />
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The way down Tuna Creek through the Redwall was easy, with a few pleasant bypasses. Nothing like our climb up out of Flint. We got down to the Tapeats in two hours, had lunch, then headed out onto the Tonto. For the first time in the hike, the sun was shining bright, the skies were blue, and there was a <i>pleasant</i> breeze in the air. I'm usually not a fan of shorts in the desert - there are too many prickly pants, and keeping the sun off of your legs often keeps you cooler. But this time, I unzipped the legs off of my hiking pants at the first opportunity, and it just felt fantastic. After 9 days of being confined to the same pair of pants, the feeling of freedom was incredible. Not even the incessant drone of the helicopter tours could ruin my mood.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zgz5dElTkZAfLj_BD2cLJNUBj4fVByWIHss23Etd7pPuu7gA-d1dB2w9LziH6umyxjjH9BS-BkLp3L9BBB3G4d2s-hfr1kw0Gb2AFMKcmFGRa2jSPWd_2AszT_57w1X2luZLRFJDAsYh/s1600/web-R0013955.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zgz5dElTkZAfLj_BD2cLJNUBj4fVByWIHss23Etd7pPuu7gA-d1dB2w9LziH6umyxjjH9BS-BkLp3L9BBB3G4d2s-hfr1kw0Gb2AFMKcmFGRa2jSPWd_2AszT_57w1X2luZLRFJDAsYh/s1600/web-R0013955.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue skies and a pleasant breeze!</td></tr>
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Craig and I have done a lot of contouring on the Tonto in the past, and it's usually a little tedious, but not bad. This time, I had another complication, which became immediately apparent the moment I started walking the slanted slopes of Bright Angle Shale above the Tapeats. It turns out that contouring puts a lot of pressure on the inside of the ball of your downward foot, which is exactly where my injury was.<br />
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To correct this I tried not to dig into the slope with my right foot, which meant that it was sliding downward quite frequently. Very frustrating on the steeper side slopes. I was very glad I had trekking poles to lean on for those parts. So after a couple hours of this, when it came time to round the point and head into the Crystal drainage, I decided to try and take the high route, heading almost up to the Muav Limestone before heading back down. This turned out not only to be easier than contouring around below, but also faster. We headed downhill and found the route down to Crystal that Harvey Butchart alludes to in his book. An hour or so later we were at Crystal Rapid, back to familiar territory! We've now been there three times, twice on the North side and once on the South side.<br />
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That night we found another solution to canyon insomnia - crashing a party. There were four kayakers running the canyon, and they invited us to hang out by the fire. They added the caveat that "We go to bed a little early, like 9:30 or 10". We burst out laughing at this thought and told them that we've been falling asleep before 8pm almost every night of the trip. We headed over to their camp after dinner, and it was great to have the warmth of a fire and other people to talk to. They had a little homemade fire pan that was built to the exact minimum Park Service specifications. We went to bed around 10:30 or 11 and slept straight through the night, one of the few times that happened. 19 miles to Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXQ9yhKxShFE_jXzTzeSZi0MzqviqbXqwoFr4jirIF6WkTTcUeiJEyls_tzq2OmF8W2qtFfoSRyRrdBytCr15SiWa7bpuni2__XNDnmbM0vsnToM-RZ3y1emrjsZevj_XwWFyyQodv75a/s1600/web-R0013960.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXQ9yhKxShFE_jXzTzeSZi0MzqviqbXqwoFr4jirIF6WkTTcUeiJEyls_tzq2OmF8W2qtFfoSRyRrdBytCr15SiWa7bpuni2__XNDnmbM0vsnToM-RZ3y1emrjsZevj_XwWFyyQodv75a/s1600/web-R0013960.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayakers scouting Crystal Rapid.</td></tr>
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<b>Day 11:</b><br />
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The next day I got an early start so that I could go easier on my foot, and Craig caught up after I was already back on the Tonto. My foot felt a little better today, but I continued to be cautious, and also continued to follow the strategy of going high around the points and then descending back for the drainages. And once again, it seemed faster in addition to being better for my foot. I saw a lot of deer prints and walked on occasional deer trails, so I feel like that's a good sign - if anyone knows the most efficient off-trail route, it's probably the deer.<br />
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Walking the Tonto, especially this section we'd already done, puts me in a different headspace than bushwhacking through manzanita did. Some elements are the same, but it's much less intense, and more forgiving - you don't have to keep your eyes peeled for every potential route all the time, and the worst you're likely to encounter is a patch of prickly pears. So whereas heavy bushwhacking draws my mind out into the landscape, the Tonto pulls me inward. It's a time for quiet and reflection. I thought about a lot of things; life, work, planning other hikes, the possibility of grad school - it really ran the gamut. Craig even had an imaginary 20-minute interview with Adam Sandler.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMqqmdNeTztKQ8p7H79efMevT5zGFzJrVKWNmxJGVgS9TFAhx6k9ON0MYOK7ipiNlQhFTzambsJU869RUHmDTuGgxxmwhfC2U-BgqIJtwY8-gds4hrJ4jgWuHLOs6cWvemAE3JNg8UMMQ/s1600/web-R0013945.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMqqmdNeTztKQ8p7H79efMevT5zGFzJrVKWNmxJGVgS9TFAhx6k9ON0MYOK7ipiNlQhFTzambsJU869RUHmDTuGgxxmwhfC2U-BgqIJtwY8-gds4hrJ4jgWuHLOs6cWvemAE3JNg8UMMQ/s1600/web-R0013945.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy walking on the Tonto.</td></tr>
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We contoured around into 94 Mile creek, then headed down to the River. We got there just as the last sun was about to leave the beach, and I took the opportunity to take a quick dip in the river and wash a pair of socks. The river was silty with flow from the Little Colorado upstream. Since it was only 3 pm, we filled up with the murky water and headed up to camp on the Tonto.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQY-jHZpfjsPvfvJMLsg_WQclh9hyOx7gCooy02IkN_VIJTce9xecwdFpHkwrfYQUny0TLsqrNJp9fHYPExQtEBOMTooDMsqA60gIYVsrNV3t0Oj86xTPlWDxwCJNvEQtrGahaLtPkbHB/s1600/web-R0013974.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQY-jHZpfjsPvfvJMLsg_WQclh9hyOx7gCooy02IkN_VIJTce9xecwdFpHkwrfYQUny0TLsqrNJp9fHYPExQtEBOMTooDMsqA60gIYVsrNV3t0Oj86xTPlWDxwCJNvEQtrGahaLtPkbHB/s1600/web-R0013974.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The River at 94 Mile</td></tr>
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Tonto camps are some of our favorites in the winter. When Arizona is under a bubble of high pressure, the weather is generally predictable: Blue skies, sunshine and calm winds. What happens at night in these conditions is that the cold air begins to sink down from the rim, through the drainages. Unless you're camping by the river, drainage camps tend to be freezing cold, and take forever to warm up during the day because of the late sunrise. In contrast, when camping on the Tonto the temperature will dip briefly during the first hour or so of darkness, but then it'll actually warm up slightly as air from the river rises up and flows gently above you. This was one of those perfect Tonto nights, one of the warmest of the trip.<br />
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I also got to run a science experiment that night - my first try at clarifying water with alum! Alum is a "flocculating agent", meaning it makes silt particles bind together into clumps, which then settle out of the water. It's also used to make pickles (I believe it keeps them crisp), so it's perfectly safe to add to water. I had carried a small vial of alum for many, many Grand Canyon trips, without ever needing to use it until now. I knew that I only needed a small amount, so I put a pinch in one of my platypus bottles, two pinches in another, and left one of my gatorade bottles untreated as a control group. I shook the platypus bottles well to distribute the alum.<br /><br />After two hours, both alum-treated bottles were significantly clearer, and the control group hadn't changed. I'll definitely keep bringing alum on my trips in the Canyon after that - it was well worth carrying half an ounce all those miles for clear water. 10 miles to Christmas.<br />
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<b>Day 12:</b></div>
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To the Ranch! Well, today we were actually scheduled to be camped in Trinity, but that seemed unlikely; we were already a little ahead of schedule, despite my foot. Our water had settled even more overnight, which made me wish I'd waited to treat it until the morning. Juggling platypus bottles makes that a little tough. If I'm ever on a trip that requires treating a lot of silty water, I'll bring some sort of collapsible bucket - maybe gallon ziplock freezer bags.</div>
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Knowing that we were so close, we got a lazy start, deliberately waiting until the sun hit us to get out of our sleeping bags. Not starting in the cold was a nice change. We contoured around until we could get down into the bed of Trinity Creek, then out the other side. On this section of hiking, as we traveled East, we began to see familiar faces, one after another - the well-known temples of the main canyon, many of which I have climbed. Isis Temple was first (no relation), followed by the crown jewel Zoroaster, Angel's Gate, and Brahma. It was good to see my old friends showing up after so many days in unfamiliar territory. We were now following our memories from last year's trip, when we did Steck's Phantom-Crystal Loop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQNorhhJobSi0oS7GC5tzfewCLE3l2oSUPfHUaWY_D1k0Kwdv3I2ZQZYxBJXN8tP3hANgRLecyqAJwM5V4r59MGct3-HUvKGNjXLILeYjy-3fwjILoN-J_FfTYn7-w2iocYyFwZ1g7LJ4/s1600/web-R0013990.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQNorhhJobSi0oS7GC5tzfewCLE3l2oSUPfHUaWY_D1k0Kwdv3I2ZQZYxBJXN8tP3hANgRLecyqAJwM5V4r59MGct3-HUvKGNjXLILeYjy-3fwjILoN-J_FfTYn7-w2iocYyFwZ1g7LJ4/s1600/web-R0013990.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoroaster and Angel's Gate, visible at last</td></tr>
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Once we'd gotten through Trinity it was just a matter of one last bit of contouring before we got up to Utah flats. We were in the Grand Canyon Supergroup now, a set of rock layers that pops up in a few parts of the canyon. The Hakatai Shale, one part of the Supergroup, lends itself to steep, ball-bearing hills, with a thin veneer of pebbles covering shattered bedrock. It is extremely difficult to traverse, and I probably should've avoided it, but I managed to make it all the way across one nasty section. Well, almost. Two feet away from the relative stability of a boulder field, I slipped and tore a hole in my pants, and a matching hole in my shin. Ouch. The Canyon always gets the last word, I guess.</div>
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We made it up the climb to Utah Flats by 4:30, and decided that it was worth heading down to Phantom that night. It looked like it might rain, and we had friends working for the fish crew that we could hang out with, with the roof of the bunkhouse over our heads. So we headed on down and got a campsite right before dusk. Sjores, the veteran volunteer who has lived at the Ranch for 25+ years, was the one walking around checking permits. He looked at our battered permit, then back at our battered selves, then said "Well, you guys are in civilization now, so you're gonna have to behave a little differently".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif79Yw1jDn5h92s6szYAsglAAxa7NCGtgZHjrDVvIYjZAz0WQn5Q82iylYV5E7MvZnF_Hx4U8I-HnVyK3CprN6jyPHvkd4KoE5L16nmKbFuPVAj-R2HQ23bW69rtB-ZTb_SsjiiMUhp34A/s1600/web-R0014000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif79Yw1jDn5h92s6szYAsglAAxa7NCGtgZHjrDVvIYjZAz0WQn5Q82iylYV5E7MvZnF_Hx4U8I-HnVyK3CprN6jyPHvkd4KoE5L16nmKbFuPVAj-R2HQ23bW69rtB-ZTb_SsjiiMUhp34A/s1600/web-R0014000.png" height="490" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing peek-a-boo with the Colorado from the top of Utah flats.</td></tr>
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After we got set up we headed over to the trail crew bunkhouse and had a great time hanging out with the fish crew. They were electrically shocking fish in the creek to stun them, then cataloging what they find and removing the invasive species. The natives recover fully, a minute or so after being stunned. One of these days I'll do a volunteer trip for the canyon. Hanging out with the fish crew was a great time, and it was nice to fight off canyon insomnia once again and go to bed late (10 pm). I slept straight through the night, ready to tackle the South Kaibab the next day - on Christmas!</div>
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<div>
<b>Day 13:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Christmas morning! After another lazy start, we headed over to the Cantina to send a couple of postcards and hang out. Craig had a couple of beers, and a passerby had the quote of the day: "I like your style - it's noon somewhere". We played an excellent and close game of bananagrams, then headed out on the trail.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Craig and I have a history of hiking the South Kaibab Highway. We're always trying to speed up it and beat our personal best times. Last winter Craig did 2:31 and I did 2:36. A couple of months ago I got the upper hand with a time of 2:15. I've done a ton of backpacking this year (nearly 60 nights!) and knew that I'm in the best hiking shape of my life - so getting under 2 hours seemed feasible. I was worried about my foot, however, not to mention worn out from 12 days of hiking. So I decided to deliberately take it easy, not push my lungs at all, and be careful with every single step that my right foot took.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The canyon left us with the same weather it had greeted us with on the start of the hike - alternating sun, rain and sleet. As I headed up out of the inner gorge, I looked back at Phantom Ranch and saw a rainbow. I even took a photo break (unheard of if this was a speed run!) and shot a photo of Zoroaster Temple. But other than that, I didn't take any breaks, not even to eat - I just ate one Snickers on top of Skeleton Point, without stopping. Thanks to the cool weather, I also only drank water 2 or 3 times during the climb, for a total of less than a cup. In the end, I made it out with a time of 2:21. That just goes to show how important pacing is - I was never super tired or out of breath, but I was consistent and took just one very short break. Other than that I was constantly on the move.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivphkndLwyzE8-W68vupebR9enmCgkk-81Fk2qMq2ZhvsjWnz8WxTrQCthVCvgwyQ3DCRbOGV2huEOebTQq4q1GeQl1JVO2Iom2ktfUg9c0z-6ZFTbzQtyV-1YX04Nq2kWjI2XvoASZKw9/s1600/web-R0014010.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivphkndLwyzE8-W68vupebR9enmCgkk-81Fk2qMq2ZhvsjWnz8WxTrQCthVCvgwyQ3DCRbOGV2huEOebTQq4q1GeQl1JVO2Iom2ktfUg9c0z-6ZFTbzQtyV-1YX04Nq2kWjI2XvoASZKw9/s1600/web-R0014010.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoroaster standing proud.</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
<b>Epilogue:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All I can say is, what a hike! I've never planned a trip for this long, and never done anything so epic. I've never been as committed or as remote as we were on this trek. And I've never been as satisfied after a trip as this one. It was beautiful and diverse, with wide-ranging scenery and temperatures. It was full of water and we passed by more springs than I think the rest of my trips here have seen combined. It was hard, but we were ready for it, and it was rewarding.<br />
<br />
And, of course, Craig is a great friend and hiking partner - strong and reliable, with a great sense of humor. I don't know many people I could hang out with for 13 days straight!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhergoZ4zhrg7khp-tqnAroEA6TAZ6IAE8k3IaLM3Xp1xtnLS3cfb2Z5aTbVRbA5Oh6Z-wcd2pRT_tUeh9lnVpb-it-_p4a4cavhEUCfpiOKT03lfwC5g_uf5LxxlRtGK7yv-UYEIkRkmFq/s1600/R0012944-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhergoZ4zhrg7khp-tqnAroEA6TAZ6IAE8k3IaLM3Xp1xtnLS3cfb2Z5aTbVRbA5Oh6Z-wcd2pRT_tUeh9lnVpb-it-_p4a4cavhEUCfpiOKT03lfwC5g_uf5LxxlRtGK7yv-UYEIkRkmFq/s1600/R0012944-1000.png" height="640" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig being silly in Kanab Creek</td></tr>
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</div>
Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-57794955882923297432014-12-28T07:43:00.000-08:002015-05-12T08:25:49.525-07:00100 Miles to Christmas - Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This is the third part of a four-part trip report. To start from the beginning, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-1.html">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Day 8:</b><br />
Personal sunrise 8:50 am<br />
Personal sunset 4:55 pm<br />
<br />
Camped that night atop the Tapeats, we could see that we were entering a new region of the canyon, guarded by new temples, with names like King Arthur Castle, Lancelot Point, and Excalibur. From our camp site we couldn't see those - they were tucked deeper into the Shimuno Ampitheater, a region of the canyon bearing names from the King Arthur legend. But we could see Holy Grail Temple, standing proudly perched atop a ridge across the creek. I tried a star trails shot, hoping I could catch Orion rising above the temple. Turns out I was off by a few degrees. Guess I should carry a compass and learn to read star charts?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcKOq8JDYIqavTK1afy_X0otwa9ccOuDGovE9NKUjN5Igp4d4nO2hWDqHP079FbGUEZe1J3B2nbcVIBGdUnhg2bbAKZ1emYCbmoS7T63JPqfyRRyRfGU7U-ifgS84xJJuCcJPB5JB2Y0-/s1600/web-holy-grail-trails.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcKOq8JDYIqavTK1afy_X0otwa9ccOuDGovE9NKUjN5Igp4d4nO2hWDqHP079FbGUEZe1J3B2nbcVIBGdUnhg2bbAKZ1emYCbmoS7T63JPqfyRRyRfGU7U-ifgS84xJJuCcJPB5JB2Y0-/s1600/web-holy-grail-trails.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy grail is in the center, but can you spot Orion?</td></tr>
