Thunder River in the Grand Canyon

[Now that I have the preceding rant out of the way, I can post something that is not about Iraq. I've been looking at notes from hiking trips and found this one. For the uninitiated, the Kaibab, Coconino and Redwall refer to rock formations that compose major layers within the Grand Canyon. The Esplanade is a large open rock bench between the Coconino an Redwall formations.]


September 1984. Thunder River Trail. Grand Canyon, Arizona. Fourth trip into the Canyon for me, first from the North Rim. Gary, Randy, Colleen and I set out from the Bill Williams (?) trailhead. We are following a group of boy scouts. The trail is fair at best, clinging to a steep rock face as as it skirts the top of the Kaibab formation. Two boy scouts pass us, heading back to the trailhead. We wonder about adults who would send kids alone on a trail like this. We pass the scouts and begin the Coconino descent. Lots of loose rock and shitty trail. Colleen is moving slow. She's complaining about lack of energy. We wait for her at the Esplanade. A scout leader arrives, checks his map, draws an arrow in the dirt and proceeds in the wrong direction. We consider letting him go that way but end up telling him. He changes the direction of his arrow and steps out as confidently as he did when he was heading to oblivion. Colleen arrives and insists she can continue. We set out across the Esplanade, a fairy tale collection of strange rock formations. It's open with little vegetation and walking is good. We stash water at the top of the Redwall. Colleen is still slow but determined. Randy and Gary quickly pull ahead and out of site.

Colleen is beginning to have real difficulty. She finally says she has to rest and tells me to head on to get help from Randy and Gary. This trip is fucked. I set off a a good pace, quickly reach Surprise Valley and head for Thunder River. I reach the rim overlooking Thunder River and Tapeats Creek only to discover that the drop into this side canyon creek is substantial. I make my way down and into the campground. What's this? The trail crosses the creek? It must. This side is blocked with brush. Don't I see a foot print on the other side? I wade into the creek. The water is cold and running strong. I almost fall more than once. Okay, where is the campground? It's getting late. I don't want to cross the creek again. Fuck, I'm losing light. I will have to make camp. It won't help Colleen for me to injure myself stumbling around in the dark. I see lights across the creek. I call out and they head right to me. They're river runners looking for the trail back to the Colorado River. They tell me the campground is on the other side of the cCreek. I shoulder my pack and trudge across the water. I find Randy. Gary is looking for me and Colleen. I'm beat and hungry. Gary comes back and, after hearing my tale, packs up and heads out in the dark to find Colleen. Randy and I will come up tomorrow.

Morning comes early as Randy and I climb out. We stop at Thunder River to water up. Boy Scouts are camped on every flat surface in the vicinity despite prohibitions against camping there. The river is actually a large spring gushing--no, exploding--from the side of the Redwall. A ribbon of vegetation follows the stream of water about a quarter mile down the canyon wall and into Tapeats Creek. I guess that's all the the time I will have to appreciate this glory. We find Gary and Colleen in Surprise Valley around 9:30. Gary thinks she's having a diabetes attack. I stay with her while they go for help. I have lots of water, Randy's sling chair and plenty of sunscreen to get me through the day. I set my tent up to give Colleen shade and begin my wait. The heat builds, tour choppers fly overhead, the Boy Scouts head out, time passes slowly.

The distinctive slap of helicopter rotors bursting over the Redwall breaks my reverie around 4:00 pm. The chopper circles a few times and sets down. A ranger, medic and pilot come over to check out Colleen. I learn that I won't be riding out with her--the chopper can't carry us both and all our gear. I begin cramming anything I don't need for a night alone in the Canyon into Colleen's pack. We load Colleen into the medevac with the pilot and medic and they lift off, leaving me with the ranger. He is heading to Tapeats for backcountry patrol. He tells me that Gary and Randy met him just as he was starting out on the trail this morning. He gives me a quart of Gookinaid which I guzzle before we head in opposite directions. I climb the Redwall in late afternoon shade. The climb is actually pretty easy after the events of the past day. I reach the water stash at the top, guzzle as much of Colleen's water as I can and pour the rest of hers over my head and shoulders. Now I am stepping briskly across the Esplanade. What a delight. I can see forever in the late afternoon sun. Long shadows stretch across the rock. I won't have enough light to make it all the way out. I do not want to negotiate the upper trail in the dark.

I make camp on a rock bench. I can see the Colorado River gorge snaking into the distance. After dinner I watch the stars come out. I've never been in the Canyon by myself and revel in the solitude of the night sky. I awake in the dark and am on the trail at first light. I will beat the sun to the rim if I can. I pass the Boy Scouts as I begin ascending the Coconino. They have a fire (don't their leaders know anything?). I climb slowly, choosing my steps carefully on the loose rock. Frequent rest pauses allow me to watch the shadows receding across the Esplanade. I'm still in the shade as I slowly make my way up. I hope someone is waiting for me up top. The sun hits me as I traverse the Kaibab. Not far to go now. Gary and Randy are sitting by the truck. Now it's back to the North Rim village for a shower. Too late for breakfast so we end up having lunch at Jacob Lake. We pass a nasty traffic accident on the way out of the park.

We stop in Flagstaff to see Colleen. She is resting and a bit groggy but she tells us that she does in fact have diabetes, I retrieve my gear from her pack and we head home. We were all very lucky.