Day 215 (HDT 31)

Day 215 (HDT 31): 21 miles

As I was packing up this morning, the sky was an array of beautiful colors. It was easy to get started with that. It was a quick jaunt down to Tanner Beach where I got some water from the Colorado and made use of a pit toilet. On the way down, I passed a cool bird perched in a rock ready to hunt. It was the time of day where light was shifting. When it was far away at first, I thought it was a opossum standing up on a rock about to jump to his death in the river.

After Tanner Beach we were in the escalante trail and Tonto trail the rest of the day. There were a few short climbs or route finding sections but they were really good overall. The only bad time was when I took a wrong route and climbed up on a ledge only to realize I couldn’t go forward anymore cause of an outcropping. So I had to descend backwards from where I was standing without really being able to see where I was going. Stomach was churning, but I just kept telling myself to stay calm and breath. There were also a lot of steeeeep drop offs immediately on the side of the skinny trail today, but those aren’t bad as long as you’re focused and not too afraid of heights.

We got more water from the Colorado at the mouth of the escalate creek (dry) before climbing up again and then descending into seventy five mile creek (dry) which was basically a slot canyon.

After that canyon we climbed back up pretty high above the Colorado. I saw 3 rafts and a green kayak approaching. That was the same exact setup our friends had. It had to be the same people. I started to yell a few times to try to get their attention and say hi with no luck. Eventually they got closer and I yelled out one of their names as loud as I could and they heard me and all waved. We caught up with them less then a mile later where they were landed on a beach to scout out some rapids they were about to hit. We chatted for a bit before climbing up again high above the Colorado and watching them float down the rapids.

From then on, we didn’t drop back down to the Colorado. It was a gradual climb up to Horseshoe Mesa at 5,000 feet. It was very cool views, and different than we had been seeing. We got a break from the Colorado river and went away from it because we had to avoid the canyons dropping down into it. We hiked on the rims of canyons but the hillsides were covered in grayish-green plants, still with massive rock walls in the background.

We climbed up to Page Spring/Miners Spring around dark. This spring is known to have some arsenic in it, but there isn’t really any other options around. The Colorado river is too far away, and we might hit one creek tomorrow but we’re not sure if it’ll be flowing or not. This was the only for sure source. So I grabbed 5.5 liters from there of arsenic-infused water. I figured 5.5 liters is enough for a full day plus a little bit for the climb out of the Grand Canyon the next day. It’s certainly not enough for that next day, but it’s enough to roll into town comfortably dehydrated and ready to pound Dr Pepper.

Also, the national park service is quick to say yes it is arsenic but it’s only SLIGHTLY above the recommended arsenic levels for MUNICIPAL water. I think it was just their way of calling city people soft.

I hiked probably more than an extra mile at the end of the day. We got up to horseshoe Mesa after dark and I was a bit ahead. I passed a sign that said toilet in the right, but nothing about campsites. I kept hiking on the trail toward where the camping icon was on my Gaia map. I was hiking for a while and wasn’t seeing anything. I pulled out Skurka’s guide and it said that the campsites were east of a structure I passed at the beginning. So they were on the trail with the toilet sign. I was a little upset I walked extra. I got back there and went down that trail to go find a campsite. They were all full. My permit said if they’re full continue on to the group site. So I then walked back to where I was before and only had to go a little bit farther to reach the group site. There are few things I hate more than extra walking, and especially after dark.

It was cloudy today which was since to get a break from the sun and it helped with the temperature a lot. I still comfortably drank about 6 liters of water though.

One of the highlights of the day was unsolicitedly re-enacting the lion and tuna scene from The Other Guys for Fancy Feast.

Song of the day: my tears are becoming a sea-M83