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The next morning it was a quick walk down to where the trail hit Shimuno Creek. Our route went up Shimuno, but we decided to drop our packs and go for a dayhike down to the river. We followed the creek down, crossing several times, until we got to a point where it narrowed enough that we would have to wade. We decided to turn around and head back. We could have followed the North Bass Trail from the creek up and over a hill to the river, but to be honest, we were exhausted. I think I had the quote of the day with "Man, I'm tired. What could we have <i>done</i> to make ourselves <i>so tired</i>?".<br />
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In addition to our fatigue, there was a further consideration - the ball of my foot had started to hurt, and it felt internal. Most likely a bruise or a stress fracture. I'd had this happen before, when I was working building backcountry fences for a conservation corps. Back then the cause was just walking too much, too fast, too aggressively, with too much weight. Just overdoing it in general. The solution was to stop carrying a bag of concrete into work with me every day, and be more careful about how I stepped. In this case, the cause and solution were much the same - I dropped the bag of concrete I'd been carrying since Hack Canyon, used my trekking poles more, and started to take it a little easier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQoIhqdYbezty2FXk4arVy9esLAwPrddWEJsZb1D5r-We3pbsgiMiD39aNcUEifzM4IPOSE_3IaIvaXZtZZtqUH80sUvUxHS_rImXmpCYQzwlI2VNFzfwVYXOpKC_PjtCxQXcZg0rPqdS/s1600/web-shimuno-creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQoIhqdYbezty2FXk4arVy9esLAwPrddWEJsZb1D5r-We3pbsgiMiD39aNcUEifzM4IPOSE_3IaIvaXZtZZtqUH80sUvUxHS_rImXmpCYQzwlI2VNFzfwVYXOpKC_PjtCxQXcZg0rPqdS/s1600/web-shimuno-creek.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimuno Creek</td></tr>
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We returned to our packs and headed up Shimuno Creek to the confluence with Flint Creek. Shimuno is fed by a spring far upstream in a tributary called Modred Abyss. Much like Thunder River, an entire stream emits from a cave in the limestone. I've never been there, but I'll have to come back when the weather is warmer and make the trip up there - I hear it's quite wet getting up to the cave.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIuVI3ezdEtgb6PTPJCZjHcOJxayLJxIiKcCpWbxopVLcxwn8zxKesggR3S9LYGhldMbG4qjC6VASQHCb_9v2z1RW3cvYM7gEeb3_cPHfId_WKQqrDlymPnDydpmqIgqmw0TxcLX10Dee/s1600/web-craig-waterfall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIuVI3ezdEtgb6PTPJCZjHcOJxayLJxIiKcCpWbxopVLcxwn8zxKesggR3S9LYGhldMbG4qjC6VASQHCb_9v2z1RW3cvYM7gEeb3_cPHfId_WKQqrDlymPnDydpmqIgqmw0TxcLX10Dee/s1600/web-craig-waterfall.png" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are you tired of long-exposure water shots? So is Craig!</td></tr>
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This was our last big creek of the trip, but even Flint Creek had a trickle as we headed up it. We speculated as to its origins (a spring, or snowmelt from the rim?), but it was clear and tasted fine. We walked until the sun was about to set, then found a really nice campsite right on top of the Tapeats, by the river. It was kind of like a Tapeats castle, with two other castles across the river. A fitting campsite for the land of King Arthur place names. 30 miles to Christmas.<br />
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<b>Day 9:</b><br />
Personal sunrise 10:34 am<br />
Personal sunset 4:55 pm<br />
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Today we were to tackle one of the big unknowns of the trip - how to get through the Redwall in Flint Creek? For those unfamiliar with the Canyon, the Redwall is notorious for being one of the most difficult layers to find your way through. In most of the canyon, it forms an impenetrable barrier of cliffs, and breaks in those cliffs are few and far between. George Steck had this to say about getting through the Redwall in Flint:<br />
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<i>It is tempting to try to continue up Flint to the saddle, and I have done so, but getting out involves so much brush and complicated bypasses, that I think the way I will describe is easier. After you leave the Flint drainage, climb up along a ridge and through some small Muav cliffs to the base of the Redwall. The upper wall meets the lower at the far right hand side of the bay, where a scary 30-foot climb takes you to the bottom of the bay.</i><br />
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We were turned away from the scary climbs (well, they sounded like fun to me; Craig has a different exposure tolerance). So we decided to try going up Flint, with its unknown number of complicated bypasses, and unknown brush. But hey, we just walked two days through manzanita; how bad could it be?<br />
<br />
We headed up Flint and quickly encountered cottonwoods. Some were standing, but many had fallen and we had to climb over (or under) them. But still, not bad for brush. Then the cottonwoods cleared out and the creek turned into a little slot with waterfalls in the Muav Limestone. It was a really pretty section and there's no need to bypass it if you're willing to do a bit of fun and easy climbing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYoMBwAEh9asd-QiEJ7ztsKWl7dYOV7j7Fa1W9hvob3bstqoC45xkGpuTDzkyk3Z9EttnPKzugEAfi8_Q_obD8lx9ixoSTM4v_5WTvIfJ7Is9DwR0VsW32v-k704v-4OiQ2aZx7kVsN2R/s1600/muav-waterfalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYoMBwAEh9asd-QiEJ7ztsKWl7dYOV7j7Fa1W9hvob3bstqoC45xkGpuTDzkyk3Z9EttnPKzugEAfi8_Q_obD8lx9ixoSTM4v_5WTvIfJ7Is9DwR0VsW32v-k704v-4OiQ2aZx7kVsN2R/s1600/muav-waterfalls.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy scrambling up a series of little waterfalls in the Muav</td></tr>
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Shortly thereafter, we hit the Redwall and just around the corner was our first pouroff, a huge one of about 50 feet in height. There was a bypass, we knew, but where? We pondered several ledge systems, scrambling around to get a good view, and each one turned out to have a short impassible section. Then we spotted a ledge higher up that seemed plenty wide, and went around the corner above the pour-off and out of sight. Would it go? It better, or we were heading back to try Steck's scary 30-footer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n3OrKOoMbddu5y-YVVzl2v2t2VQc4_woH8Rsuho7zuPDtpeS0o7NnLVOvuEByIryQXXRsRxB0967JovqLCwwclk4KALQxEA0qgSXN0hzt9B5taesPxrRdS290RByvz0OiP7kDS0CDQT5/s1600/web-R0013899.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n3OrKOoMbddu5y-YVVzl2v2t2VQc4_woH8Rsuho7zuPDtpeS0o7NnLVOvuEByIryQXXRsRxB0967JovqLCwwclk4KALQxEA0qgSXN0hzt9B5taesPxrRdS290RByvz0OiP7kDS0CDQT5/s1600/web-R0013899.png" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The redwall pouroff. Our ledge is the one in the upper right. Not the one that looks like it could lead down to the top of the pouroff, but the one that leads around the corner and out of sight.</td></tr>
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We hoisted our packs and headed up to the ledge, passing three short sections of climbing before gaining it. They were each 3rd class, with the first being the hardest (I opted to haul my pack with our handline rather than climb with it). Now that we were on our ledge, the only question was how far it would lead. It immediately started out with a spicy, skinny section, but quickly widened. We walked around the corner, into the unknown.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGb9mNlmDkJyYmk1umUJ08uD_hh1ftj_VvBPdsSBkICC32tOlGnQ54Z2r2e5BrELzUqGHIgfu_HKgqwjhOa0Z0brc2rbPEioOEVRX4qBBVviosOkyqjAhX-H1b1zqSDZeAIetdFGYikRI/s1600/web-R0013901.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGb9mNlmDkJyYmk1umUJ08uD_hh1ftj_VvBPdsSBkICC32tOlGnQ54Z2r2e5BrELzUqGHIgfu_HKgqwjhOa0Z0brc2rbPEioOEVRX4qBBVviosOkyqjAhX-H1b1zqSDZeAIetdFGYikRI/s1600/web-R0013901.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our ledge! Not the "spicy, skinny section".</td></tr>
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Our luck held, and the ledge continued on up the canyon. We could see a potential route back down to the canyon bottom, too. But we could also see that we might be able to get out and all the way above the Redwall, where we could join Steck's preferred route and contour over in the Supai. So we kept on our ledge, hoping for a way up. It stayed comfortably wide, but with great views. It could've easily pinched out and left us to retrace our steps back to the canyon floor, but it didn't. Our sidewalk in the sky just had one more narrow section, and then it turned into a drainage that we could easily climb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitO0mHJqg5YHYe757b6Lo7TmCP3NevjLgubQda7YISG-6NLxMq8wCydqiz35vrm4ebxwTj7MIuYzymYYfy6_nnjZztfOLdjHM02mLQvG2ItTlnrXpJdDVdh3vWVahSlG5bLTLoQhtZ5PY0/s1600/web-R0013903.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitO0mHJqg5YHYe757b6Lo7TmCP3NevjLgubQda7YISG-6NLxMq8wCydqiz35vrm4ebxwTj7MIuYzymYYfy6_nnjZztfOLdjHM02mLQvG2ItTlnrXpJdDVdh3vWVahSlG5bLTLoQhtZ5PY0/s1600/web-R0013903.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sidewalk through the sky.</td></tr>
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<div>
<div>
After that the routefinding was easy and straightforward, with one section of 3rd class choss near the top of the Redwall. I was most of the way up it when Craig asked "Nick, am I good to start climbing?". I thought about it, said "maybe wait a couple seconds", and without warning the rock beneath my right foot gave way. Several very large rocks came crashing down at high speed, whizzing through the air next to Craig (who was protected just around the corner). Scary. I finished my climb, gave Craig the ok, and we were on top of the Redwall!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Despite the scary ending, this was my favorite Redwall break that I've done in the canyon. There were no cairns, no footprints, no signs of human passage at all. Just us finding our way through to the best of our ability. I also love airy routes, and this was certainly that - walking a ledge with a cliff above and a cliff below, without knowing if the ledge would continue for us, was awesome. And the fact that the route we found was probably better than either of Steck's, and as far as we know unpublished until now, made it even cooler.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge87fhF2lzMcEVoHA02itbSSYL21H8o-k7eH2eC7DBeR1r0c3mZK0iO-hrkYupGkOJ571WQ9XFpM88n6rIrnoMgWHujgKOmd2WSQJylVnUNKeYsn0xsxP2kspG8-PBqe5ruwO0jC5G48GH/s1600/web-R0013918.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge87fhF2lzMcEVoHA02itbSSYL21H8o-k7eH2eC7DBeR1r0c3mZK0iO-hrkYupGkOJ571WQ9XFpM88n6rIrnoMgWHujgKOmd2WSQJylVnUNKeYsn0xsxP2kspG8-PBqe5ruwO0jC5G48GH/s1600/web-R0013918.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy going the rest of the way to the saddle.</td></tr>
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<div>
Once atop the Redwall, it didn't take long to contour along and get to the Flint/Tuna Saddle. We dropped our packs and headed off on another mission - to retrieve the second cache. When I hiked down in October, I ran out of time and had to leave the cache at the base of the Coconino, so we had a walk of nearly an hour to get there. Oh, well. It was a nice hike, and beers on top of the saddle tasted wonderful. We set the tent up with the door rigged open, to act as a windblock.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L0dsCkVm8T4RT71o8jIpRTPc-zNIl9G7Py5DITfmYhU6txKVQh95ROE3RLrh2MotxJOX3kq52LsK6aa9PgZ0dOLRq8Nx1j0GQCQt8uPdC0NyUhRvpLQ3VGv9cM3tg-6rnvvlaUw947s_/s1600/web-R0013926.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L0dsCkVm8T4RT71o8jIpRTPc-zNIl9G7Py5DITfmYhU6txKVQh95ROE3RLrh2MotxJOX3kq52LsK6aa9PgZ0dOLRq8Nx1j0GQCQt8uPdC0NyUhRvpLQ3VGv9cM3tg-6rnvvlaUw947s_/s1600/web-R0013926.png" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mid set up as a windblock. I love this tent, it's very versatile. Also, Craig is modeling the insulated balaclava that I made just before this trip.</td></tr>
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This was the last of our scenic divides; from here, it would be one long day down to Crystal Rapid, and from there we would travel mostly on the Tonto platform over to Phantom Ranch. Craig and I had done that section in the past, so we were nearly done with all the unknown. Just one more break in the Redwall down to Tuna awaited us. 26 miles to Christmas!<br />
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To read the fourth and final part of the trip report, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-4.html">click here</a>.</div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-89672308835168337912014-12-27T18:38:00.000-08:002014-12-28T09:28:05.501-08:00100 Miles to Christmas - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNY5AH-aAHqyL21SS9sMPk6lc8hupt_W2-1RHT7aWnlKEbnvohzt3ct2SDSw-OYuvjInatEhUufNIRqY30peAfoVfVH0HiRn3glmvI23VllBYiXHhMUysGysOEkPf4mz1dW0MwK0EdHO5/s1600/section+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNY5AH-aAHqyL21SS9sMPk6lc8hupt_W2-1RHT7aWnlKEbnvohzt3ct2SDSw-OYuvjInatEhUufNIRqY30peAfoVfVH0HiRn3glmvI23VllBYiXHhMUysGysOEkPf4mz1dW0MwK0EdHO5/s1600/section+2.png" height="538" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the second part of a four-part trip report. To start at the beginning, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-1.html">click here</a>.<br />
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<b>Day 4:</b><br />
Personal Sunrise 7:59 am<br />
Personal Sunset unknown (cloudy)<br />
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Today was an exciting day - a time to redeem our long term planning. I'm speaking, of course, of collecting one of my food caches. We hit the Thunder River trail, dropped our packs and headed up to the rim. My cache hadn't been disturbed, other than a hole chewed through my note by a mouse. Most importantly, the beers were still intact! We walked back down the trail, and I had no pack and a beer in my hand. This was the only moment during the hike that I really wanted to meet another backpacker out there, just to see the reaction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eK2R2RbhlHHFvsSDwWTwFPmMYP-1xxZWCo7bQCnxF86xqR8YaDFkHeD0HAHOMtVx29c3aHUnua6XnWdNPr8HxWl4NCnx8w28KMgXybMD5P1GFhjGsVqCnpUum4poQh5j70iM4L8IbVO7/s1600/R0013474-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eK2R2RbhlHHFvsSDwWTwFPmMYP-1xxZWCo7bQCnxF86xqR8YaDFkHeD0HAHOMtVx29c3aHUnua6XnWdNPr8HxWl4NCnx8w28KMgXybMD5P1GFhjGsVqCnpUum4poQh5j70iM4L8IbVO7/s1600/R0013474-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good thing the mouse read my note and left my food intact! Or maybe he chewed through it out of frustration after being thwarted by the paint cans?</td></tr>
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We returned to our packs and continued along the Esplanade, this time on the Thunder River trail. Having a trail made the walking a lot easier; especially avoiding the Cryptobiotic soil that is so prevalent in this part of the Canyon. Beautiful stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgy9xf_9f4aNGDIn4yvTP8V3iYM2kZg4OsNFrazJXbcBPEaf2gDGdyMF9kbKr6zhxO8_esGI3YNpb7UpLO2FFyTftzDmUtZZ0cInBaYXJacdWIYt-Xj0HPscRc3GxvwIr20tVFrj4YW_d/s1600/R0013480-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgy9xf_9f4aNGDIn4yvTP8V3iYM2kZg4OsNFrazJXbcBPEaf2gDGdyMF9kbKr6zhxO8_esGI3YNpb7UpLO2FFyTftzDmUtZZ0cInBaYXJacdWIYt-Xj0HPscRc3GxvwIr20tVFrj4YW_d/s1600/R0013480-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This part of the Canyon is full of beautiful, delicate Cryptobiotic soil.</td></tr>
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We made it to the edge of the Esplanade platform and started down the trail to Surprise Valley. Surprise Valley was formed when a huge block of rock slide down into the Colorado River, turning as it went. From the junction in the valley we turned left to head towards Thunder River, our site for the night. I had never been there before, and I'm glad we got to include it in our route. From the middle of a cliff (in the Muav Limestone), the water comes pouring out of the rock to form a waterfall, which cascades down the slopes below. Absolutely beautiful. It also has the dubious distinction of being a River which flows into a Creek, which flows into another River, which does <i>not</i> reach the Ocean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp-n9pf6zu4UmvJn5_B1l4zDCjpLFIzO_MKADuq4v_VA8rFZiEoH9OHSwLkLoCFMBoGU1draPWtF9wlUwVTPt79nHi4U1ywiZ0JvbtfRp6ql_WGpHlwQOT_qg1UgtRDoqn6c0l0j0LClv/s1600/R0013509-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp-n9pf6zu4UmvJn5_B1l4zDCjpLFIzO_MKADuq4v_VA8rFZiEoH9OHSwLkLoCFMBoGU1draPWtF9wlUwVTPt79nHi4U1ywiZ0JvbtfRp6ql_WGpHlwQOT_qg1UgtRDoqn6c0l0j0LClv/s1600/R0013509-1000.png" height="640" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thunder River.</td></tr>
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We camped at the Upper Tapeats Camp, just below the confluence of Thunder River and Tapeats Creek. As impressive as the river is, it's not even the main source of the creek - Tapeats Cave, farther upstream, supplies an even stronger fountain of spring water. The combined flow lulled us to sleep that night, until we were woken up by rain and had to bail into the tent. 57 miles to Christmas.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexyvYMrQP5Wb6Qs95OFV_1uU77Fj2xVUh5KqGSmw7hwiH63H_up_CeXNFhk42WX3JpVDR6FzZxdzWFdtg5XpjVPKsXeEpDdWH1wcmgfBHofk3ADsbgGXOTD6cbkfuUCQzS9kLoKhXj794/s1600/R0013513-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexyvYMrQP5Wb6Qs95OFV_1uU77Fj2xVUh5KqGSmw7hwiH63H_up_CeXNFhk42WX3JpVDR6FzZxdzWFdtg5XpjVPKsXeEpDdWH1wcmgfBHofk3ADsbgGXOTD6cbkfuUCQzS9kLoKhXj794/s1600/R0013513-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapeats Creek</td></tr>
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<b>Day 5:</b></div>
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Personal sunrise 2:06 <b>pm</b></div>
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Personal sunset 4:20 pm</div>
