Day 213 (HDT 29)

Day 213 (HDT 29): 15 miles

We made it back to the official Hayduke, and to the start of the descent into the Grand Canyon around 10am. The Nankoweap Trail we would take on the way down was rated as the most difficult level of trail in the Grand Canyon. It certainly wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done, but it was pretty rough.

I’m sure there have been other times, but I have rarely wanted 2 trekking poles as much as I did in this descent today. It was pretty damn steep. There was almost constantly a drop off of thousands of feet immediately off the ledge I was walking on. The trail was mostly loose gravel that had me slipping frequently. And all this was emphasized by the fact that my left knee was really hurting. Having 2 trekking poles would’ve allowed me to shift more of the weight onto my upper body like I usually like to do. And it would’ve made me feel more secure on the descent, and provide some leverage on the steep slopes. But alas, this trail never allows the convenient to come to fruition.

It was around a 5,000 foot descent from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado river at the bottom. It took us a long time to get down there, mostly from the steepness of the trail and our sliding on the gravel. But it was constant beauty the whole way down. The scale of the canyon is so large it’s hard to grasp, and certainly too hard for a picture to capture. If you haven’t, go check out the Grand Canyon, but give yourself multiple days there cause it’s simply too big (and don’t go in summer).

We made it to the bottom and started looking for a campsite around the Nankoweap Camping area in the evening. We first met a rafting group that I really liked the vibe of. They gave us beer, whiskey, and a nice bag of Franzia to slap. We talked to them for a while and they really seemed like cool dudes that knew how to party.

Sidebar: this section of the Hayduke is unique. From Nankoweap camp, it’s about 9 miles of cross country along the bank of the Colorado which is pretty brutal. Then after those 9 miles of cross country, you have to wait along the banks of the Colorado for a ride across the river from some rafters. You have to get to the other side of the Colorado, and it is not possible to swim.

I had heard stories in the past of other hikers getting a ride from rafters to bypass this cross country section and arrive comfortably on the other side of the Colorado at the confluence with the Little Colorado River. In the back of my mind, I was hoping we might be met with the same fortune.

After talking for a bit, I brought up crossing the river to the cool dudes we had been talking to. They were all game to help us with anything we needed and wanted to give us a ride, but they were taking a rest day and not leaving camp tomorrow. They said we were welcome to wait with them and they’d give us a ride the next day, but that wouldn’t fit our permit. We thanked them profusely for the food and beverages they gave us, but left to go check out the other rafting group there. “Dang it, that was a cool group and they offered to give us a ride. That was a perfect setup if it wasn’t a day late!”

We met the other rafting group and asked about campsites in the area and made small talk before I led in with my soft pitch, asking if they knew what time they would be around the confluence with the Little Colorado tomorrow cause we had “9 miles of brutal cross country hiking” to get there but needed a ride across the river when we got there.

They were just as cool and just as helpful. They were extremely nice, and played it just like I was hoping in my wildest dreams. “I can’t give you an exact time we’d be there. But we’d happily give you a ride down there if you want.” YESSSS!!

They even sweetened the pot then by inviting us to a spaghetti dinner. Did I die and go to heaven?

It was great. I had about 4 helpings of spaghetti, only to help them out cause they said they needed to get rid of all the food. They gave me some whiskey, a daiquiri, and just an overall great time.

Ultralight hiking is cool, but these rafters know how to do camping right. This day could not have possibly gone better.

P.S. if there’s typos I was pretty buzzed when I journaled this so deal with it

Song of the day: 2am-Mike dimes