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| Backpack | 12.00 Miles |
1,200 AEG |
| | Backpack | 12.00 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 1,200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I first heard of "Comanche Point" from Wayne Tomasi's awesome GC Adventure book; then later, at the Desert View veiwpoint/tower, I witnessed it's prominence as it jutted out northwest along the Palisades. I knew I had to stand from its point and check out what MUST be an incredible view of the Eastern Grand Canyon.
I assumed it would be a simple and easy (read:flat) jaunt out to Comanche and I would take the relaxing 5 or 6 mile weekend stroll out there...and would even camp a night to make that much easier. As is typical with most GC adventures, nothing goes quite as planned. 
Several weeks ago, I got a BCO permit (for 2) and marked my calendar. I started to ask some local hiking buddies but no one seemed interested in this vague Canyon location on top of the rim. I finally coaxed my BFF from Kingman (Todd) to go as well as a 65 y/o gentleman (Peter) from my men's bible study group. Peter had often told me of his capabilities and outdoor adventures during group and was often inquiring about joining up with me on an adventure. I figured this 'easy' hike would suit us well. (I emailed BCO and they kindly increased my permit to 3 for free since we were not below the rim).
We all met at my house and crammed into my old, creaky '87 forerunner. Poor ol' Pete, being the smaller of us, had to constantly crawl across the downed-front seats to get into the back of my small 2-door truck. Also, the A/C and the rolldown of the back window QUIT working LONG ago thus all gear/passengers must enter/exit over the front seats and lop into the back... 
We arrived at DV and got a camp site around 6:30 p.m. Red skys were brewing and violent storms threatened in every direction. We never scouted for an open campsite before using the self-serve kiosk...so we just opted to take the one right by the check in station and bathrooms (#11)...it was a very busy and noisy location with persistent hand-dryers and electronic beepings of the kiosk.
ODDLY, we got ZERO rain that night and the 3 of us each had a cozy evening in our rainfly-covered tents. We got up early and causally prepped for our adventure.
I had read how nasty the drive on "Cape Solitude" road was...and was expecting the worse...and it was. Wow, that road is BAD. Very ROCKY...we were getting tossed and bumped all the way down in my 4Runner, emphatically aided by the laws of gravity; I knew we would have a tough time getting up and out on this steep rocky road...it also made me very anxious the next two days thinking about this drive up and out. My buddy Todd is a bit of a "home" mechanic and very handy (and calm) dude. Having him on the trip increased my confidence. (When we did leave Sunday it was CRAZY...I had to use 4Low and we slowly crawled up the road for those steep 2+ miles...there were at least 2 VERY, VERY tight & rutted sections that demanded...ahem...expert driving skills.)
We arrived at the trial-head parking area past the mouth of Tanner Canyon, marked, "No Vehicles Beyond This Point - Foot Traffic Only". Tire sidewalls looked scratched up...but not flat!! This was a good sign. We geared up and hit the trail. I had gathered some older online triplogs/maps for hiking Comanche, but only had a vague notion of what to expect and where to go. I also had my Oregon GPS and was very glad I'd brought it.
This area is HARSH man!! The footpath (old jeep trail) is faint (and/or bypassed) in many sections. About 4 miles in, we reach the first split in the road...and take the "easy way" to Commanche which is left (west). It curves back south and west into a wide pasture with old fence posts. We think we are lost, becaus the road simply fades out. After concurring this fact on the map, we start north making our own trail. I'm actively looking for a resemblance of the "saddle" area I had seen in an online photo. A mile or so later we find the saddle and start browsing around for a camp area but they are scarce. After several arguments with Todd for the best location we finally agree on a spot and start to rest. It's still late morning. Comanche Point can't be seen from here since you're basically sitting in a small valley. We have a general idea of where to go, so after the siesta, Todd and I start up the west face of the saddle. Peter decides to call it a day and stays behind. 
We climb to the top of first rugged uphill section only to find more grizzled terrain in front. We continue to climb in a north westerly fashion until we reach the Point which has a large cairn, covered with bones and an old antler. The views are UNSPEAKABLY AMAZING and reach far in both directions (see pics). We hang out for a while, then find some shade under a small juniper then finally, go back for a second look...camp is probably a mile away and 600+ lower. This trip alone cost Todd and I about 1/2 a gallon, but was worth every drop.
I tell Peter of the tremendous views, but he's already cleaned up and content with staying at camp. It's still pretty early in afternoon and I had every intention of guiding Peter back up in the evening but he politely declines. I think all 3 of us are worried about our water situation which is quickly depleting.
We finish the day off with Todd and I playing a game of "pluck the empty plastic water jug off the rock at 10 paces". I won't say who won. Beautiful weather that Saturday, slept w/o the rainfly that night...but slept horribly as I usually do when backpacking.
We get up early next morning and start heading out. Instead of going back the same way we came, Todd and I decided to make it interesting and take the saddle's eastern canyon which we think heads directly back to north-south jeep trail. Reluctantly Peter follows. We travel about a mile or more and see the bend to the plateau about a mile or more away. It would take us considerably more north than Todd wants to walk, even if it is flat. So he suggests we climb out of the canyon. I'm very reluctant, since I only have about 1/2 a liter of water for the entire 5+ miles back and I don't really want to climb. He insists it will be shorter for us and we playfully argue. After the first southern climb and as I expected, there is simply more canyons navigate up then down again. Now I'm a bit perturbed and Todd and I start arguing which shakes up Peter pretty good this time. We aren't lost, but it feels like like it to Peter. (Remember Todd and I are BFF's from high school and know how to argue with each other, it's not a pretty sight.  )
We continue with Todd's plan for a few more ups/downs some of which are pretty steep. Peter is about to have a meltdown, so finally I break out my GPS and use breadcrumbs to navigate us back to the junction mention earlier in the report. We definitely were headed the right direction...I still would have preferred the longer flatter route vs. Todd's vertical best guess.
We get back to the truck (thank God the tires weren't flat) and muscle out of the Cape Solitude road. We hit Desert View General store for some great tasting ice cream then bust out back to Flagstaff. Good ol' Peter buys the 3 of us lunch at the Silver Saddle Cafe...yummy stuff. Great trip!! Fun memories! |
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