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After a full night of rain, during which rats tunneled through Snickers bars in Craig's pack, we had a decision to make - continue up our original route, up Tapeats Creek and Saddle Canyon? Bypass Tapeats above the Tonto but still do Saddle? Or do the true backup plan, hike back up to the Esplanade and contour above the Supai around to Muav Saddle? The first plan would go, but guarantee us getting soaked in the narrows of Tapeats Creek. The second plan avoided that section, but Saddle Canyon would definitely still have some wading. And the third definitely was possible, but we had no beta on it and were pretty sure it would involve some tough bushwacking.</div>
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We figured that we were well equipped to deal with snow, rain, or any other form of precipitation we were likely to deal with. We also had an extra day's worth of food in case the route proved more difficult than anticipated. And we are both very experienced with bushwacking. Given the recent rain and the fact that every pool in Saddle Canyon was surely full to the brim, we decided to go for option 3 and head back up to the Esplanade that night. First, however, we decided to take a side trip to Deer Creek.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj9pjoecL0Ib7l8KAKooX8cQB0PeF_FcOZGi4L4u5ZaX5zU0bVQS13bD-raqOMUqOehunDNBCKDBAWby8hItkAoi6e5IWt8uQ54Bt52REzpHKGv9PacLgTqjBE3sop-X0XgMfVhz08DlK/s1600/web-waterfall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj9pjoecL0Ib7l8KAKooX8cQB0PeF_FcOZGi4L4u5ZaX5zU0bVQS13bD-raqOMUqOehunDNBCKDBAWby8hItkAoi6e5IWt8uQ54Bt52REzpHKGv9PacLgTqjBE3sop-X0XgMfVhz08DlK/s1600/web-waterfall.png" height="640" width="418" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of the Deer Creek narrows</td></tr>
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Deer Creek is another stunning jewel of the desert, a gorgeous spring-fed slot canyon. The trail takes you from Surprise Valley, past one of the sources of the creek, and then down creek to where the slot begins. Once the canyon bottom drops away, the trail follows ledges in the upper part of the slot.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_zHgudwaEzCQhDtAlRjtAaU1XacOXe4oeu5NFp4y6mlqeBtbJtxq9CpQGk_Id-UldoM6-7G-wrYMLTgm_xaJ-H7yfN9hm5IXDq6j7bhePqBPvJ9yYFQYs8Ic1Iurs4RnxFCFNSOslvB8/s1600/R0013533-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_zHgudwaEzCQhDtAlRjtAaU1XacOXe4oeu5NFp4y6mlqeBtbJtxq9CpQGk_Id-UldoM6-7G-wrYMLTgm_xaJ-H7yfN9hm5IXDq6j7bhePqBPvJ9yYFQYs8Ic1Iurs4RnxFCFNSOslvB8/s1600/R0013533-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Careful . . .</td></tr>
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After Deer Creek we headed <i>back</i> up above Surprise Valley to the top of the Supai to camp for the night. At first, it looked like it was going to clear up for the night, and I was able to get one milky way shot in, but then the clouds moved in. Which isn't always a bad thing after a rainy day, since cloud cover keeps the nights from being too cold. The next night we wouldn't be so lucky. 53 miles to Christmas.</div>
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<b>Day 6:</b></div>
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Personal sunrise 2:06 <b>pm </b>(again!)</div>
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Personal sunset 5:08 pm</div>
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Snow, sleet and sun alternated all day. We were contouring on the Esplanade, but the sandstone quickly petered out and was replaced with bushwacking, of increasing intensity. We were leaving the wide sandstone expanses of the western Grand Canyon and heading towards the land of heinous bushwacks - high drainages on the North Rim drainages. The elevation of the Esplanade increased as we were heading up the Kaibab Upwarp, and the microclimate began to shift towards a wetter one that favored such plants as manzanita, scrub oak and cliff rose. They are beautiful plants, and I'm particularly fond of manzanita. But the abrupt shift from easy sandstone walking was a rough one. We tried to take the path of least resistance, but by the end of the day our shoes were soaked from the snow and our shins were battered from pushing aside manzanita branches. Craig even had a pocket ripped open and his knit hat ripped out. For the rest of the trip, he would borrow either my fleece hat or my balaclava, whichever I wasn't using at the time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZQRwDAve7C5SxKBf-zuoaAifHFkxliM81pYlaO0aBNe6V3TPVLdV3W1JG4JGYbCmC6O883os_9h-ZH6Aw7kdw0Bd8JG8JRingcGPf7HDddki7iHdS6mVwH34BmeMARNuhG6QSmEvk2YB/s1600/R0013595-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZQRwDAve7C5SxKBf-zuoaAifHFkxliM81pYlaO0aBNe6V3TPVLdV3W1JG4JGYbCmC6O883os_9h-ZH6Aw7kdw0Bd8JG8JRingcGPf7HDddki7iHdS6mVwH34BmeMARNuhG6QSmEvk2YB/s1600/R0013595-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare moment of easy walking.</td></tr>
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Fighting our way through the brush, we headed the tributaries of the Tapeats Cave drainage, then headed down into Crazy Jug Canyon and out a tributary on the other side. By the end of the day, we had our bushwhacking heads back on and were finding better paths through the brush, but it was still tough going. The drainage crossings were the worst, filled with oaks and snow in the bottom and on the north-facing sides. Our goal was to cross Timp Canyon and camp on the other side, to hopefully ensure that we would make it past Muav Saddle and down to lower elevations on our next night. By the time we got to Timp it was after 4 pm, but the sun had come out and Timp turned out to be one</div>
<div>
of the easier drainages to cross, so we made it with time to enjoy the sun setting behind Mt. Trumbull.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FFLJ6JNPjBEgz6VXamxuKFfASF43SB2Z8fAz313SBA9XdRewZdoZMaPKPYDupPgF9tFlSVBkv40DRIb21yGXByIy_Nn7DL3vGes-sKoh-4Ek6sSGZwNqKMpun1j3Q9mlybLn4yRK5VYA/s1600/timp-sunset-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FFLJ6JNPjBEgz6VXamxuKFfASF43SB2Z8fAz313SBA9XdRewZdoZMaPKPYDupPgF9tFlSVBkv40DRIb21yGXByIy_Nn7DL3vGes-sKoh-4Ek6sSGZwNqKMpun1j3Q9mlybLn4yRK5VYA/s1600/timp-sunset-1000.png" height="380" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun setting across Timp Canyon.</td></tr>
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As we ate dinner, we noticed that the clouds had cleared up all over the sky. It looked like a front might be moving in, clearing them away. Good news for tomorrow, but bad news for tonight. Without a thermal blanket above us, the earth radiated away its energy quickly, and the cold set in. The clearest sign of this came from my sleeping bag, which had gotten slightly damp during the day. While I was still eating dinner, a little before 6pm, that water was turning to frost! We quickly moved every damp or loose item under or inside of a pack, "to prevent frosting". Too bad we didn't have a cake. 44 miles to Christmas.</div>
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<b>Day 7:</b></div>
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Personal sunrise 8:35 am</div>
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Personal sunset 3:18 pm</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpCFBlTMoUkF-rO5Qbc6jdnO0PlOLpwQLVlrBYonlSKYNGCWniuyeqgPydprl367tJqnLwPbGb4zpqYrBfPepUshTEwgVgym-W8_kkbpRDnxba6OregtpIx2_taiBGk8DVwDIlUMlfVL3/s1600/web-R0013637.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpCFBlTMoUkF-rO5Qbc6jdnO0PlOLpwQLVlrBYonlSKYNGCWniuyeqgPydprl367tJqnLwPbGb4zpqYrBfPepUshTEwgVgym-W8_kkbpRDnxba6OregtpIx2_taiBGk8DVwDIlUMlfVL3/s1600/web-R0013637.png" height="484" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise from my sleeping bag</td></tr>
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What a long day. 8 miles as the crow flies, much longer by our route. We woke up to beautiful blue skies, a gorgeous sunrise, fog in the distance below Mt. Trumbull, and shoes frozen solid. Thankfully the shoes thawed rather quickly once we started walking. We had three major drainages to cross. Stina Canyon was the biggest, and we contoured into it on a nice patch of Esplanade to plan our attack. By now we had gotten better at this and were able to find a way down, a nearly brush-free crossing right above a pour-off, and then a scramble up the other side. A little foresight goes a long way when you're battling oaks.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pl8kRthFdzV7YVj3H0rMVwDi6UxSkgQpB9YhXXZVv9Ir9-qHbafk6Oeo2-EfilVeX_78ZT1pGuGVhkj78GGAf3v2-N7I4oZGGZI9J9qc7QVtrwQE0KOBUKXGmlJ67GgS8KD0Ewat7aN_/s1600/web-R0013658.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pl8kRthFdzV7YVj3H0rMVwDi6UxSkgQpB9YhXXZVv9Ir9-qHbafk6Oeo2-EfilVeX_78ZT1pGuGVhkj78GGAf3v2-N7I4oZGGZI9J9qc7QVtrwQE0KOBUKXGmlJ67GgS8KD0Ewat7aN_/s1600/web-R0013658.png" height="444" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise a few minutes later</td></tr>
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We continued up to Muav Saddle on the eastern slopes above Saddle Canyon. The drainage crossings were full of scrub oak and the occasional new mexican locust, but most of the hiking was in juniper/manzanita country, with the occasional pinyon, agave or prickly pear. I really enjoy this kind of bushwhacking - enough challenge to keep it interesting, but not enough to get frustrating. And after the day before I was fully in the zone and prepared for it. It puts one in a unique headspace; mind occupied simultaneously by your route on multiple scales. You need to pay attention to your immediate steps: avoiding that prickly pair, for instance. And you need to look ahead for paths of least resistance through the vegetation, connecting them to each other and forming hypothesis about what might lay ahead. Finally, you have to make sure you're meeting your general goals of where you want to get to - contouring and maintaining elevation, heading up to a saddle, entering or leaving a drainage, etc. With my mind occupied by all of these things, I feel fully present in the landscape. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7ATopqlomMSq6lbGc5wlV7BI5e_Vg4BSmRF8478H2LmljfuInPV7WVkiLls2jve98EWWqPFI7gAUTo0NaA4b0I-dLnRPo7TQWSrfMRrifhuvL15FxRj5DGvjr4OAb0sXl2Jl44uz1x0x/s1600/web-R0013695.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7ATopqlomMSq6lbGc5wlV7BI5e_Vg4BSmRF8478H2LmljfuInPV7WVkiLls2jve98EWWqPFI7gAUTo0NaA4b0I-dLnRPo7TQWSrfMRrifhuvL15FxRj5DGvjr4OAb0sXl2Jl44uz1x0x/s1600/web-R0013695.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manzanita. 'nough said.</td></tr>
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As we ascended through the brush, we kept thinking we would drop into Saddle Canyon, but the slopes on the east side kept presenting us with better alternatives. The junipers gradually gave way and we were walking through knee to waist high manzanita. The day before this would have frustrated me, but with the right head on my shoulders I just slowed down slightly, gave the branches their due respect, and passed through the gauntlet relatively unscathed. Working with and around the manzanita, rather than against it, makes a huge difference. And it sure as hell beats fighting locusts up a drainage.</div>
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Finally, however, the good manzanita ran out and we dropped into Saddle Canyon just after Powell Spring. The drainage was easier than we expected, with the occasional oak or locust to avoid, but no thickets. And best of all, we were entering ponderosa pine country. These were big, old-growth ponderosas, most of them at least 3 feet wide. These old trees have a yellow-red bark and are called "yellow-bellies". They also have an amazing smell to them, like butterscotch or vanilla. I made sure to stop and put my nose in between the bark of the bigger ones.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsSr9tD9VnRmjMLVpv4NLktQZmU8DPsxvuNCT-iiS9B36woxN47GgGa1W_xdWZV4DlaeD4b47e5CRIQgwX-0MYZQCZ6u1NLlvY-VTMPBn9KRnObJrAc-wZm4ChwGrHFGqP6O8ZDTQ-Tn7/s1600/web-R0013704.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsSr9tD9VnRmjMLVpv4NLktQZmU8DPsxvuNCT-iiS9B36woxN47GgGa1W_xdWZV4DlaeD4b47e5CRIQgwX-0MYZQCZ6u1NLlvY-VTMPBn9KRnObJrAc-wZm4ChwGrHFGqP6O8ZDTQ-Tn7/s1600/web-R0013704.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up the Saddle Canyon drainage in the snow</td></tr>
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Up on Powell Plateau, just a short walk from Muav Saddle, lies an even larger grove of yellow-bellies. Protected from logging by the relative difficulty of accessing them, they remained unscathed. Up there, every tree is a yellow-belly, and when you top out on the plateau the entire place smells of butterscotch. If there had been less snow on the ground we would've made the side trip up there, but we wanted to ensure that we camped down lower to have a warm night.</div>
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We got to the patrol cabin below Muav Saddle at 2pm. This was used by Teddy Roosevelt back when he was hunting cougars on the Plateau, and now is used occasionally by backcountry rangers. It contains a register, and as is my way when I encounter a register, I added a haiku:</div>
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<i>Snow makes great TP</i></div>
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<i>Forty miles to Christmas</i></div>
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<i>There's beer at the Ranch</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVOxzVSb3N12JPGhg1jQ7mQ1Gx2X_SR11N_3WJqymnQ_pDS3-7tDfqo53MlZW0GOg7ZeaSMV0RNIdnLhUqHZ863g6png2Ih5PcrIMa_-KXH7NoeGGMCk88W0Nm7G-k9Uq5p4VdWuNv-r5/s1600/web-R0013708.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVOxzVSb3N12JPGhg1jQ7mQ1Gx2X_SR11N_3WJqymnQ_pDS3-7tDfqo53MlZW0GOg7ZeaSMV0RNIdnLhUqHZ863g6png2Ih5PcrIMa_-KXH7NoeGGMCk88W0Nm7G-k9Uq5p4VdWuNv-r5/s1600/web-R0013708.png" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The PEAKS!</td></tr>
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After reading and writing in the register, we headed up to the Saddle, and I could see the San Francisco Peaks! It was great seeing a little slice of home. This was the mental crux of our trek, and we had been dreading the snow for the previous couple of days. It was also the halfway point, in terms of time. So it was great to be over the hump and headed down. This was our second scenic divide - we said our goodbyes to the Esplanade for good, and headed down the North Bass Trail. Having a trail made a huge difference in our time, and we got all the way below the Redwall and out onto a campsite on the Tapeats sandstone before dark. Craig had the quote of the day on the way down: "It's nice to be walking through the manzanita, without walking <i>through</i> the manzanita".</div>
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34 miles to Christmas!<br />
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To read Part 3 of the story, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-3.html">click here</a>.</div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-5091899378812211062014-12-27T16:27:00.004-08:002014-12-28T09:26:56.929-08:00100 miles to Christmas - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From December 13th to December 25th, 2014, my friend Craig and I embarked on the most epic backpacking trip that either of us has done. 100 miles across the Grand Canyon, starting at Hack Canyon in the West and with the goal of reaching Phantom Ranch by Christmas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRXm4eQOrXjAwAk-e4dpS_QkIyMCQPJNCQ7ajQXQsAc-7oieBn_OzzRSVRJZ5i9XbuUD_Hp_9dbRGLIsnjlTLUBq4r0konSxA_9EoofTVL7PvjWPY3xexBVfeDTUmvCj-Lig0r8soUQzF/s1600/entire-hike.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRXm4eQOrXjAwAk-e4dpS_QkIyMCQPJNCQ7ajQXQsAc-7oieBn_OzzRSVRJZ5i9XbuUD_Hp_9dbRGLIsnjlTLUBq4r0konSxA_9EoofTVL7PvjWPY3xexBVfeDTUmvCj-Lig0r8soUQzF/s1600/entire-hike.png" height="494" width="640" /></a></div>
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The route involves only about 20 miles of official trail between Hack and the Ranch, not counting the South Kaibab at the end. Most of the rest involved easy route finding, following creeks or contouring on terraces. There were a couple of sections that were relatively unknown, but we both knew that they would "go" - how easily was another question.<br />
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We planned it for nearly a full year, and in October I drove to the North Rim, got the permit, and hiked two food caches in - one off of Point Sublime, and one near the Indian Hollow Trailhead. In order to ensure that we didn't feed any wildlife we used some very sturdy containers (paint cans for one and an ammo can for the other), so I'll have to make another trip back up there to retrieve the two caches.<br />
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The trip went great, despite some bad weather - we even made it to Phantom a day early and hiked out Christmas morning. We had three major "scenic divides" on the trip, where we crossed over a pass and the landscape changed dramatically. One at Fishtail Mesa saddle, one at Muav Saddle, and another at the Flint/Tuna Saddle. I've divided the trip report into sections based on those divides. This first installment covers from Hack Canyon to Fishtail Mesa Saddle:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQVDwUE055OWOG07AYPEwh1ZK95MrQyOpXog-besrOzM7aFG7BEWaibJmDkSMWHqvHIpHZOxOrJRXf4Lc8EOOZI3nM0HcpOTbf-LTF7jCUKq19hzHKsIODrNt-W4AjdwUgRmNhwzuv_Zt/s1600/section+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQVDwUE055OWOG07AYPEwh1ZK95MrQyOpXog-besrOzM7aFG7BEWaibJmDkSMWHqvHIpHZOxOrJRXf4Lc8EOOZI3nM0HcpOTbf-LTF7jCUKq19hzHKsIODrNt-W4AjdwUgRmNhwzuv_Zt/s1600/section+1.png" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
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We did not carry a GPS, so the track above is an estimate drawn on Caltopo, after the hike. You could probably add 10-20% to all of our distances to get how far we actually walked. Among other things, we kept track of "personal sunrise and sunset" - defined by the first and last moment in the day when the sun shines brightly enough for you to cast a distinct shadow.<br />
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<b>Day 1:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p8gDBtmIBf_2_Ac9k3LJKaqOdsZNY6wiiraY3rUJERtZm5xbuelcpwKF419TiE3KNpRObpFY84mLt32zAnhVs60Tqb_9eANpSOrtC8-lPX5H0P6z7zNXIRu3dUeokgVOAbFwNd0laWb3/s1600/R0012864-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p8gDBtmIBf_2_Ac9k3LJKaqOdsZNY6wiiraY3rUJERtZm5xbuelcpwKF419TiE3KNpRObpFY84mLt32zAnhVs60Tqb_9eANpSOrtC8-lPX5H0P6z7zNXIRu3dUeokgVOAbFwNd0laWb3/s1600/R0012864-1000.png" height="440" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were treated to a gorgeous show of light at the South Rim on our drive up.</td></tr>
