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| Backpack | 26.00 Miles |
3,291 AEG |
| | Backpack | 26.00 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 3,291 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | This was a fantastic trip with an outstanding group of peeps! The hike out was long and rather dull but the views of the canyon are some of the best I've ever seen!
Our trip started on Friday night driving up to Desert View. Haley, Vince, Frank and I arrived at Desert View around 7:30pm where we met Larry and Wendy. They were settled in and had a campfire waiting for us. The highlight of the evening was spotting two shooting stars overhead. We woke Saturday morning and got all our gear prepared and then made our way down the Cape Solitude access road. I was a little stressed about road conditions but it was fine. You definitely need a 4x4 with high clearance and good tire tread. There were a few tippy sections and some rough sections but we got down the road fine and also had little trouble exiting the next day.
We arrived at the Cape Solitude Trailhead and were off. I started with over 11 liters of water. I would cache 5+ liters along the hike in two locations. The hike follows an old road through rolling hills. It's rather dull but we all moved at a good pace. At times we spread out but always seemed to come back together at various points along the hike. At around the eight mile mark I got out ahead of the group and I'm hiking along in my own little world when I come upon a sign that looks very new. I'm surprised to see it in fact. The first part said "Cape Solitude 5 miles". That sounded right but then below it was written "Cold Beer, Ice and Water 1/2 Mile". I thought what the pumpkin? I kept going and then could see a truck up ahead. This area is on the boundary between the national park and the Navajo nation. I thought to myself who would be out here? I continued on and got closer to the truck and saw there was a white man behind it. I was kind of upset because I'm coming here for solitude and don't want to talk to anyone outside my group. I got closer and then heard in a familiar voice "How's it going?" I look up and it's Chumley! I was absolutely blown away! I'm still in shock today. He gave me vitamin water and we chatted as the rest of the group caught up a few minutes later.
Now we had a group of seven and we continued on towards the Cape. With roughly 1+ mile to go, the road curves to the west and leads to the first epic viewpoint of the canyon. We all stopped in amazement! The view was absolutely breathtaking! It's quite possibly the best view of the canyon and I've seen a bunch from both rims. After admiring it for several minutes we made the final push for Cape Solitude. I was pretty much beat by the time we reached the Cape. We came 13 miles and it was worth it. Again the views are just spectacular! For the next hour or so we all wandered around and admired the views and took pictures and rested. I found a nice shady spot just a hair below the rim. I gazed north towards Marble Canyon and found myself lost in awe! Eventually we all gathered back at the Cape to discuss setting up camp. Chumley found a nice spot roughly a few hundred yards to the east. He said it was less windy and there was plenty of room for all of us. We headed over and set up camp. We wanted to be all set up before sunset.
After camp was set all of us walked back over to the Cape to enjoy the sunset. The canyon had the perfect glow in the setting sun. We hung out and took a variety of pictures. This was a great group and we really had the time of our lives out here. I wish the trip never ended! After the sun dropped out of site we all returned to camp and enjoyed a fire and some of us had dinner. Chumley was kind enough to bring beer and vodka and I was kind of enough to help him drink it! I was really smart and mixed the two together on an empty stomach and didn't bother to eat dinner. It did not take long for the alcohol to kick in and it hit me really hard. I passed out in my tent a few minutes later.
I woke Sunday morning and felt relatively fine. I downed a bunch of water and electrolytes and tore camp down. We all got prepared and then started the hike out. Our first stop was Todd's truck. Haley decided to take a ride out because her knee swelled up from an earlier injury she received before this trip. The rest of us continued and were back at the vehicles around 1pm. From there we met Todd and Haley at Desert View and then made the drive to NiMarco's in Flagstaff for pizza and wings. After that it was back to Phoenix.
This was such a fun trip with an amazing group! Everyone was a blast and I wish our trip was longer. Everyone should visit Cape Solitude at least once in their life. It's a long hike but the view is worth it! |
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