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| Hiking | 22.35 Miles |
8,595 AEG |
| | Hiking | 22.35 Miles | 13 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.82 mph |
| 8,595 ft AEG | 1 Hour 5 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I had been wanting to see Cheops Plateau from the other end of the spine since my summit of the Plateau just about a year ago. My return to the area in the fall with @DallinW further piqued this desire. In fact, we had planned to do it together this weekend, but Dallin has a foot that needs to get right by next month, so he had to bow out. I nearly bowed out myself due to a nasty bug and spending about 15 hours in bed on Friday, but nevertheless, fueled on energy drinks and Thera-Flu, I dragged myself out of bed at 3:30 in the morning on Saturday to pack for a night at the canyon and a big day hike. I was on the road by 4:30 and started off for Cheops at 8:05 a.m.
I immediately realized that my zeal for the hike may have been enhanced by cold medicine and two energy drinks on the drive up. I could just tell it was going to be a slog, my legs were even fatigued going down hill and those are supposed to be the free miles on these big days in the canyon. I even thought about just making a loop with the Tonto back to BA and shuttling back to SK, but I was worried that I would be confused with the throngs of free pass users that were cluttering up the trails and decided it was best to continued on to the pyramid. I filled up, rested a little and cameled up at the campground before hitting Utah Flats where I ended up almost turning around due to feeling so poorly. My legs just weighed a ton, I was short of breath, feeling a lot warmer than what I should have been feeling and a little nauseated. In fact, it took me an hour just to climb the first mile up Utah Flats, however, the pyramid was just too close to call the hike.
The route to the pyramid was a little tougher than I thought it would be and I was not very fast going at all. In terms of approach, I think the plateau is easier. As stated in the description, the route to the pyramid will test those stabilizer muscles in your legs. Throw in an achy body, some intense fatigue and a little remorse for pushing on and you have the key ingredients to a miserable 1.5 miles. However, as the "steps" neared, my resolve grew. It took me a minute to figure out the the steps, but eventually they went smoothly and I was finally on the pyramid. A top notch summit in my opinion, with some solid views to the east. I tried to just enjoy my stay on the summit, rather than think about what I still had to do to get out, but that was definitely on my mind. I took some pics, replenished my energy stores a little, while watching two brave souls attempt crossing the spine from the plateau. I don't know how far they got, but they had not given up when I left the summit. The off trail portion seemed to go a little quicker on the way back and despite taking several mini breaks along the way, reaching the campground did not go nearly as bad as I thought it would.
The climb up SK was a complete slog. I was taking breaks at nearly every mile by this point and just trying to keep my feet moving forward. I got a boost of energy near the top when I saw a guy carrying a full mountain bike on his back, props to him and slightly motivating. I topped out just after nine and reached the car at 9:30 p.m. I had intended to stay the night, but my body was telling me I needed some rest, so I just headed straight home, not one break. Back to the house just before 1, just your run of the mill 21 hour excursion to the Grand Canyon.
Final Notes
Although the pyramid was great, I still put the Plateau above it, in terms of views and even route. Utah Flats is a superb trail right now with the green and yellow hillsides and nice cacti bloom. Speaking of, am I the only one who always loses the Utah Flats route for a couple of hundred feet every time? It's warm again in the Canyon! I consumed just about six liters of water and Gatorade, although, I was over-hydrating to compensate for being sick. I have always been a mind over matter person when it comes to being sick, but I did learn on Saturday that eventually the body will win when applying that mindset. It was not pretty and I did not set any land-speed records, but I got it done and still experienced that great sense of accomplishment and elation/buzz that has came with my tougher Canyon summits. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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