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Our day started by meeting our shuttle driver - my Dad. We got in our cars and drove to the South Rim, leaving Craig's van at the visitor center, for us to drive back to Flagstaff at the end of the hike. We got into my Dad's Civic and headed off. As we drove along the rim road, the canyon treated us with a beautiful show of light, shadow, and snow. Wonderful to behold, but also ominous for our shuttle - the plan being to drive the Civic as far down Hack Canyon road as it could reasonably go and then hike from there. We took a brief pause at Moran Point for photos, then got back in and headed off to the uncertainty of Mt. Trumbell Road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRavEjG3diq5aUCr26WfjIVQcxGFwgJGaZeSwtC2-gOTvS6Ulpq9LsVN1_U3IQ9_RO6bwVbohIsrLUU5VS4ILlWAhB__VYO4eW8Ok-21qPMyM55GIavVc4wblt4mgcpKT4Nzhf7T4S398/s1600/R0012902-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRavEjG3diq5aUCr26WfjIVQcxGFwgJGaZeSwtC2-gOTvS6Ulpq9LsVN1_U3IQ9_RO6bwVbohIsrLUU5VS4ILlWAhB__VYO4eW8Ok-21qPMyM55GIavVc4wblt4mgcpKT4Nzhf7T4S398/s1600/R0012902-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ominous skies as we turned onto Hack Canyon Road</td></tr>
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The road was in good shape, with just a few puddles, and we got to Hack Canyon road without incident. Again, this storm system gave us a show of dramatic clouds and light. Beautiful and ominous. Hack Canyon Road required us to get out several times and walk along, moving rocks to accommodate the astoundingly low clearance Civic. But we made it down to the Hack Canyon Mine and said our goodbyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU7v9ukx3fyqnolF8hSeK5-C_4NvaSfkstrrBp9rGG4huRZ_1G1wgsTK3tFS5RJr_n6ve-kI_Bp8a8HlqJ0yif75LqtF7HufkSYCSfeGhx11WMDnaiquMXWlGakIsOKKH4BVJyxUr1woc/s1600/R0012904-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU7v9ukx3fyqnolF8hSeK5-C_4NvaSfkstrrBp9rGG4huRZ_1G1wgsTK3tFS5RJr_n6ve-kI_Bp8a8HlqJ0yif75LqtF7HufkSYCSfeGhx11WMDnaiquMXWlGakIsOKKH4BVJyxUr1woc/s1600/R0012904-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks, Dad!</td></tr>
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I've never felt as committed to something as that moment, watching my Dad drive out of view, then turning East and imagining the path before us. I had been to two places on the route between here and Crystal Rapid. That was 10 days away. Everything else was new territory for me. We had all the information we needed, and we new the route would go, but it still felt like it was going to be quite an adventure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6aUIyrkSv_6x1HFC5zfXOyKcgavFZQDYFXp9GA3FTej9pK_5Eh8rr7pmu0HSb4RkWPU95_lBAHqFN6D6QtTnSvezUBf87CQvdiyu-EjeiAJm0eXHJcDxgrhRmud0NdMVZxrre91H1PgZ/s1600/R0012911-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6aUIyrkSv_6x1HFC5zfXOyKcgavFZQDYFXp9GA3FTej9pK_5Eh8rr7pmu0HSb4RkWPU95_lBAHqFN6D6QtTnSvezUBf87CQvdiyu-EjeiAJm0eXHJcDxgrhRmud0NdMVZxrre91H1PgZ/s1600/R0012911-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says commitment like getting dropped off with our packs on a rainy day with no cell service and no vehicle.</td></tr>
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We walked through intermittant squalls and sunshine down the Hack Canyon Road and then Trail, passing ephemeral waterfalls when we reached the Supai. We found a great overhang camp and managed to avoid setting up our tent. We made simultaneous bets, Price is Right rules, on how many nights we would use the tent. I guessed 2 and Craig guessed 1. 93 Miles to Christmas.<br />
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<b>Day 2:</b><br />
Personal Sunrise 9:20 am<br />
Personal Sunset 5:05 pm<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvFxr0gM9XGXFa7iPzceqChyCk6JDfNJqqktigW9ikg4DIDNSHJ1PwOPzsPsUPcHOUNP_mDolpDFJKxPaIXOCxNapUB3t_WKzwUOWk7TGFzIGRoOQ7z2i38upYNcrIkrzgdKR2iXVuh75/s1600/R0012951-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvFxr0gM9XGXFa7iPzceqChyCk6JDfNJqqktigW9ikg4DIDNSHJ1PwOPzsPsUPcHOUNP_mDolpDFJKxPaIXOCxNapUB3t_WKzwUOWk7TGFzIGRoOQ7z2i38upYNcrIkrzgdKR2iXVuh75/s1600/R0012951-1000.png" height="640" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanab Creek - a gentle, flowing stream through the redwall.</td></tr>
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This was a long day. Possibly the most miles either of us has ever walked on a single day of backpacking. We continued on down Hack Canyon, descending through the Supai. Out here in the Western Grand Canyon, the top layer of the Supai Group, the Esplanade sandstone, forms large, flat terraces. This makes it feel a lot like the Needles district at Canyonlands, and Hack had the same feel. We hit Kanab Creek and turned right. From here it's 10.5 miles to the confluence with Jumpup Canyon, and we made it in about 3 hours. Easy, flat walking. As Kanab descended into the Redwall, it got more and more beautiful. It's really quite unique in the Grand Canyon - a gentle creek bubbling its way through the grassy bottom of a canyon with towering, straight walls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDsWfmdXsiICQz5T-mKe7sU89oJnuTGJ-7Pe63LF7rAOFaAoBYvHiV34-9DgtCUXe4FabfSOUHY2WiSqddiyruYYRvqaZXH_BaDvqJrl7-O-a7Obfao-zJ3IuKPEAymwVIRagHozBIswz/s1600/R0012970-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDsWfmdXsiICQz5T-mKe7sU89oJnuTGJ-7Pe63LF7rAOFaAoBYvHiV34-9DgtCUXe4FabfSOUHY2WiSqddiyruYYRvqaZXH_BaDvqJrl7-O-a7Obfao-zJ3IuKPEAymwVIRagHozBIswz/s1600/R0012970-1000.png" height="640" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy walking up Jumpup canyon.</td></tr>
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The grass ended when we started up Jumpup, but the walking remained easy. Our packs were heavy with a week's worth of food, but rainpools were frequent and we weren't carrying much water, so we cruised up to the top of the Redwall and headed into Kwagunt Hollow. Kwagunt was a way to avoid Steck's "Obstacle Pool" in Indian Hollow - a pool that was certainly full to the brim. And on the plus side, Kwagunt is a spring-fed canyon in the Supai. Quite beautiful. Nearing the last layers of Supai at 4:30, we realized that we could potentially make the Esplanade tonight, and have beautiful views and an earlier sunrise. So we got a second wind and raced against the clock to arrive on top of the Esplanade right as the sun set.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5kZMf9rkmcS5nZiZvi_BB94WqBkUg5o_cOso_YBorwhu75q02KMKJnraXbmVEN7BleyBc5X0C9im_7Suxcc4OvLJY9ON-8a5a5JHFyeTGR0UieRNJdm8cvZtAYudUJLYVjneVVUpN9nf/s1600/R0013006-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5kZMf9rkmcS5nZiZvi_BB94WqBkUg5o_cOso_YBorwhu75q02KMKJnraXbmVEN7BleyBc5X0C9im_7Suxcc4OvLJY9ON-8a5a5JHFyeTGR0UieRNJdm8cvZtAYudUJLYVjneVVUpN9nf/s1600/R0013006-1000.png" height="640" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just in the nick of time.</td></tr>
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Craig and I have done quite a few hikes in the Canyon in the winter, and there's a phenomenon we call Canyon Insomnia. First, you get to camp and immediately change into every warm layer you have. The desert loses heat quickly in the winter. Then you're so tired after dinner that you fall asleep before 8. But the nights are so long that it's hard to sleep through them, no matter how tired you are. And it's also pretty much impossible to eat enough at 7pm to last you until the morning. So my routine is to wake up around midnight, warm a Snickers bar in my sleeping bag, then eat it while I read on my Nook or watch the stars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqLwj9BgVdDAO-ucKl5HpXzDQcuEKN1PmgGtEb4lMEsK8xlpjuBJ0jF3MY_CKXDeMKkX9-Oe7nNxJObMSCzD956GFGISjBWB_Y72TaWweXEasgAICkChCChKS0-K4FBngT_iTQv1sF7ny/s1600/R0013067-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqLwj9BgVdDAO-ucKl5HpXzDQcuEKN1PmgGtEb4lMEsK8xlpjuBJ0jF3MY_CKXDeMKkX9-Oe7nNxJObMSCzD956GFGISjBWB_Y72TaWweXEasgAICkChCChKS0-K4FBngT_iTQv1sF7ny/s1600/R0013067-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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This night, however, I had a new method of keeping myself busy - night photography. I stayed up until about 11pm shooting milky way shots, watching the tail end of the Geminid Meteor Shower, and setting up for a star trails shot. With the camera set up on my Trailpix tripod, I went to bed and let it kill a battery getting the trails. I slept straight through the night to the next morning, so I called that a success - unfortunately, this was the only night on the trip with clear skies and a good composition to do much night shooting. Oh, well.<br />
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77 miles to Christmas . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMiYBaA4175lGY_-295B6lBNqQJrG75kbPjATAPm_W1eBYNUSg0dkRTu9d54mWUn16KheEyxHGFVdMX8Oifl10_FZmWSx_BvoP4pLakG-_dMoyHM-zVBDbzR-9s44mj5GjTFIcc8tF46N/s1600/R0013096-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMiYBaA4175lGY_-295B6lBNqQJrG75kbPjATAPm_W1eBYNUSg0dkRTu9d54mWUn16KheEyxHGFVdMX8Oifl10_FZmWSx_BvoP4pLakG-_dMoyHM-zVBDbzR-9s44mj5GjTFIcc8tF46N/s1600/R0013096-1000.png" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
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<b>Day 3:</b></div>
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Personal sunrise 8:55 am</div>
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Personal sunset 5:13 pm</div>
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The next morning treated us with a gorgeous sunrise. Blue skies and full rain pockets cheered our spirits as we traversed the Esplanade towards Fishtail Mesa, doing our best to avoid stepping on Cryptobiotic soil (quite a bit harder to avoid on an off-trail route). Once again, the whole landscape felt like we were in the Needles, and the full rain pockets just added to the magic. Rain pocket water is wonderful - unlike rainpools that are in a drainage, the catchment area for an Esplanade pocket is rarely much bigger than the pocket itself. So, with very little danger of water-borne illness, we filled up frequently, never bothering to treat the water or needing to carry more than a liter at a time. Sometimes we would just lean down and sip straight out of the pool.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG171928cwzTcBcVq26t5zYZYAQ4s4clWaLwyJda1Kd-61zmgnTQihX5OyKB8XdXo_DFNUHH3D7g8ZpNNr6CpyoaBnLhEMiI9n9_1L4cf8wl_UXKDisYQ7hwP1Z1gBm8ub3fyMJRKLhxHF/s1600/R0013370-1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG171928cwzTcBcVq26t5zYZYAQ4s4clWaLwyJda1Kd-61zmgnTQihX5OyKB8XdXo_DFNUHH3D7g8ZpNNr6CpyoaBnLhEMiI9n9_1L4cf8wl_UXKDisYQ7hwP1Z1gBm8ub3fyMJRKLhxHF/s1600/R0013370-1000.png" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tributaries of Indian Hollow.</td></tr>
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Finally we rounded the tributaries of Kwagunt and Indian Hollow and got into the Indian Hollow drainage itself, just at the top of the Supai. Indian Hollow heads up to the rim (and to our first cache), but we avoided some scrambling and snow by heading up and over the saddle connecting Fishtail Mesa to the mainland. The north slope was strenuous but straightforward, and we got to the saddle pretty quickly. From here, we could see back to Hack Canyon, and ahead to Powell Plateau and Muav Saddle, ominously covered in snow. We found the descent route down, which was a steep Coconino talus slope. Back on the sandstone, we contoured until the sun was low, stopping at some water pockets to set up a camp.</div>
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At camp we got our first food cache - a giant sized Snickers bar that we special ordered from Mars. It comes complete with a hard, mouse-resilient exterior and would feed us for the next four days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVudLgJrutURcq3FbxitrOIKa12mJ9mvh3NWdeSLjNSLAYb1F_U57YNIe6IhzNVhwQvTLuseHjKkZHBnkONw7TysFqOTQ5hcsIhS6eEWTTsSL-E6MZAoOti71sjeMONDeHtX6gTZNZDhPK/s1600/snickers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVudLgJrutURcq3FbxitrOIKa12mJ9mvh3NWdeSLjNSLAYb1F_U57YNIe6IhzNVhwQvTLuseHjKkZHBnkONw7TysFqOTQ5hcsIhS6eEWTTsSL-E6MZAoOti71sjeMONDeHtX6gTZNZDhPK/s1600/snickers.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well that's a big Snickers!</td></tr>
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This was the first of three major scenic divides on the trip - we said goodbye to the Kanab Creek drainage, Jumpup, Indian Hollow and Kwagunt. Soon we would say goodbye to the Esplanade altogether, and start making our way over to Muav Saddle.<br />
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68 miles to Christmas...<br />
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To read Part 2 of the trip report, <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-miles-to-christmas-part-2.html">click here</a>.</div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-17824366459845913712013-12-01T09:28:00.002-08:002013-12-01T10:01:57.320-08:00First bikepacking trip!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vR2CgWfdK2R4yg9RD15R3-_2h7X7gLPpTxGIiQqMaR7X9tmYhAf1BX0JwyN-OfO0z7AXvCrV1I55IC94RhNjpe3qE9n1HI0gsmCg-CQEHFfYwcUO_OJVnlucTfSr8A02lsdvV6br6au4/s1600/IMGP4346-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vR2CgWfdK2R4yg9RD15R3-_2h7X7gLPpTxGIiQqMaR7X9tmYhAf1BX0JwyN-OfO0z7AXvCrV1I55IC94RhNjpe3qE9n1HI0gsmCg-CQEHFfYwcUO_OJVnlucTfSr8A02lsdvV6br6au4/s640/IMGP4346-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitting the open trail</td></tr>
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The weather looked good for Thanksgiving weekend, and it was time to hit the trail. I decided on doing an overnight on the Black Canyon Trail. My frame bag wasn't complete, and my gps mount was still in the mail, but who cares? Get on the bike and go for it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9g5CTCfc0Rs_P0kN79E_u7N_Xu-fJd2allKqD5Ug5DIlV8A0pvm8RhTGI2DM9gRz_3jMbZTLTY2OBrbrX9K4NUPpcKVwta6oO8-EuR2dpXCFlxvKGVN8h_WHn1-gToPFQT4sMMxR6YRG/s1600/IMGP4330-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9g5CTCfc0Rs_P0kN79E_u7N_Xu-fJd2allKqD5Ug5DIlV8A0pvm8RhTGI2DM9gRz_3jMbZTLTY2OBrbrX9K4NUPpcKVwta6oO8-EuR2dpXCFlxvKGVN8h_WHn1-gToPFQT4sMMxR6YRG/s640/IMGP4330-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first thing I needed was a way to mount my GPS on the bike. A bit of sleeping pad, some tape, and 5 minutes time and I had a super-strong mount. The tape started to slide off the GPS near the end of the ride, but it was pretty good while it lasted. Duct tape or gorilla tape would've probably held up better.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianpw2ExtOkO3AqdMo7BwpLKCs_zpYJ-e2Y4ggb7GOt5ZKYyn04KgeAIAw0voShk0Pc0IvH9umQ3rUvnCS-N4K3n0wd4SJz6hS5dl8mCov2pUsynR5OKwLOhlZ71frXdG9nByqFMEdzVVt/s1600/IMGP4331-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianpw2ExtOkO3AqdMo7BwpLKCs_zpYJ-e2Y4ggb7GOt5ZKYyn04KgeAIAw0voShk0Pc0IvH9umQ3rUvnCS-N4K3n0wd4SJz6hS5dl8mCov2pUsynR5OKwLOhlZ71frXdG9nByqFMEdzVVt/s640/IMGP4331-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I started to pack my things onto the bike, I realized I'd forgotten the handlebar sling that I'd made! It was in my house in Flagstaff. I improvised with a canvas shopping bag and two straps. Funny thing is, this setup actually secured the bag tighter to the frame than the sling I made, and it's simpler. A new handlebar sling is in the works, using this idea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4RjNLPSIjmr-PhyFsQdDm882Ox1uM28Xs_drunj8bcAF5rB9V6wQS3iaiUO-wijr1inoEVRx5u1KFVP1wYDFK86S_MzXxojebJArAYGbUfCj9IZHgBI7cDqgb925teD0XpwlsGpzv1gH/s1600/IMGP4329-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4RjNLPSIjmr-PhyFsQdDm882Ox1uM28Xs_drunj8bcAF5rB9V6wQS3iaiUO-wijr1inoEVRx5u1KFVP1wYDFK86S_MzXxojebJArAYGbUfCj9IZHgBI7cDqgb925teD0XpwlsGpzv1gH/s640/IMGP4329-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The complete set-up, ready to go. First true test of my homemade panniers. I rode with a small pack and hydration system for my water. All together, more space than I needed for an overnight (the pack carried only the hydration system, otherwise it was empty).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTQbAlZfMJtSId_OjEWT0Utnsu19SWDScvl_wER9I_Y17_ojXqrofNB1wJz27rFMyiYDdCIJ1lrDbeTc3R61GYPIKIPXDGU82q4ZU7Z9N5rG4pvNESUHa61Ut4Db5gbztsI7-fKJrpL9M/s1600/IMGP4332-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTQbAlZfMJtSId_OjEWT0Utnsu19SWDScvl_wER9I_Y17_ojXqrofNB1wJz27rFMyiYDdCIJ1lrDbeTc3R61GYPIKIPXDGU82q4ZU7Z9N5rG4pvNESUHa61Ut4Db5gbztsI7-fKJrpL9M/s640/IMGP4332-1000.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route begins with nice singletrack through the open prairie landscape that I had only seen previously from interstate 17.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QYMS8sjt_fyC8OJUpI59gaZ7j2nJKMmehir-pxX-9G4VivoR3WhgpJ0Y34W1H0VRQxI4oIzbWe2UShnRm7IFxYI2mSBi6aV1MN1n3O2jTOIeQABCB0pO2GsnKgmmP_HUSzbMiAoJpPfR/s1600/IMGP4333-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QYMS8sjt_fyC8OJUpI59gaZ7j2nJKMmehir-pxX-9G4VivoR3WhgpJ0Y34W1H0VRQxI4oIzbWe2UShnRm7IFxYI2mSBi6aV1MN1n3O2jTOIeQABCB0pO2GsnKgmmP_HUSzbMiAoJpPfR/s640/IMGP4333-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AfPbVTxgoptPaKEkHt_20qUxSczJfAaUCABPbUcmPz-kqHsetkb1JYIe8x68VRTxCCPZAnesSD-ffmac4ztZ3uuQ3m_uhGW1XYGo_P4qjLaU7B6G5C2FPmbPsF3M60oudQcHcvfh941T/s1600/IMGP4336-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AfPbVTxgoptPaKEkHt_20qUxSczJfAaUCABPbUcmPz-kqHsetkb1JYIe8x68VRTxCCPZAnesSD-ffmac4ztZ3uuQ3m_uhGW1XYGo_P4qjLaU7B6G5C2FPmbPsF3M60oudQcHcvfh941T/s640/IMGP4336-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I met two guys doing a one-day trip down the trail while taking a break at this windmill. I decided not to filter the cow-water and instead wait for a better source.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeRcPUhUCi8D8zlMOwkMRMc_gy1dfiMKfqpK7ZVVlBjqlCgbdE_xhXN9OXkHK1OsjupeJf__RLvcaIxfsJ4qIIMxIavcLaT7cTQw5uMA5tZHbZunpDpQOvv2PmQUZGPp9IsJh0A5rKBmO/s1600/IMGP4340-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeRcPUhUCi8D8zlMOwkMRMc_gy1dfiMKfqpK7ZVVlBjqlCgbdE_xhXN9OXkHK1OsjupeJf__RLvcaIxfsJ4qIIMxIavcLaT7cTQw5uMA5tZHbZunpDpQOvv2PmQUZGPp9IsJh0A5rKBmO/s640/IMGP4340-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They soon left me in the dust; I'm not a very fast rider.