Verbatim Journal Entries from September
8, 1997 Grand Canyon Hike.
Pardon the grammar as this is just as I
wrote it on the trail.
Sept 8, 1997
Jim & Kathy Lyons
Grand Canyon Hike
Monday - Day 1
5:45 AM Started down Tanner Trail, blue skies, 60°F, slight breeze. 8:05
reached saddle. Met 2 male hikers who had to abort a 9 day trip at Unkar because
they could not filter Colorado silt. Cache 2L 100' West of Stegasauris, 30' up.
Too hot ~ 11:30. Set up tent below Cardenas just before dropoff. Lunch chicken
sand. Around 2PM, thunderstorms and heavy winds moved in. Set up camp and stayed
put for the night. Mac & cheese, fruit cups, j beans for dinner. Nice view
of Desert View and Lipan Point. Pumped 1 1/3L water from depression in flat rock
from rain. Concerned that Colorado River too muddy to filter. Mild night, clear
skies, bright moon and lots of stars.
Tuesday - day 2
Up at 5 AM. Coffee, eggs & corned beef hash for breakfast. Broke camp
& hit trail at 7:20 just as sun broke over rim. Stopped for rest at 9:25 due
to heat. Took about 45 minutes to get through Redwall section. Bright Angel
Shale was long walk on side of slope. Long way to bottom if slipped (500' ?).
Reached Tanner Delta at 11:20 in high heat. Talked to group of 3 men we had
passed on Monday near camp. (Mark, Jim, ?) - (Wisconsin).
No more energy, and too hot to continue. Sat under shady overhang at river
edge to wait for cooler late afternoon. Down to 2L of water and river too muddy
to pump. Will try settling when we get to Palisades. Around 2 PM thunder clouds
formed. Lunch of honey ham sandwiches. Just a couple of drops fell.
Left at 4:30 to start Beamer Trail. Still very hot. Had filled 1 gal
Ziplock at overhang and settled out silt for several hours and was able to pump
2L for our trip on beamer. Started over Tapeats on lower route. Very scary with
some sections of trail ~ 8" wide on steep slope just above cliff above
river. Took about 1/2 hour to cross. Too hot and exhausted to walk to Palisades.
Set up camp at Comanche Creek. Filled 5 Ziplocks to settle silt by
morning. No appetite so had Jerky, Beer & jellybeans & Allsorts for
dinner. Asleep at 7 PM.
Wednesday - Day 3
2 of 5 Ziplocks leaked. Pumped 6 liters out of remaining 3. late breakfast
of pancakes which stuck to pan. Spent most of day resting in shade and drinking
Gatorade. Finished last 2 beers for lunch with deviled ham sandwiches. Deodorant
melted in 105° tent. Lots of rafts went by, including Oars. Took bath in muddy
river, felt real good. Put wet clothes on to keep cool. Soup for supper. Set out
2 Ziplocks to settle for morning. To bed at 8 PM after boiling 4 eggs for
breakfast. Left eggs in pan overnight.
Thursday - Day 4
Up ~ 5, ate boiled eggs. Broke camp and on trail by 6:30 to beat sun. Hiked
back to Tanner after finding high route across Tapeats which was not on cliffs.
Arrived at Tanner delta at 8. The 3 men who we met on Tuesday were gone, but
they left a 10L water container which we used to settle silt. Much easier than
using Ziplocks. Found a cool shady spot and relaxed most of the day &
watched the rafts go by. Hiked a mile along the Escalante Route to lookout point
high above river. Too hot to go to Unkar, and we wanted to rest and hydrate for
trip out on Friday. Thunderstorms came by briefly in afternoon. Strong winds
whipped the tops off the rapids just as a group of rafts came by. To bed early
for hike out, after boiling eggs for next morning.
Friday - Day 5
Up at 3 AM to break camp. Carried 12 1/2 L of water to last us for 2 days.
On trail at 4:30 AM using lights. Made Redwall just as sun started shining on
us. Not too hot yet, so decided to do Redwall instead of waiting for cooler late
afternoon. Made it to Cardenas Butte by 10:30. Set up chairs in shade and made
lunch. Packed up at 1:45 and started for 75 Mile Saddle to set up camp for
night. Arrived at 3:45. Picked up water cache along the way. Saw a very small
snake (6-8" long) with alternate black and yellow bands. Head was black and
same diameter as body. Nice sunset from tent set on edge of cliff over 75 Mile
Canyon. Bed at 7. At lunch stop, met 4 men heading down to do Tanner, Escalante,
Hance loop. One said he uses alum to settle water in 5 minutes.
Saturday - Day 6
Broke camp and started hiking about 10 AM. Thunderstorm moved in just after
we started hiking down around 75 Mile Saddle. Took shelter under rock overhang
and storm passed quickly. Clouds formed rapidly on rim, looking like billowing
smoke. Took our time and walk out was not difficult. Reached Lipan Point around
1 PM. Asked tourist to take our picture standing together on Lipan Point. Drove
to Desert View to view Tanner Trail. Restaurant too crowded so we drove to
Cameron trading Post and picked up roast beef sandwich, chips & root beer
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