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| Backpack | 36.42 Miles |
9,015 AEG |
| | Backpack | 36.42 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 9,015 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was the main reason for my week long trip to the north rim and it did not disappoint. This backpack had been on my mind for a few years now. My permit was for four days, however, I was ok with returning a day earlier, as I had already had a very eventful fall break.
Day one was a pretty standard hike down Bill Hall and the Deer Creek Trail. I really enjoyed the esplanade portion of the hike and think that this section of trail may get overlooked a little because of the attractions at the CO and along Thunder and Tapeats. However, I think its right up with them, in terms of scenery and beauty. Only two people at the Deer Creek site so that was nice. I was a little surprised at how rugged and steep the drop was into Deer Creek was, but I kind of enjoyed it and put it on par with other more rugged descents, such as Boucher. The narrows of Deer Creek were absolutely amazing and rival the attraction of the falls in my opinion. The only issue was the dozen or so rafters lounging around the narrows, makes for poor photos. It made me think, that the real threats to the canyon's treasures and solitude are not from the foot traffic on the rim, but the traffic coming up from the river. I kept chuckling to myself about how different the partying schlubs beached on the narrows and down by the falls were in comparison to the characters I was reading about in The Emerald Mile. I ended up being pretty beat, despite the modest day and was in bed not to long after the sunset.
On day two I took the traditional route back to Tapeats Creek and had my camp set up in the AV9 use area pretty early in the morning. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Tapeats Creek and it was simply amazing on so many levels. I got back to camp reeling with some adrenaline from the awesome day, but it quickly wore off and I was in bed again very shortly after sunset. The moon kept it pretty well lit in my area for most of the night and the temps were nearly perfect, as I never even crawled into my bag. I made the wet hike back to the Thunder River Trail the next morning, stopped for some pictures of the waterfalls and took some long breaks on the way up to soak it all in. I had to walk a little over a mile to get back to my campsite, but there waiting for me safe and sound was Jackie and the pups, so all was well.
A tremendous area, a tremendous hike and maybe my most memorable trip in the canyon to date! |
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