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcEpGeiC1XQ0saNPVEkPMch9KqACQDQchb0-ffdFuA2rEtRm-BmSlXb0aCt8hFfI2xX0t_Ho-1FeyVxBGW4mbdap35BDKdeeEAjkFDVMBnasJSm93_xhMM7ix3bMCrUBJyvJY1R7mGPon/s1600/IMGP4342-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcEpGeiC1XQ0saNPVEkPMch9KqACQDQchb0-ffdFuA2rEtRm-BmSlXb0aCt8hFfI2xX0t_Ho-1FeyVxBGW4mbdap35BDKdeeEAjkFDVMBnasJSm93_xhMM7ix3bMCrUBJyvJY1R7mGPon/s640/IMGP4342-1000.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3AiEZWZZTUyCfzHMg76sF6KXGIEtYTUZwyQ13V8mt7MfQz31O3P0SiMu_0kVNrrFwnaJrwhqjbSe6UvtQt0_sHUKsE2dgT4BwSYKSgEksZzrF1uKp6EMj-GBGt_lwo_JScWUIFopvO8_/s1600/IMGP4347-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3AiEZWZZTUyCfzHMg76sF6KXGIEtYTUZwyQ13V8mt7MfQz31O3P0SiMu_0kVNrrFwnaJrwhqjbSe6UvtQt0_sHUKsE2dgT4BwSYKSgEksZzrF1uKp6EMj-GBGt_lwo_JScWUIFopvO8_/s640/IMGP4347-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I'm headed down...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIpFcl-jwKveGv960c8-vr8yGNHZQ73vYQF0HtlqqmbpX_Gca1VR_MUm1BKv_orWOiUU3lISc-_KFHdJ8y8JjGQbKfVYQfvZItGoQgce9hUGuB03dv2cw2V2P7WZ5qFXEfHbU6zfXckme/s1600/IMGP4348-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIpFcl-jwKveGv960c8-vr8yGNHZQ73vYQF0HtlqqmbpX_Gca1VR_MUm1BKv_orWOiUU3lISc-_KFHdJ8y8JjGQbKfVYQfvZItGoQgce9hUGuB03dv2cw2V2P7WZ5qFXEfHbU6zfXckme/s640/IMGP4348-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet, smooth singletrack dropping into Black Canyon.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93LFH4GElV3RVE5uWrVBidXuuL4-a79g5g5iFYA3cjNupmASJE8D9_eMZzdPNFF9id9q2rE6TFZ0yPzC3xvBYpY5o5JQjDOwrWhO_RZGQzygUTK1ckP5jvxr5KSJZNGVuW-CjOz11gmk_/s1600/IMGP4349-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93LFH4GElV3RVE5uWrVBidXuuL4-a79g5g5iFYA3cjNupmASJE8D9_eMZzdPNFF9id9q2rE6TFZ0yPzC3xvBYpY5o5JQjDOwrWhO_RZGQzygUTK1ckP5jvxr5KSJZNGVuW-CjOz11gmk_/s640/IMGP4349-1000.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVBEUyOXYo4yyXZ-eV7_r2QomHGuqY9CMMdKsF_c8egulc7Hu1ryKs3zFcKBdN7d0wLqUCWseydTlepJz57rAdL0VkZ61mcNGks4xyA2m2fgNdS3NM0_ypV93hkqNlKj40aEH8s5LN50k/s1600/IMGP4350-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVBEUyOXYo4yyXZ-eV7_r2QomHGuqY9CMMdKsF_c8egulc7Hu1ryKs3zFcKBdN7d0wLqUCWseydTlepJz57rAdL0VkZ61mcNGks4xyA2m2fgNdS3NM0_ypV93hkqNlKj40aEH8s5LN50k/s640/IMGP4350-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHvgXVM74BM2EjHP7gx2vLl6FhPvrq8A_e2jy-7RcqRURYFVHooFjC5qDFUXpUZtC7u2rFhVeF8JP722r9RuX0vhPqlYFY9el6zpj_sgdhikMDmcNpYbAA7D1u_wDq6UYynuM7ig3WNzU/s1600/IMGP4352-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHvgXVM74BM2EjHP7gx2vLl6FhPvrq8A_e2jy-7RcqRURYFVHooFjC5qDFUXpUZtC7u2rFhVeF8JP722r9RuX0vhPqlYFY9el6zpj_sgdhikMDmcNpYbAA7D1u_wDq6UYynuM7ig3WNzU/s640/IMGP4352-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My campsite for the night, complete with a view of the Bradshaw Mountains, bike parking and a rock outcropping for protection from wind and redneck gunfire. A mile or so earlier I found a pothole in a drainage with water from recent rain, and filled a water bottle for cooking. That way I didn't have to descend down to Bumble Bee creek to find water and a campsite. Staying out of the drainages is a very good idea in winter desert camping, since cold air flows down them at night. My campsite was probably 10 or 15 degrees warmer than Bumble Bee creek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yoejQs4E4xDBsxtLI597XXoVLv62Np9pgidugUCj9wPcnBoQQCEFq8xU8CTwwfEPGSPFc1uQ59tSSy1MfpWsPoAra2aoT1PHeAj7u1fqjpQlTzRbzjLkqwJSDYuv_l0t4mHPwKIaShvj/s1600/IMGP4353-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yoejQs4E4xDBsxtLI597XXoVLv62Np9pgidugUCj9wPcnBoQQCEFq8xU8CTwwfEPGSPFc1uQ59tSSy1MfpWsPoAra2aoT1PHeAj7u1fqjpQlTzRbzjLkqwJSDYuv_l0t4mHPwKIaShvj/s640/IMGP4353-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumble Bee Ranch. You can see cottonwoods next to the ranch; that's Bumble Bee creek, where I filtered water for the rest of the ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIXxoMPJC2X8vhoiIWad4RLD23VpdeqFyBe77vHZ1wYpd14YG6hSMYneENflRNnsyz-Qntc5M9w5HzKFRePaWkTMN1xTF4YOGz9bGaCAB6uA1WKDuwnfuSA9Ye-aZ_KbkOB8uAZ-Fu6i5/s1600/IMGP4354-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIXxoMPJC2X8vhoiIWad4RLD23VpdeqFyBe77vHZ1wYpd14YG6hSMYneENflRNnsyz-Qntc5M9w5HzKFRePaWkTMN1xTF4YOGz9bGaCAB6uA1WKDuwnfuSA9Ye-aZ_KbkOB8uAZ-Fu6i5/s640/IMGP4354-1000.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACE friends note: this trail is built on a LOT of junk walls. They seem to be holding up just fine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KFidX-tACzaXzgunZavjAa752CYzH3tag91IqiXih2YSYNge0_8I3MnyLpFP4bWlzR3nQj9Cvz7O_Vxy-t0HMgw09IQtsm4o37OAFn6tyqsV_Nl6Y4siQxE3OxLpf_P7Th6gRyzuifar/s1600/IMGP4355-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KFidX-tACzaXzgunZavjAa752CYzH3tag91IqiXih2YSYNge0_8I3MnyLpFP4bWlzR3nQj9Cvz7O_Vxy-t0HMgw09IQtsm4o37OAFn6tyqsV_Nl6Y4siQxE3OxLpf_P7Th6gRyzuifar/s640/IMGP4355-1000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sublime saguaro singletrack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1P5GXDo-Xpb7haaVncHqMB4gz0vEwvo80dBEpd869zjHE1jDIhYouyEHbKgQa_-B9q557kbjtM86fmpcBwP3uoy7Z8J2AFhBhAUQwcWq8XG-ptyu8IzXKbM2Pe-ssjHJsyi1DbKDAIyD/s1600/IMGP4358-1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1P5GXDo-Xpb7haaVncHqMB4gz0vEwvo80dBEpd869zjHE1jDIhYouyEHbKgQa_-B9q557kbjtM86fmpcBwP3uoy7Z8J2AFhBhAUQwcWq8XG-ptyu8IzXKbM2Pe-ssjHJsyi1DbKDAIyD/s640/IMGP4358-1000.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ride ended with an Agua Fria river crossing, complete with some bike-bushwacking along the bank to find the best spot.</td></tr>
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<div>
I started where the trail crosses Highway 69, and finished at the Rock Springs trailhead in Black Canyon City. 40 miles in 2 days isn't a lot of distance for a mountain bike, but I was pretty knackered. The biggest limiting factor was a sore neck and thumbs (oddly enough). I attribute both of these to having not mountain biked in the last 3 years; this is one of the first rides I've taken on the new bike. The panniers held up well, but I did lose a couple of straps from forgetting to tighten them up; my attachment method uses slider lock buckles and relies on tension to keep from unraveling. I may look for a new method, or simply back up with tape next time.</div>
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Also, while I definitely like the panniers and will do more trips with them, for 1-2 night trips my framebag should be sufficient space. And I need to make a small bag that sits in front of me while biking, for snacks and stuff. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but digging into the panniers or a pack for a snickers is too tedious, and I don't eat as often as I should when food's not right in front of me.</div>
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All things considered, a wonderful ride. Bikepacking is *so* much more fun than touring on a road. Riding singletrack, knowing that you can stop and set up camp any time, it's pretty cool. It combines everything I like about backpacking and mountain biking.</div>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-43891994095129247892013-10-15T22:37:00.002-07:002013-10-15T22:37:23.451-07:00Living out of my subaru, and my entry into the car commuter class<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the first 40 days of this semester, I lived out of my car while working a day job in Flagstaff. This post is about how I dealt with the lifestyle, what I enjoyed about it, and what started to drive me nuts 5 weeks in (it might surprise you).<br />
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First off, the idea of living in the woods is about money, but it's not just me being cheap. I'm generally just not that satisfied with paying rent. I'd much rather buy a plot of land, build a shell of a house, and live in it while I finish it. If I'm going to pay a monthly payment, I'd rather it be towards equity. Also, Flagstaff has a lot of totally legal forest service camping, as long as you don't go over 14 days in a month. Since I had three-day weekends and spent them climbing and hiking, that wasn't a huge problem; the rangers aren't sticklers about it if you don't trash up a spot. But enough prelude, on to the details.<br />
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When I first decided that it wasn't worth paying rent in Flagstaff, my first worry was about comfort. Not comfort in terms of sleeping; I know and trust my sleeping bag. But comfort for me also includes being organized. It means that in my daily life I know where the things I need are, and don't go thrashing through half of my stuff to find things on a routine basis.<br />
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So my first step was to go to the used gear store in town and sell off some of my excess gear. The next was to rent a small (4 foot cube) rental space to store things I wouldn't need in the next few months (which makes you wonder, do I really need them at all?). Having downsized my belongings, I set about making my car more comfortable to live in, by building some pull-out shelves from my sleeping platform. My propane stove was parked on one side of the platform, and the shelves provided instant work space for cooking. A small propane tank on the roof connects to the stove with a hose. I dedicated one part of the storage space under the platform to my kitchen, and while I still haven't figured out the best way to organize that, it's a lot better than having no organization at all.<br />
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So with comfort more or less out of the way, the first challenge came: loneliness. I'm a social person, and I like to have a sense of community. This is something that was lacking even when I lived in my last house in Flagstaff, but I had Becky with me then. For my first four weeks living out of my car this semester, she was out leading Prescott College's wilderness orientation. So it was me, in my car, living out in the woods. Getting out there at 9:30 or 10 o'clock after my night classes, after dark even in August. Not ideal by any means. I like to cook, but cooking for one person just isn't that satisfying. And the night classes make it even harder.<br />
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Fortunately, the college provided some of the community that I'd otherwise be lacking, and I met up with a couple of new climbing partners. It's not the same as living in a good house, but I felt better than I did when this started. And I spent my three day weekends going on climbing and hiking trips (the grand canyon three weekends in a row before the shutdown), so the camping and working in town was really just a half time thing. I started to enjoy waking up and doing homework in the woods, setting up a little office with my camp chair and my laptop or my kindle. All things considered, the living part of living in the woods got easier over the weeks. I could easily see myself living out of it again for a summer, when the weather is nice and the days are long. Maybe a climbing summer next year?<br />
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So now for the worst part of subaru life. It wasn't comfort, or loneliness, but driving my car every day. That's really it. Even though Flagstaff has the best free camping of anywhere I've ever been (I could give you complete directions to a half dozen forest service sites off the top of my head, all within 10 miles), none of them are quite close enough for me to bike into work every day. I don't really want a 5+ mile commute back from night classes especially. So I found myself, overnight, having joined the world of car commuting. Years ago, I swore I'd never commute by car on a daily basis. I like the exercise that I get from my bike, and I don't think it makes sense to spend so much energy driving around in our daily lives. Driving this much doesn't feel particularly good, and I feel isolated from the town.<br />
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Now I'm living in a house within easy walking of downtown, and no more than 2 miles to either of CCC's campuses. I'll have some late-night rides home, but nothing terrible. And most importantly, I can give my subaru a rest for a day. I think there was a point where it had been driven every day for over a month; I think this is the first time I've ever done that in my life.</div>
Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-23536422000442344352013-08-31T14:49:00.002-07:002013-08-31T14:49:27.953-07:00Sourdough Apple Pancakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I almost never make "normal" pancakes anymore. Just like I don't make plain cheese quesadillas. I'm always after something interesting to add. So here's my recipe for sourdrough pancakes, with apples added - but I'll put a list in at the end of all sorts of other fun things that I've mixed in recently, too.<br />
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First, you need a sourdough starter. I got mine by mixing flour and water and waiting until it got bubbly, then feeding it periodically. There are all sorts of recipes online about making and feeding starters, but I'm about as lazy as it gets. I keep mine in a sealed glass jar and feed it whenever I use it, and occasionally otherwise. I never measure what I add to it. I've let it go for a week or more at room temperature and had no problems using it in a recipe. It helps that all of my recipes involve long, overnight fermentations; plenty of time for whatever yeast and lacto-bacilli remain in my neglected starter to recoup, multiply and ferment.<br />
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Once you have the starter, the recipe for the pancake batter is quite simple. This is enough for one hungry 27-year-old male:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup/4 oz flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup/4 oz water</li>
<li>3 grams of salt</li>
<li>1 egg (you can at least triple this recipe without increasing the number of eggs)</li>
<li>1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil (or mix in melted butter in the morning)</li>
</ul>
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The night before, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Use a whisk if you have it and mix just enough for everything to combine. And when I say just enough, I mean <i>just</i> enough. Shoot for 10 seconds. Leaving a few lumps is A-ok, they'll cook out. Optionally spritz the top with oil (see <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-possibly-optimal-bread-process.html">my bread post</a> for a DIY oil spray) to keep a skin from developing overnight. This is only necessary with low humidity. Cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature.</div>
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In the morning fry up some sliced apples in butter on medium heat (I sliced two small apples for this):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYyYww0buWL7RQfeaYtgf4aD_kSQGRbG3gP4lp5Ut4voVS8w2FlaA9mFL2AJDEXuEmsweYsO9rgV77nGQOqKV5Lynz3_uEkKBFDz1rbUGCiW-2U-wCsEWX_O2ApxqRvaoiOKFeswRFe__/s1600/IMGP3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYyYww0buWL7RQfeaYtgf4aD_kSQGRbG3gP4lp5Ut4voVS8w2FlaA9mFL2AJDEXuEmsweYsO9rgV77nGQOqKV5Lynz3_uEkKBFDz1rbUGCiW-2U-wCsEWX_O2ApxqRvaoiOKFeswRFe__/s640/IMGP3966.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fry until the apples are soft and browned, about 10 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes to avoid burning. Transfer to another container and start making pancakes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXHrB1Mu-2h6HZm3OVTV_pJM9AnGGZVRUrKCCYn2D5VOLKrEthnPq8WHj0CC5s1BHdTAPoYTmDDVDobyX5AYkjZxQQ4G17P_Jr_AOICVdiyLNm_q1ycPCfO0KsLTYZJevtToEYNoQhV05/s1600/IMGP3973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXHrB1Mu-2h6HZm3OVTV_pJM9AnGGZVRUrKCCYn2D5VOLKrEthnPq8WHj0CC5s1BHdTAPoYTmDDVDobyX5AYkjZxQQ4G17P_Jr_AOICVdiyLNm_q1ycPCfO0KsLTYZJevtToEYNoQhV05/s640/IMGP3973.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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You can either add the apples to individual pancakes, as I did here, or mix them in with the batter. If you add individually, make sure to press them down into the batter a bit so that they don't fall out when you flip the pancakes.</div>
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Once your pancakes are set around the edges (a couple of minutes), flip them and cook another minute to finish. Plate and serve with whatever toppings you feel like; I recommend plain yogurt, but this morning I had none and used strawberry jam instead:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0rKjz_I89f16CuBG6OnVugDDg4zBO7qw2rx68gAhXKtSpbcLyjSo_pqsuSM4ey5cdJ4vTwp-H5D-yHQjRizzgAdQnofAZa9RnzApc2LO7mPZ0z3ICd952nDvhFUXfJOO2TJ8vjtggHa6/s1600/IMGP3977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0rKjz_I89f16CuBG6OnVugDDg4zBO7qw2rx68gAhXKtSpbcLyjSo_pqsuSM4ey5cdJ4vTwp-H5D-yHQjRizzgAdQnofAZa9RnzApc2LO7mPZ0z3ICd952nDvhFUXfJOO2TJ8vjtggHa6/s640/IMGP3977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And there you have it. Here's a list of other ingredients I've added to pancakes this summer, or that I've thought of but haven't tried yet:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Shredded carrots (it might sound odd, but it works, especially when combined with bananas)</li>
<li>Bananas</li>
<li>Shredded cucumber (In <i>small</i> amounts. I haven't tried this one yet)</li>
<li>Any kind of dried fruit, added to the batter the night before</li>
<li>Any kind of nuts, added in the morning</li>
</ul>
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Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-7658715353368590712012-12-28T22:12:00.004-08:002012-12-28T22:12:55.783-08:00My (Possibly Optimal) Bread Process<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>As I'm home for the holidays now, I lack photos of most of the process described here. When I next bake bread, I'll take some pictures.</i><br />
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<b>AKA, How to make good bread as easily as possible.</b><br />
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Like any geek, I enjoy a good optimization problem. I especially enjoy those that involve routine kitchen tasks. One thing that I've added to my list in the last few months is baking bread. While in Europe this year I learned a German recipe for a whole wheat spelt loaf, and since I got back to the States in August I've been making it weekly, trying to perfect it. My criteria to optimize are as follows:<br />
<sup><a href="#breadprocesssourdough"></a></sup><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>All flour must be fermented for several hours with a sourdough starter <sup><a href="#breadprocesssourdough">1</a></sup></li>
