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| Backpack | 16.00 Miles |
5,500 AEG |
| | Backpack | 16.00 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 5,500 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was my first time on Tanner starting around 1:40pm on a hot afternoon in May. This was my first mistake. Other mistakes included not pre-hydrating enough and carrying too much food and clothing. On top of all of this I was going in solo.
The first mile is a steep descent through the top layers. Once you’re below the Coconino things start to level off as you traverse the Hermit and Supai. I was going along nicely although very hot from the direct sunlight overheard. As I neared the Cardenas turnoff I was thinking about making a quick summit. I wasn’t feeling all that great so I took a short break in some shade under a juniper tree. I decided it was too hot to summit. I continued hiking and within five minutes I started feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded. I knew I had to be careful here because I didn’t want to get sick. I found a nice alcove that sat under another juniper tree and was blocked in by large boulders. I dropped down in there and took a long break lasting a good 30-45 minutes. During this time I took some ibuprofen, ate and hydrated. I considered returning to the rim. I then looked at my map and saw I was about a half mile from the Redwall descent. From looking at the map I could tell the descent would be shaded.
After a long break for me, I was feeling better. I decided to continue down. It was now around 4pm and the sun was still beating down. I proceeded to the top of the Redwall and I felt fine. I stopped for some pics at the viewpoint above the Redwall break. From there I started the descent. I was right this was all shaded which made for easy going. The descent is steep and loose in places but fine overall. Before long I was in the Bright Angel Shale and was making my way toward the river. I was back in sunshine but it was around 5pm and the sun was tolerable.
I arrived at Tanner Rapid a little before 6pm and found the area completely deserted. There were two guys I passed near the bottom. They were on their way out and were going to camp near the Redwall. I picked a sweet site nestled between a rock overhang and a mesquite tree. It looks like this site is used by rafters. I went over to the Colorado and was delighted to see it flowing clear. I had great success using my Sawyer Mini to filter water. While I still had daylight, I took a walk over to Tanner Rapid. It’s tame compared to Hance Rapid. Afterward I settled in at camp for the evening. I was going bivy style tonight. I lay down and looked up at the stars and saw three satellites over the course of an hour. It was really warm down there and I didn’t sleep well. I decided I was going to hike out at first light to beat the heat.
I woke a little after 5am and started breaking down camp. I had to filter 2+ liters of water and I was on my way by 5:30am. The hike up went fairly well. I cruised up to the Redwall and stopped to chat with two guys I saw yesterday. They were just starting to stir when I passed. From there I grinded up the Redwall break. It was fairly cool still and there was some cloud cover so all of this hiking was in shade. I continued and started the traverse across the Supai. The sun finally came out a little before 8am. At this point I was about two miles from the rim. I continued on and my pace slowed as I hit the final ascent to the rim. I chatted with a few groups making their way down. My pace slowed to a crawl the last half mile. It was getting hot and it was only 9:30am. I was glad I started early. I topped out a little before 10am and then returned to Phoenix.
This was a good trip that I learned from. After all the trips into the Canyon, this one humbled me. It was really hot out there and I was carrying too much weight. I’ll do everything I can to avoid hiking in the peak heat of the day going forward. Sometimes it’s not an option. |
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