<li>It must be primarily whole wheat spelt</li>
<li>It must have a good, hearty crust</li>
<li>It doesn't have to be as light as a loaf of white bread, but it must not be super dense and gummy</li>
<li>While satisfying the above, it must be <i>as easy to make as possible</i></li>
</ul>
The recipe I learned in Europe was super-simple already; it involved only two mixings of ingredients, no kneading, and the most time-consuming part of it was greasing the bread tins. But it still seemed, well . . . sub-optimal.<br />
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The first change I made was to mix all of the ingredients in at the beginning. This is a good idea not just to make it easier, but so that all of the flour in the recipe has a chance to undergo a long fermentation, something that I consider essential to producing truly healthy bread. I may be missing a nuance in the final product by skipping a step, but it still makes a good loaf.<br />
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The second change I made was to measure by weight instead of volume. Apart from being much more accurate, measuring by weight is just easier and creates fewer dishes. I put a large mixing bowl onto my scale, pour in flour until it reads the correct weight, then zero the scale. I move the whole thing to my sink, turn on the faucet and watch the scale. When the water is done, I pour on the salt, again watching the scale. The one thing I don't measure is my starter. I don't think the amount of starter makes much of a difference with such a long fermentation.<br />
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The final change I made was to simplify the greasing of the bread tins. Instead of using butter or oil spread around with a finger, I found out that you can use a spray bottle filled with a mix of <a href="http://naturesnurtureblog.com/2012/04/03/tiny-tip-tuesday-homemade-cooking-spray/">oil and water</a> <sup><a href="#breadprocessbotulism">2</a></sup>. Then I put some flour in a small metal strainer and shake it over the tin to evenly distribute it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_eG38BCfjrHHHzkHdEW7of_2TntYe5irlwyME3UyiZqK5V6EgdRsTZa5WAyi2_UVuoCGP0VLr4Alunud-dqojQ1Mw2NXbi9oZJ1lEtPlv7Fc3W55CVAUjIr1TWcmtKoFydnnWhPICGru/s1600/braggs-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_eG38BCfjrHHHzkHdEW7of_2TntYe5irlwyME3UyiZqK5V6EgdRsTZa5WAyi2_UVuoCGP0VLr4Alunud-dqojQ1Mw2NXbi9oZJ1lEtPlv7Fc3W55CVAUjIr1TWcmtKoFydnnWhPICGru/s400/braggs-bottle.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bragg's makes a spray bottle for soy sauce that's perfect for greasing tins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've made this bread about once a week for the last four months, and I think it's about as good as it can get. I could probably put in some more effort to get a slightly better product, but I don't think it would be worth it. So enough introduction, here's the recipe!<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients (makes one loaf):</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>500 g whole wheat flour <sup><a href="#breadprocessflour">3</a></sup></li>
<li>500 g water</li>
<li>10 g salt</li>
<li>sourdough starter</li>
</ul>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Mix all of the above together in a bowl, then ferment at room temperature, covered with a cloth, for 12 hours or so. You might need to add a bit of water to the dough; you want it wet enough that you couldn't knead it, but not watery (otherwise it'll take forever to bake).</li>
<li><b>Put some of the dough back into your sourdough starter container.</b> It's too easy to forget this.</li>
<li>Grease a 9x5 bread tin.</li>
<li>Stir the dough to collapse large air bubbles, then ladle into the tin. Cover the pan with a cloth or spritz it with oil to keep the top from drying out.</li>
<li>After 30 minutes, start preheating your oven to 450 F.</li>
<li>After another 30 minutes, check on the loaf. Keep checking every 15 minutes until it has risen enough that if you poke it it makes a depression which holds its shape.</li>
<li>Place the loaf in the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.</li>
<li>After 30 minutes, the crust of the loaf should be set. Open the oven door and place a probe thermometer into the center of it. Set the timer to go off at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (I do 195 in Arizona at 7000 ft of elevation).</li>
<li>When the thermometer goes off, take the bread out of the oven, run a knife along the side of the tin, and then invert it to drop the loaf out. Let it rest on a cooling rack <sup><a href="#breadprocesscoolingrack">4</a></sup> for several hours before cutting open (I think it's best to wait an entire day). </li>
</ol>
<br />
Footnotes:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a name="breadprocesssourdough"></a>I haven't been able to find conclusive evidence that soaking improves bread's digestibility. However, there's <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2010/05/06/sourdough-for-health/">plenty of evidence</a> that sourdough fermentation is a healthy thing. I personally think that the rise in rates of gluten intolerance in developed countries may have something to do with an overall decrease in bread fermentation times. Just a hypothesis.</li>
<li><a name="breadprocessbotulism"></a>If you read the post I linked to, you'll note the concern about sanitation. It's always good to be safe, but in this particular case I don't worry too much. The botulism toxin is destroyed by 5 minutes at 190 degrees Fahrenheit, which is easily reached on the outside of my bread during baking.</li>
<li><a name="breadprocessflour"></a>I prefer spelt flour, but you can use rye or whole wheat. I haven't gotten a satisfactory rye loaf yet from this recipe, but I also haven't experimented enough with it. If you decide to use white flour, you'll need to reduce the water drastically (probably to 60% of the flour weight).</li>
<li><a name="breadprocesscoolingrack"></a>A collapsible steamer basket is a nice cooling rack substitute.</li>
</ol>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
</ol>
</div>
Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-81349958424889780582012-12-20T19:21:00.001-08:002012-12-20T19:36:04.580-08:00Fat Washing Jar Lids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? Many of us strive to do things in that order, and one of the best things to reuse is glass jars. You can buy things in bulk with them, ferment things in them, store leftovers, make yogurt, etc. Glass is totally non-reactive, doesn't hold odors, and lasts forever.<br />
<br />
However, as good as glass jars are, their lids <i>can</i> absorb odors from food, especially from things canned in them. Pickle and salsa jar lids have particularly strong odors. These flavors <i>will</i> assert themselves into whatever food you put in them - trust me. These jars tend to be great shapes for re-using, which makes this all the more frustrating. After a couple recent rounds of pickle-flavored yogurt, I abandoned hope that repeated batches would rid the lid of it's flavor, and started researching ways to solve the problem.<br />
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I found my answer in the book <i>Cooking For Geeks</i> by Jeff Potter. He has a section on "Fat Washing". He was talking about fat washing alcohols, to either remove unwanted flavors, or to infuse flavors from fat into alcohol (think "hot butter rum" or bacon whiskey). I knew from reading other cooking books that many flavors (and vitamins, for that matter) are fat or alcohol soluble, and don't dissolve into water.<br />
<br />
So I did a little experiment. I put some lard into a pickle lid, put it on a rack on top of the wood stove, and kept it there for two days. Then I wiped the excess off and washed the lid clean. And guess what? It totally worked! There was no noticeable pickle smell remaining. And no lard smell either. I've since used this technique for salsa lids as well, with the same result.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBmwBa-X2TuBt52u1xvWjGACiYrdEIMVG_lzX18mbWbhGq79MU6YSNrOwPnnfm_VbyhzX5cheq0ZXaeZfWAwmo0kV5t1mB7AWc48Fd86uxl9SW1p7cHrEO32HDNZcjB64dOuJA-ykxm1n/s1600/fat-washing-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBmwBa-X2TuBt52u1xvWjGACiYrdEIMVG_lzX18mbWbhGq79MU6YSNrOwPnnfm_VbyhzX5cheq0ZXaeZfWAwmo0kV5t1mB7AWc48Fd86uxl9SW1p7cHrEO32HDNZcjB64dOuJA-ykxm1n/s400/fat-washing-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lard melting in a lid on the wood stove.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I'm not sure if the warming step is necessary for other oils - lard has to be warm to stay liquid, but it may be that if you used an unsaturated vegetable oil, you could do this at room temperature. It stands to reason that hotter oil could absorb more flavor, however. I also don't know if it really needs two days for it to work. And I'd like to try alcohol-washing, using vodka or everclear instead of fat.<br />
<br />
What I do know is that now I can reuse my glass jars without fear of creating pickle-yogurt. Or salsa-raisins. Or...you get the picture.</div>
Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-44997763754644506072009-12-30T21:28:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.056-08:00Onward BoundThe numbers weren't on our side today - 1000 meters up and down. But the trail wasn't going to weave up and down like yesterday, and we had the benefit of knowing what was coming. We were starting from Totora, at 3600 meters, heading up to Yanama pass, at 4600 meters (around 15,000 feet) and back down to Yanama village, also at 3600. And all this with full packs.<br />
<br />
Speaking of which, after the first 5 minutes, my pack felt like it weighed 60 pounds instead of 30. My legs were sore and my thighs ached with every step. But I kept going slow and steady, never running out of breath, and I soon felt better. Or at least, my legs got numb to the pain. I took breaks only when nature called, and took off my pack only once, to change some layerage. Before I knew it we were in the final stretch:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEBbnTy8tNSSTRGU2LrP0xCXipR5l-49OUWkYjMUpIY4s3hez_d3k8wVsFeIg3tTlnmcCNjj-8xUk-5pz8R4TEpyEL0spG8EDvY5b-FCVBD7ANaoK27_4Sf2OguRfxSQFGSzJ8bWJwagP/s1600-h/IMG_0715-heading-up-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEBbnTy8tNSSTRGU2LrP0xCXipR5l-49OUWkYjMUpIY4s3hez_d3k8wVsFeIg3tTlnmcCNjj-8xUk-5pz8R4TEpyEL0spG8EDvY5b-FCVBD7ANaoK27_4Sf2OguRfxSQFGSzJ8bWJwagP/s400/IMG_0715-heading-up-1000.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
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I was setting a personal altitude record with every step, and soon enough we were at the top. It was cold and windy, so we headed down immediately, took a break for lunch, and then descended the rest of the 1000 meters down to Yanama.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadtlQ9ERLPp3Orf0QZ5tAwN3vh-4rpR83QOInmTzigBwq1BKzURJDaFAJPnmoQm88nqKzNHN1urrIXRUuQXBmqYzbUgW6VFVGdq_9Osqwr1btvGRFeLMNJJMntboFMxVs7YnntYmBokHf/s1600-h/IMG_0717-heading-down-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadtlQ9ERLPp3Orf0QZ5tAwN3vh-4rpR83QOInmTzigBwq1BKzURJDaFAJPnmoQm88nqKzNHN1urrIXRUuQXBmqYzbUgW6VFVGdq_9Osqwr1btvGRFeLMNJJMntboFMxVs7YnntYmBokHf/s400/IMG_0717-heading-down-1000.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
Once there we procured another cheap floor and began the search for donkeys. We were pretty beat up, and from what we'd heard a day's use of donkeys would be about half as expensive as buying a day's food from a village. Unfortunately, at this point we were pretty much down to dollars, and it's pretty tough to pay with dollars when the nearest money-changer is 2 days away. But the kids at the house we were staying (maybe 15 years old?) agreed to take us to Meizcal, a 4-hour walk. 20 dollars seemed pretty steep, so we negotiated to include some snacks in the deal as well.<br />
<br />
It was looking like we might make it. It would be really, really tough, but certainly possible. We'll never know, though, whether we could've made it, because fate intervened that night. David woke up with a fever, and that morning said that he felt weaker than he'd ever felt in his entire life. From Meizcal it would be 2 tough days in either direction to get to civilization, and we didn't know where this illness was going to lead. So we convinced the boys to take our packs to the top of the pass instead, and returned to Totora.<br />
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Despite not carrying packs, the way back seemed much harder than the first time. We arrived in Totora midday, got in our sleeping bags and promptly slept for about 15 hours, only taking a short break to cook up some ramen for dinner. The next day we took the road instead of the trail, encountered a bus after a couple of hours, and by nightfall were in Aguas Calientes.<br />
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The next day we took the train to Ollataytambo (yes, the train that we had taken pains to avoid the first time), and then took a colectivo to Cusco, on which a girl both drew a picture and wrote a recipe (for peanut milk) in my notebook.<br />
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Were we disappointed that we ended the trek? For sure. But I think to continue would've been unsafe. And I got some of the best experiences (and pictures) of the entire trip, so I think it was still worthwhile.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpWymi2yfgHzTA7T1hxJ0OgSfV3wxB4LhlM6oPkeoxJftnQ2Sg6P8D2-gTfJNqnoXIth1bMHonuAVQpvlMmvq33rJDo8xoQiJenF7Y6ptDs1F35MeZ_na7ZKxzWpFyBUXGUdvjTCWkdwd/s1600-h/IMG_0731-quechua-girl-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpWymi2yfgHzTA7T1hxJ0OgSfV3wxB4LhlM6oPkeoxJftnQ2Sg6P8D2-gTfJNqnoXIth1bMHonuAVQpvlMmvq33rJDo8xoQiJenF7Y6ptDs1F35MeZ_na7ZKxzWpFyBUXGUdvjTCWkdwd/s400/IMG_0731-quechua-girl-1000.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Heading back to Yanama to grab my forgotten sandals, I snapped this photo, one of my favorites of the trip.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtpUJkJywu4ouq7muev4uSW6qjm47xt2LWuNUPIMG3GfwphmAQ7jkioPYAIP3nc0_jM0US07yHQ82Qzmub6Riny2LNI3BR87YErsbztkRoxgnlgabi7PEEdU4Dv7AWUbth3gwPqCwpY5P/s1600-h/IMG_0743-yanama-valley-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtpUJkJywu4ouq7muev4uSW6qjm47xt2LWuNUPIMG3GfwphmAQ7jkioPYAIP3nc0_jM0US07yHQ82Qzmub6Riny2LNI3BR87YErsbztkRoxgnlgabi7PEEdU4Dv7AWUbth3gwPqCwpY5P/s400/IMG_0743-yanama-valley-1000.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The trail back up to the pass.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpiPHUaNok8KVyT5irM-LF9bhP28_t7FWqftZHNTrp4Vjze98cCOVestoFzkcGY0bZH_tQO7R8dgjKO9uwFQyMC38YFjXVNodaIJ6GB2vUJlwsAelUJz3btO0_gaTaFT8-VJYsDTcwl9G/s1600-h/IMG_0754-cows-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpiPHUaNok8KVyT5irM-LF9bhP28_t7FWqftZHNTrp4Vjze98cCOVestoFzkcGY0bZH_tQO7R8dgjKO9uwFQyMC38YFjXVNodaIJ6GB2vUJlwsAelUJz3btO0_gaTaFT8-VJYsDTcwl9G/s400/IMG_0754-cows-1000.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Obstacles on the way.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33t3GMY9OHtQzCJvnMnX-WXTnKz5Ef08qLtRPibmtabC6eN0GVidrz8HIqH7oSCe74ffWoWmLaMcJz6An_VXtCQuhHr7yNQ1IcMAyLy6jB-xTqiek-Xih0NfACZqR_qaOAE_wpqWWOB16/s1600-h/IMG_0758-tree-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33t3GMY9OHtQzCJvnMnX-WXTnKz5Ef08qLtRPibmtabC6eN0GVidrz8HIqH7oSCe74ffWoWmLaMcJz6An_VXtCQuhHr7yNQ1IcMAyLy6jB-xTqiek-Xih0NfACZqR_qaOAE_wpqWWOB16/s320/IMG_0758-tree-1000.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">.<br />
</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-55158941071960024122009-12-26T18:09:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.059-08:00Shall We Stay Or Shall We Go<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">We woke up, had breakfast, and considered our problem: we didn't have enough money! Of course, we had plenty in the bank, but ATMs were a distant dream now. Between us we had about 100 soles and 20 dollars. After the 36-sole each entry fee to Choquequirao, that left barely enough to cover our time in Totora, and nothing for any more rest days that we might need. This wouldn't be a problem, except that the next several days looked even harder than what we just did, and we were pretty beat up.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After a couple of hours of agonizing debate, we decided that any decision was better than none, and that forward progress was surely an improvement. So we decided to screw the entrance fee - if they didn't let us in, then oh well. We'd had an amazing, one of a kind experience at Macchu Picchu, so our need to see a lesser known ruin was not as great. After making the decision, everything seemed better. David got out the guitar and we sat on the porch playing songs and watching the animals. He taught me a bit about finger-picking, and I shot the best video I will ever take:<br />
</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">And as if to bless our plans, just before dinner we got a rare wet-season glimpse of Salkantay, a mountain of over 6000 meters. We would see it only once more on the trek. Had we known that we'd see it again, however, we might've been a little less gleeful. For Totora was the only spot on the trek from which a view was possible at all.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlbG2caQwR2dAESlOGPDDSUICZVdgLPDXsXSVt6YqPSw9nH3JkStDkIFA9WjSVMlb3DZ_5_8F_53__oeSwWUhkizAzXfM74paRKMaEeTLBg-YBu38aw5lc74s4XVeEEyxd4rfxl12rw5d/s1600-h/IMG_0769-salkankay-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlbG2caQwR2dAESlOGPDDSUICZVdgLPDXsXSVt6YqPSw9nH3JkStDkIFA9WjSVMlb3DZ_5_8F_53__oeSwWUhkizAzXfM74paRKMaEeTLBg-YBu38aw5lc74s4XVeEEyxd4rfxl12rw5d/s400/IMG_0769-salkankay-1000.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The mighty mountain herself<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Afterwards, we went in to say hello, and wound up watching them make dinner. Seeing how a traditional Quechua kitchen works was one of the highlights of my entire time in Peru. Life was centered around the fire, the focal point of food and of warmth. Above it lay two rails, upon which were always 3 pots, for a main dish, for rice, and for tea. Below it was a warm cavity in which the c<i>uyes</i> (guinea pigs) would sleep. And after the day's cooking, they would set the next day's wood atop the coals to dry out. When food was cut, the trimmings were dropped on the ground, for the cuyes to eat, and thus little was wasted. Suddenly one peruvian delicacy made a lot more sense.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One last surprise awaited us that night. As we were eating dinner, the family revealed that their little girl had her birthday tomorrow! We gave her some chocolate, but the real birthday meal was the next day, when she was going to get an entire cuy for herself! I didn't ask if she got to pick out which one to eat, but I sure wanted to.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Dinner that night was Lomo Saltado, one of my favorite peruvian meals. It's sort of a stir-fry with french fries in it. I got their recipe in my notebook, which may be my most treasured souvenir from the trip. I'll give the recipe, but first, here's a photo and another video:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBsyyXhqZ_0dwNVeu2Qz29zFtJY-ELXpSIz3zHkNweKr88JtYhti-rcIetvkyFwmMToSj1ZMyGQXY6oVI_LOnaXC9hSNzWckfiTg9DeOsBR0uZ88r3-_J4g6lMI7Y6h8xMyU-2Kp2sbOf/s1600-h/IMG_0688-totora-hut-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBsyyXhqZ_0dwNVeu2Qz29zFtJY-ELXpSIz3zHkNweKr88JtYhti-rcIetvkyFwmMToSj1ZMyGQXY6oVI_LOnaXC9hSNzWckfiTg9DeOsBR0uZ88r3-_J4g6lMI7Y6h8xMyU-2Kp2sbOf/s400/IMG_0688-totora-hut-1000.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">The kitchen. Note the thatched roof for ventilation.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">The cuyes in the kitchen, munching on some supplementary hay.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">And now, the recipe!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lomo Saltado (with bonus recipe for Salsa Criolle) from the village Totora:</span></b><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Meat, cut into stir-fry sized strips</li>
<li>Onions. Lots of onions. <a href="http://www.hungrycravings.com/2008/09/cutting-onions-slice-versus-julienne.html">Julienned</a>.</li>
<li>Potatoes, cut into fries. They peeled the potatoes, but seeing as I don't have a team of cuyes to eat my peels I'd probably leave them on for this application.</li>
<li>Tomatoes</li>
<li>Oil</li>
<li>Mushrooms (or so they told me, I didn't see them used or notice them in the dish)</li>
<li>Garlic Powder</li>
<li>Ground Cumin</li>
<li>Ground Red Pepper (I imagine cayenne would do nicely)</li>
<li>Salt and Pepper</li>
</ul></div><div><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Procedure:</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Cook the potatoes in some oil (they didn't use enough to cover, but you could surely deep-fry them too).</li>
<li>In another pot, cook the onions in some oil. They cooked them for quite a long time, maybe 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the spices to the onions and you have salsa criolle, which is a great side to lots of foods. Especially great with papa rellena, which is another favorite of mine. I really, really like this stuff. Some recipes call for vinegar, but this one didn't. I'd probably add it.</li>
<li>Add a little water to the onions and stir. I think this was to make a sauce. It seemed like lots of water at the time, but come a-plating it didn't seem too bad. I think it got thickened with potato starch.</li>
<li>Add the potatoes and the cooked meat and you're done!</li>
</ul><div>You may have noticed that I didn't say how to cook the meat. That's because, in all the hubbub of salsa criolle, I completely missed it. But hey, it's meat - you can figure it out.<br />
</div></div><br />
</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-88019775114500936012009-12-25T17:40:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.068-08:00Lluvia de MuerteWe left Aguas Calientes with high spirits. We had just had an incredibly lucky day, spending some time alone in one of the most populated ruins in the world. We walked the tracks back to the hydroelectric plant with a skip in our step, feeling that nothing could stop us. When we arrived at the plant, there was one <i>combi </i>(small bus), in the process of leaving. And although it was completely full, the driver stopped when he saw us coming and got out. He yelled <i>arriba, arriba!</i> (up, up!) and gesticulated wildly into the air. This could only mean one thing - we were going to ride on top of the bus. Five minutes later, we were wedged comfortably between our backpacks and sacks of potatoes, with sweet cool air rushing by. As our road weaved by the raging Andean river to our left, I thought to myself: <i>this</i> is why I came to Peru.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-Ng3WARZFuZpWo_PWS41OWsXMMiQjmtfPspUJAdbeTfu078aJ2DCxPxSyiTzb3jWUhnZgOUEIr9kt39WpnfzWIAwxT2ct1z4_9sFA6dhTfGD98LPYV_BJyFHShuF3WQM92YR87EXj4sU/s1600/on-the-bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-Ng3WARZFuZpWo_PWS41OWsXMMiQjmtfPspUJAdbeTfu078aJ2DCxPxSyiTzb3jWUhnZgOUEIr9kt39WpnfzWIAwxT2ct1z4_9sFA6dhTfGD98LPYV_BJyFHShuF3WQM92YR87EXj4sU/s400/on-the-bus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Upon arrival to Santa Teresa, we asked the driver if there were any <i>colectivos</i> (shared taxis) to our starting village of La Playa. He said no, but that he could take us for 50 soles. More than our normal price, but seeing as it was Christmas Eve and he'd probably have no passengers for the return journey, it seemed fair. We agreed and, after driving us to a house where we could buy some ridiculously fresh and cheap bread (20 sandwich rolls for 4 soles, about $1.50), he proceeded to round up his entire extended family to go along for the ride. As we left town, he turned to me and said <i>"Para peso"</i> ("for weight") - apparently the road was steep and he needed more traction. Suddenly 50 soles seemed like even more of a deal.<br />
<br />
The family appeared delighted to take the journe, and gave our Spanish a test as we headed up the valley. They also liked us quite a bit, it seemed, seeing as they tried to hook David up with not one but two of the sisters. An hour or so later we reached La Playa, said our goodbyes, and found somewhere we could camp for free. After a nice dinner, we used our trekking poles and our combined knowledge of knots to set up a freestanding tarp. It was a pretty neat structure, kept us dry that night, and I'm quite proud of it.<br />
<br />
We fell fast asleep under our plastic shield, and, apart from a dog insistent on getting in, had a restful night under rainy skies. We awoke to dry weather, but our luck was soon to change. After a frustrating encounter with a store-owner who didn't seem to get the concept of toll-free phone cards, we decided to hit the trail rather than wait for a combi, which might not even run on Christmas day.<br />
<br />
There are two routes out of La Playa - the road and the trail, on opposite sides of the river. Choosing to take the trail was the biggest mistake we made in Peru. The village of Totora, our destination for the day, was already about 1400 meters higher than La Playa, and the trail didn't make that any easier as it weaved continuously up and down to avoid cliffs and other obstacles, adding hundreds of meters to our climb for the day. I recall this being the worst walking of my entire life. It was raining, I was hungry, and our trail couldn't seem to keep itself level for more than a couple of feet. To make matters worse, we had frequent views of the gently climbing road across the river. When we finally did stop for lunch, though, I had what I can confidently say were the best PB&Js I have ever eaten.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsTgVA3di6NXQRM8enrjZbaV2_dkWGsIharMYFPfMd5PQr3NkO_VkgiJ6V-pGxa8tOse4f4rRzVJpv1o3Yo_JUwK8XpkyK0MRz4fFLgNu7UwQZuJYXpHSctPYwKXQmjQs9CWLKiqXf2yw/s1600-h/IMG_0632-david-on-trail-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsTgVA3di6NXQRM8enrjZbaV2_dkWGsIharMYFPfMd5PQr3NkO_VkgiJ6V-pGxa8tOse4f4rRzVJpv1o3Yo_JUwK8XpkyK0MRz4fFLgNu7UwQZuJYXpHSctPYwKXQmjQs9CWLKiqXf2yw/s400/IMG_0632-david-on-trail-1000.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">David walking on probably the flatest part of the trail. As you can see, he's wearing his rain pants with no shirt - a style that we both adopted for this day, and a very comfortable one for rainy days that are too warm for a rain jacket. Even better would've been to wear my rain pants with no shorts underneath, which I did on every other day of the hike.</div><br />
<br />
Shortly thereafter we made it to the confluence of the rivers <i>Santa Teresa</i> and <i>Totora</i>. After crossing the river we walked up a ways until we encountered this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq3bPjnGvv2CrlIyBa0lE5XpFKeSw8ZVNHPbKXGWylhcN2CK_DhpLZ-fvhaDgwE_ZANoG1pv-SH8xRPsGE2ES25PFzH4ImxsWYguAAoBLv4ljvIOu9YI2LN37g9N5SS-QOr8TFeuGAHTY/s1600-h/IMG_0799-end-o-trail-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq3bPjnGvv2CrlIyBa0lE5XpFKeSw8ZVNHPbKXGWylhcN2CK_DhpLZ-fvhaDgwE_ZANoG1pv-SH8xRPsGE2ES25PFzH4ImxsWYguAAoBLv4ljvIOu9YI2LN37g9N5SS-QOr8TFeuGAHTY/s400/IMG_0799-end-o-trail-1000.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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I walked up to the edge and looked down, of course, and this is what I saw:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpU9GEypQRqvs4ZmxXIXrzKpZXa6RTKfcEaEmyPiooOYpEDRxx8P-XjR1TTyG7L4nMcxv0w1oCh_IdiMzvpHFZyQbbi57vw0K0YqNRRgBTBlFBReImEa4RczFkfs8TQliE08lvapY0XFR/s1600-h/IMG_0802-looking-down-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpU9GEypQRqvs4ZmxXIXrzKpZXa6RTKfcEaEmyPiooOYpEDRxx8P-XjR1TTyG7L4nMcxv0w1oCh_IdiMzvpHFZyQbbi57vw0K0YqNRRgBTBlFBReImEa4RczFkfs8TQliE08lvapY0XFR/s400/IMG_0802-looking-down-1000.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Yup. 100 feet straight down to the raging River of Death (RoD). Looking back, we saw an alternate path, clearly very new. Though slippery with mud and very exposed, it led up the hillside to the village of Ccolcopampa, from which we could continue the trail. With Totora reportedly just two hours away, we headed out on what was one of the prettiest sections of the trek, with many waterfall crossings and sheer drops. The rain even let out for us, putting a nice end to a rough trek.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfZgNMKs6SIsGc-YhKwVfwueyKRoCVAuqdqt8PM952AP_fQy-p4kcng3fgVQ2p9Y_GNMqDUqGBqx2EbVXOx9NwhxAYpV7JtaPalpBWiV7-OtEr9qezVKPcvJPmgNX6ighhqFvRbZj_RIT/s1600-h/IMG_0676-nice-section-before-totora-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfZgNMKs6SIsGc-YhKwVfwueyKRoCVAuqdqt8PM952AP_fQy-p4kcng3fgVQ2p9Y_GNMqDUqGBqx2EbVXOx9NwhxAYpV7JtaPalpBWiV7-OtEr9qezVKPcvJPmgNX6ighhqFvRbZj_RIT/s400/IMG_0676-nice-section-before-totora-1000.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Upon arrival in Totora, we found a family that would let us sleep on their floor for 2 soles, and eat meals for 8. We decided to stay there the next day to recover, and since we didn't have enough soles on us to pay for every meal, we cooked up some ramen with tuna for the night. After dinner we began to drink with the guys (it was Christmas after all) and found out they had a guitar. David played a few songs, and I played <i>Rocky Racoon</i> (of course!) to mixed reviews. We passed out in our sleeping bags on the floor and slept well into the morning, drifting briefly into consciousness for the call of the rooster.Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-55589302084029997322009-12-24T14:03:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.060-08:00Christmas Eve and Macchu Picchu<i>Step, inhale. Step, exhale. I'm hiking up a dimly lit trail at my cardivascular limit, hoping to be one of the first into Macchu Picchu today. We awoke at 4 and started hiking at 4:30 - a late start, but we're making up for it by passing people left and right. As usual, David is far ahead. Step, inhale. Step, exhale.</i><br />
<br />
We arrived in Aguas Calientes (the city below the ruins) yesterday afternoon. In order to avoid the expensive, comfortable, 3-hour train ride, we took a 9-dollar, 6-hour bus ride and two <i>colectivos</i> (shared taxis) to a hydroelectric plant, and then walked 2.5 hours on train tracks into town. Saved us about 30 dollars each, and the bus ride was fastastic, riding along sheer cliffs through beautiful valleys. No pictures, though, because pictures from buses always suck.<br />
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<i>It's 5:30, and I'm at the top. I find David and we take a seat on the entrance stairs. 30 minutes before opening time, and there's already as many tourists waiting. 5:45, and the first busloads arrive. 10 minutes later, there are at least 200 people waiting, and we begin to wonder whether it was worth it. But then something amazing happens. The guards tell everybody to form a line, and we stand up to realize that nobody else had taken a seat on the stairs. A couple minutes later, the line is fully formed, and we are miraculously, incredulously, at the head of it.</i><br />
<br />
And so we wandered into Macchu Picchu alone, the only sounds our footsteps and occasional words. Temples and terraces arose and fell out of the morning fog as we stolled on by, experiencing not the detail-obsessed, scrutinized city of a guided tour, but an unassuming, humble pueblo that passed no judgement, nor required any grand significance. It was what it was, and nothing less.<br />
<br />
However, although we were keeping ahead of the other tourists through our naturally fast walking, we soon realized that we weren't, in face, the only visitors. At first we saw two dogs, chasing eachother through the ruins. Then something resembling a squirrel, some hummingbirds, and even a snail, crawling lazily up some ancient Incan stonework. And it was the animals that gave me a true glimpse of the ruins at their most normal, as the city they once were. Because dogs and birds don't know that they're living in a wonder of the ancient world - to them it's a city like any other. They go to the bathroom, try to procreate, and hope for scraps of food from these curious ape-like creatures with cameras around their necks. And, while I enjoyed Macchu Picchu for the wonder that it is, it seemed much more real when I viewed it from a more pedestrian angle. For this reason, the animals were one of the coolest parts of the ruins - and one of the most photogenic. I have more pictures, but here's 3 from the day:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemwDkR0DbVsHJvAJEDX8tq06t-kk8-_Y9cHXUYMksH-adamYvq-rNa_v968wE5UKLo9GRSBdR1o9jTGPm8ZIAId0dUJFlX7CGepqQMovrd64lUv6DWlNBBfVGV4_YFb00bb8upHFtgASN/s1600-h/IMG_0558-squirrel-thing-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemwDkR0DbVsHJvAJEDX8tq06t-kk8-_Y9cHXUYMksH-adamYvq-rNa_v968wE5UKLo9GRSBdR1o9jTGPm8ZIAId0dUJFlX7CGepqQMovrd64lUv6DWlNBBfVGV4_YFb00bb8upHFtgASN/s400/IMG_0558-squirrel-thing-1000.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A squirrel-like thing in a traditional Inca-shaped window.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SbqUPjeK1aN0b0s3fxp8ZUndIkNeEePNopHIR86Uy1RjbLvOXkSMZl7D0UPNTvTFqN24qBUoO7a4tSXjdK0d94ZvT6odxpszgDTXhaS973aSM2EsVEa1iXFnFv06oHCsw3-jOSShU7dQ/s1600-h/IMG_0586-dogs-terrace-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SbqUPjeK1aN0b0s3fxp8ZUndIkNeEePNopHIR86Uy1RjbLvOXkSMZl7D0UPNTvTFqN24qBUoO7a4tSXjdK0d94ZvT6odxpszgDTXhaS973aSM2EsVEa1iXFnFv06oHCsw3-jOSShU7dQ/s400/IMG_0586-dogs-terrace-1000.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our companions strolling casually along a terrace.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, I had to get at least <i>one</i> picture of myself, didn't I?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next time, the adventurous ride from Aguas Calientes to the first village of our proposed trek.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">P.S. For those reading these in real time, note that they are several days behind. We are now in Huaraz, in the northern andes.<br />
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</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-11962521139598917012009-12-23T07:15:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.051-08:00A New PlanIt was our first morning in Cuzco. We had fresh minds, freshly showered bodies, and a new plan. We would find a tarp to replace our tent, ship the rest of the tent to Lima, and go backpacking anyway. Our route? Take a bus and two taxis to a hydroelectric plant near Macchu Picchu, hike in on the railway tracks, and backpack several days to another ruin, Choquequirao, and eventually end up in Abancay, 5 hours northwest by bus from Cuzco. With no time to waste, we sprang into action. After a delicious lunch of avocado sandwiches and french fries, we set out to find a South America Explorers office to buy a topographic map. We accomplished this easily enough, and proceeded to what proved to be the most challenging part of the entire day: buying a tarp.<br />
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You see, in Peru, you don't go to any old hardware store and buy a tarp. Things are much more specialized here. In Peru, you have to go to a <i>Plastiqueria</i>. Not knowing this, we asked around with little luck, until we spotted a street vendor with a tarp over his goods. We asked him where we could buy one, and he pointed us towards Mercado San Blas. From here on out it was tarps, tarps, everywhere, but not a piece to buy. We asked vendor after vendor, got conflicting directions, and finally made our way to Mercado <i>Wancha. </i>There, amongst a maze of sandals and fruit, we found the plastiqueria. I imagine it as a wonderous place, full of plastics of all shapes and sizes, but all I remember is one 3x3 meter piece of beautiful blue that we got, after all of the trouble of finding it, for about $4.<br />
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Tarp in hand, we gathered together our unnecessary baggage and headed to the post office. Our tent, my juggling balls, and my steripen (no sense carrying two water purifiers) went into a box barely large enough for the tent alone. After cramming it all in, our very helpful attendant proceeded to wrap it with about half of a roll of packing tape:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy82uLnQ9zzwPSwDqkAst-ShPEUxTr3MGxtL37cRwnY9-BC-RV-5lRx2EuAFSUhyRHyaCH6FGsCmdp57bny9U4N_0yPaReTphpz3qm0x4rHlt3lqLVLwFoPtp8ehT_AU6OSZAx3IOCXFe/s1600-h/IMG_0508-excessive-tape-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVy82uLnQ9zzwPSwDqkAst-ShPEUxTr3MGxtL37cRwnY9-BC-RV-5lRx2EuAFSUhyRHyaCH6FGsCmdp57bny9U4N_0yPaReTphpz3qm0x4rHlt3lqLVLwFoPtp8ehT_AU6OSZAx3IOCXFe/s400/IMG_0508-excessive-tape-1000.JPG" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Now that all of the time-sensitive tasks were complete, we set about some relaxation. We found some cord for the tarp and a rain cover for my pack (which proved to be absolutely essential), had dinner, stopped by the coca shop for some tea and a rather nice conversation with the lovely polyglot who runs the place, and, on a coca-induced spree, spent an hour in an internet cafe, writing collectively 12 emails and 3 blog posts. We went back to the hostel, cut the tarp to size, and went to bed. Not bad for a day in which we also bought groceries and medicine, went book shopping, spent 10 minutes on a see-saw, and petted a baby alpaca:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLiqBA6-gUoNzDKdgm0Hn0xNESjWA73Jqf4YTueUkJEkixYTuD3itIwtQMCfR7kC0d-_Cfeb__x_Akhq233OaQli-8Nz921wcTsUDkvKpRhJLCC7n-T4SmVpzmpN1eJ8mWLkXRN1hm5px/s1600-h/IMG_0491-me-llama-1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLiqBA6-gUoNzDKdgm0Hn0xNESjWA73Jqf4YTueUkJEkixYTuD3itIwtQMCfR7kC0d-_Cfeb__x_Akhq233OaQli-8Nz921wcTsUDkvKpRhJLCC7n-T4SmVpzmpN1eJ8mWLkXRN1hm5px/s400/IMG_0491-me-llama-1000.JPG" /></a></div>.Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-71080295952884048642009-12-22T18:58:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.064-08:00Our luck runs outAll good things must come to an end - even bus nirvana. We arrived in Cuzco late, said goodbye to Shanna, and hailed a taxi, only to realize that we didn't have the poles for our tent! We raced back to the terminal and found the bus, but they were truly gone. It had been two buses since we last used them, so they could be anywhere in Peru by now.<br />
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Not wanting to dwell on things, we set out for the district* of San Blas to find a hostel. But while the views were as beautiful as promised, almost none of the hostels were open that late, and those that were had jacked up prices since the Lonely Planet was published (this has proven to be a common theme). We finally found a double room for 25 soles each, which I suppose is only about 9 USD - still more than we're used to paying though, and about half my daily budget. We got our room and promptly hit the sack, hoping for better luck in the morning.<br />
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*District is really a strong word. Cuzco has a small-town atmosphere and is generally pretty walkable.Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-47460856833026253362009-12-22T16:24:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.057-08:00Bus NirvanaThere are a lot of things for tall, lanky gringos to dislike about Peruvian buses. Ear-splitting <i>cumbia</i> music, champion Peruvian bus-sleepers cranking their seats down into your knees, and inexplicably closed windows when temperatures soar (and somehow everybody else on the bus is wearing several layers).<br />
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But on the road from Arequipa to Cuzco, we found bus nirvana. After our Jamie Fox movie had ended (entertaining despite being in spanish with spanish subtitles), and the menu had looped several times, I finally worked up the courage to walk up to the front of the bus, open up the DVD player cabinet, and turned it off. To my surprise, the bus crew made no response - no second movie, no rush to put on music. Silence reigned.<br />
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And then it happened. A quechua woman stood up in the back and began to sing. We were rolling through beautiful Andean highlands, past rivers, mountains, and herds of llamas, listening to beautiful traditional songs in a bus with 2 open windows. Add to that our awesome new friend Shanna*, and we had truly achieved bus nirvana.<br />
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*From New Hampshire, she used to live in Cuzco and was visiting friends there. We had a lot of great conversations, and she had some helpful advice about Peru in general. She also said she would read the blog, so Hi Shanna!Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-60801553295954013182009-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.061-08:00The Search for Peanut ButterIt's 8:45 PM. I just survived the hike up from the bottom of the world's second-deepest canyon, swarms of sinister midges, and a 6-hour bus ride back to Arequipa. I'm sunburnt, my legs ache with every step, and for the past 24-odd hours my stomach has been trying to tear itself in two. In short, it's time for a bed and some PB&J.<br />
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We enter the grocery store and find some PB without too much trouble. But there's a problem. Between us we have 30 soles, just enough for the hostel. Against my worser wishes, we decided to hold off on the PB and leave the store in search of a place to change some cash. We find one in short order, but they're out of soles! They say they'll have some in an hour. So we decide to go to an internet cafe to buy some time.<br />
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When we return to the square, the money-changer is closed! So much for an hour. But we won't be foiled. We find an ATM, withdraw some soles, and walk back to the grocery store, only to come to a horrible realization - it's closed!<br />
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Dejected, demoralized, and in desperate need of some pepto bismol, I return to the hostel. Once inside, I have a stroke of inspiration. I rush to the guest fridge and begin to search. On the second to bottom shelf, all the way in the back, amongst countless half-empty bottles of yogurt drinks, I find a single, mostly eaten jar of Peter Pan PB, and some strawberry jam.<br />
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Who do they belong to? I don't care. If they show up I'll pay them 20 soles for one simple, delicious sandwich. Besides, it was in the refrigerator, and anybody who knew what Peter Pan was wouldn't put it in the fridge.<br />
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Update: It's several days later, and in Cuzco I finally found some local, organic peanut butter (At Gato's Market in Plaza de Armas). Yay.Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-42651515580371241122009-12-22T16:03:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.055-08:00El Cañon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0aXs_D_hFjXih3e5WDIPnyxEv5LzIGuxI8N7OxqwW1dHVVbF6DNsDXevc6Tv5NM7-9KheBMr-Te12NjSPhteGTPoL3pkwPUVp_U0LQUJw_-VM0P7EDoAqDLxSUwM6Hc1PiZ5kZ-ww7AU/s1600-h/IMG_0361-1000-canyon-david.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0aXs_D_hFjXih3e5WDIPnyxEv5LzIGuxI8N7OxqwW1dHVVbF6DNsDXevc6Tv5NM7-9KheBMr-Te12NjSPhteGTPoL3pkwPUVp_U0LQUJw_-VM0P7EDoAqDLxSUwM6Hc1PiZ5kZ-ww7AU/s400/IMG_0361-1000-canyon-david.JPG" /></a><br />
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Cañon de Colca is big. Really, really big. There's really no other way to describe it. Pictures don't really do it justice, although mine will try. The only way to appreciate it is to try to walk down it, and be engulfed in its massiveness. From the viewpoint at the top, you can see the river, and it doesn't look <i>that</i> far away. It's not until you've descended an hour and the view has barely changed that you begin to comprehend its size. You realize that the tiny boulder you can see on the river's bank is probably at least 50 feet wide. You notice your knees shaking from the strain of walking 1000 feet downhill, and as if to taunt you, a condor floats effortlessly by. I didn't get a picture of the condor, but here's the view from partway down:<br />
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</div>After another couple of hours, we finally made our way down to the bottom. Solicitors greeted us immediately with offers of swimming pools and beds, but we had priorities. We walked through the little community, past the pools and bungalows, until we found a path down to the icy cold river. A quick dip and some clothes-washing later, we walked back to the bungalow with the nicest solicitor and got ourselves a campsite here, for about $1.50:<br />
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</div>After a quick swim (much warmer than the river), a nice nap and some dinner, we were searching for good avocados from the trees around the campsite when we saw the owner and a worker irrigating their terraces. It was very cool, and fascinating to watch. They had an irrigation stream running right by the topmost terrace, and an empty one running down through all of them. They built a quick sandbag dam below the top terrace, then busted the upper dam, flooding the terrace with water. When it had enough, they moved the sandbag dam one level lower, and let the water flood the next one. It was a very cool way to irrigate a lot of land with only a few sandbags and a shovel. The owner said he plants all sorts of vegetables for the dinners and lunches he cooks up for guests. It was an awesome experience to watch traditional agriculture in action.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A short while later, I got a nice sunset picture, and then it was time for bed. The next day could've been a grueling hike up with some stomach pain, but I just went slow and it really wasn't that bad. I picked up trash along the way as well, which helped boost my spirits. And on the bus ride back out, I finally got some good lighting to take pics of the canyon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The canyon at sunset.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From the bus.<br />
</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-91161894807080936332009-12-18T07:50:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.070-08:00Arequipa bus timeline<div>If you haven't already, you may want to read <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2009/12/catching-bus-to-arequipa.html">Catching the bus to Arequipa</a>, the tale of our hectic run across Lima to get on what should be our only overnight bus of the trip.<br />
</div><div> </div><div>5:45 - We embark! Noticed as we left that Lima has traffic cops (in little Inka Cola branded cylinders) to supplement their traffic lights. Interesting.</div><div> </div><div>6:15 - We begin watching TED talks on my sansa fuze with the splitter. The combination was brilliant, as we were able to watch some intellectually stimulating stuff and then talk about it afterwards. We both particularly enjoyed Mike Rowe (if "Dirty Jobs" fame)'s <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.html">talk</a>.</div><div> </div><div>7:00 - The Peruvian panpipe music has begun to loop. God help us all.</div><div> </div><div>7:30 - They just handed out bingo cards. This is going to be awesome.</div><div> </div><div>8:00 - After a half hour of frantically attentive ears, 41 squares filled and one false bingo call (we didn't know you needed to get ALL of your numbers to win), we are now masters of the spanish numbers between 1 and 75.</div><div> </div><div>11:30 - On my way back from the bathroom, noticed a little girl sleeping across two seats. Her mom was sitting on the floor in from of them. Sweetest thing I've seen in a long time.</div><div> </div><div>12:40 - Riding through some sweet little desert canyon. It's been several hours since dinner.</div><div> </div><div>1:30 - We forgot our oreos in Lima. Still been hours since dinner.</div><div> </div><div>2:30 - Don't want to think about food right now. Also, our bus driver is now cutting all the way into the oncoming lane during left turns. We seem to be in good hands; I'm going to try to get some sleep.</div><div> </div><div>5:45 - Sunrise, and about an hour's driving through a really awesome cliff-hanging section of the Pan-American Highway. The windows were really fogged up, so I don't have any pictures, just memories. They mentioned desayuno, but I don't see any breakfast around yet.</div><div> </div><div>7:00 - The trash, all of the trash! Maybe it's sleep deprivation, or the 13 hours in the bus, or the 10 days in Lima, but I can't keep my positive outlook about this right now. There's trash all over the sides of the highways here. It's about time I get off the coast. I'm hoping in the less developed parts of the Andes that they will have more respect for the land. I hate to end on a downer, but it's the truth, and it does affect me, so I should report it. (Ed: On a positive note, I did see someone picking up trash later on the journey, and I have heard a lot of Peruvians complain about it)</div><div> </div><div>10:47 - Arrival! Finally! Tomorrow we go into one of the deepest canyons in the world. Tonight, we sleep!</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-78436756502440884842009-12-18T07:44:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.067-08:00Catching the bus to Arequipa<div>Pounding footsteps, big backpacks and frantic askings of directions - it was a scene straight out of The Amazing Race as we tried finding our bus station with 10 minutes to spare before it left us behind in the dust and dirt of Lima.<br />
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</div><div>We had begun the day with a search for a headphone splitter, an item that we predicted (rightly) would be immeasurably useful on the journey. We wandered the streets for a shop and when we finally bought one (for the mean price of 3 US dollars), it was 3:30 and we had an hour to get halfway across Lima and catch our bus. We flagged down a taxi and, in addition to our driver seeming confused about where our destination was, he promptly got a ticket for picking us up in a bus-only zone. But it was all good - within minutes we were speeding along at 5 mph in the expressway traffic jam, between throngs of people trying to sell everything from ice cream to cowboy hats.<br />
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</div>We decided to pay our cabbie the 20 bucks for his ticket, and with 15 minutes to spare he dropped us off next to the bus station. Or so we thought. We looked around and quickly realized that we were still about a mile away from our destination. What happened next is a testament to the effectiveness of Lima's bus system. We approached a bus travelling in the correct general direction, yelled out the name of the street we wanted, and when he nodded yes, we got on. We moved for what seemed like barely a minute before he told us we were there, and after a few more minutes of asking for directions in our pidgin (but seemingly intelligible) spanish we arrived at the station - only to find out that our bus got cancelled anyway! But we got free tickets on a better, faster bus which left an hour later, so it worked out amazingly well in the end. The new bus was an "Imperial class", which meant bigger seats, free meals and the finest in Cruz del Sur promotional video playing on the TV - not a bad deal for 16 bucks each. And we had an hour to plan our next move while we waited:<br />
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Be sure to check out the <a href="http://smozilla.blogspot.com/2009/12/arequipa-bus-timeline.html">timeline</a> of the bus to Arequipa as well.<br />
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</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5748714118304922868.post-61844223520246649262009-12-14T09:33:00.000-08:002012-12-20T19:22:54.063-08:00Miscellaneous photos from LimaHere are a few miscellaneous photos from my time in Lima, that didn't warrant a full entry.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the many ice cream trikes here in Lima. There are also larger trikes of a similar design for selling fruit or other wares. They're all single speeds with unreasonably high gear ratios for the weight they're carrying. I also saw one with no seat!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TZj9bnjWJjjygS5hjx9WVt_7dRfVFKnYogty7d3FIQ1hAU22eZAKKDJoeriH45Cg4mV1cybbpQy7OTu4EuTD2tf5cCUdcxH-67ErxD1N_l6xgaJaSc0Las60sbthH4k0qIgko0JRJ8NO/s1600-h/IMG_0045-1000-relajar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TZj9bnjWJjjygS5hjx9WVt_7dRfVFKnYogty7d3FIQ1hAU22eZAKKDJoeriH45Cg4mV1cybbpQy7OTu4EuTD2tf5cCUdcxH-67ErxD1N_l6xgaJaSc0Las60sbthH4k0qIgko0JRJ8NO/s400/IMG_0045-1000-relajar.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some late afternoon relaxation along one of the major highways in Lima.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBMktEwXpm-TZeDxFFXEOqaZ33hXRMJjwzwfgM3ssNKkYJdUAz-MUkXwqmNUc3rZ6Xv5kSh-oozJVhf_U-HmG0NpRV4DO7TyzV1YPNjLM5EZZ_WfQG2NGextKF-rne0MYrxYIg8OAn4dV/s1600-h/IMG_0116-1000-slackline.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBMktEwXpm-TZeDxFFXEOqaZ33hXRMJjwzwfgM3ssNKkYJdUAz-MUkXwqmNUc3rZ6Xv5kSh-oozJVhf_U-HmG0NpRV4DO7TyzV1YPNjLM5EZZ_WfQG2NGextKF-rne0MYrxYIg8OAn4dV/s400/IMG_0116-1000-slackline.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The local kids slacklining. I don't think I'll bring the slackline along for the rest of the trip, but it was cool to do a couple times. The kids all learned my name, and for the next couple of days would call out "Hola, Nick!" and ask me when I was going to set it up again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KgDkrsXmtPOhwql3wNTFu-afdR2_G9-B4gI9WTxVAc_8S8MyZ30qhUX2rx9urixIIHed06IRr6q_mJ8MgkfkcIRaKwNkQBrLYYEVDFRgTEs3HkCvTsI-TMUXGG2sJiIniYjHCsSjRn-O/s1600-h/IMG_0190-1000-taxi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KgDkrsXmtPOhwql3wNTFu-afdR2_G9-B4gI9WTxVAc_8S8MyZ30qhUX2rx9urixIIHed06IRr6q_mJ8MgkfkcIRaKwNkQBrLYYEVDFRgTEs3HkCvTsI-TMUXGG2sJiIniYjHCsSjRn-O/s400/IMG_0190-1000-taxi.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A taxi-cab beetle. Lima is full of old beetles; in fact, I'm collecting pictures of them. This is my favorite so far.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3llX62vUqLrHT4PvHn9mk9S5RRvD56NjT26zZVHo2ncpi-5EMi_7eG8KpT2N62Fw5sWzwHVplrEtCWHm5WRidUD3uaZbCu_r33nNF8xV_gWJ0J0KuwXePoLRyBZBor8AH2ygyyKAUovCl/s1600-h/IMG_0186-1000-picarones.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3llX62vUqLrHT4PvHn9mk9S5RRvD56NjT26zZVHo2ncpi-5EMi_7eG8KpT2N62Fw5sWzwHVplrEtCWHm5WRidUD3uaZbCu_r33nNF8xV_gWJ0J0KuwXePoLRyBZBor8AH2ygyyKAUovCl/s400/IMG_0186-1000-picarones.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Picarones. Kind of like a sweet potato donut, with a honey sauce. Pretty tasty stuff. Other notable meals so far include <i>pollo a la brasa</i> (charcoal broiled chicken), and <i>anticucho</i> (cow's heart). Delicious, delicious cow heart.<br />
</div>Nick Smolinskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540748354582506086noreply@blogger.com0