| |
|
| | |
|
| Backpack | 35.41 Miles |
13,334 AEG |
| | Backpack | 35.41 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 13,334 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | So Brahma was the plan for this three day excursion into the Grand Canyon with @carriejane and Brahma it was! We had permits for two days in the area, one for the AJ9 use area and one for the AK9 use area. The original plan entailed camping at the top of the redwall break on the way to Brahma a summit in the morning and then camping at Sumner Wash on the second day. However, the prospect of carrying 8 liters of water up the redwall break on day one, may have lead to a liberal interpretation of Grand Canyon backcountry rules on the first night. Nevertheless, our summit attempt was a resounding success and it was one of my more memorable three day trips into the big ditch. I was very worried about how my surgically repaired right shoulder would handle a Brahma summit attempt less than two weeks after getting the green light for the resumption of full physical activities, but I learned that I can do a lot of things with one arm and Carrie pushing up on my butt. Speaking of learning things, we also learned that a Nalgene can survive a 50 feet fall through the redwall and that tents are best when staked during high winds and that the poles that come with the Fly Creek Platinum are very durable under stress.
Day one was a pretty standard and at times warm hike to Sumner Wash, where after filtering six liters of water we decided that a loose interpretation of the backcountry zones was a better option than lugging our heavy packs up through the redwall. Especially, with some worries about my shoulder as it was. After setting up camp, we did a little day hike further east down Clear Creek Trail and then returned for an amazing night in the shadow of Zoroaster.
Day two was a play it by ear day. The goal was to go as far as my shoulder could take us and to just enjoy the journey along the way. Thinking my shoulder would only take us as far as the redwall break, I told Carrie to pack enough snacks and water for a return around lunchtime. This turned out to only be a seven hour miscalculation, as the shoulder was feeling great. With every obstacle cleared, I began to feel more confident and our determination to reach the summit grew. The rope sections certainly proved difficult, but it can be done with one arm and a little nerves. Similarly, the short climbs and scrambles can be negated by a nice two handed push on one's bottom. The traverses and wind tested Carrie's nerves, but even they proved just minor obstacles in our quest for one of the Canyon's ultimate summit gems. There was a little route finding Snafu to contend with on the final scramble, but there was no way it was going to stop us at that point and we quickly got back on track. The summit finally became a reality by 2 p.m. There are not a lot of names in this register and someone had replaced the book about ten days ago, but I was pleased to see that my now barely discernible entry and ode to my old man was still there on some loose papers in the register. We knew we had a long day still ahead of us, so we turned around after only a few minutes on the summit. The way back was pretty uneventful aside from the wind, which had me looking back several times to see if Carrie was still attached to the earth. The tougher of the ropes proved to be a little difficult going down, but it did lead to one of my classic quotes of the day. When I told Carrie I needed her help at the bottom, she asked, "What do you want me to do?" I yelled down, "Just catch me if I fall!" She looked up a little dumbfounded at what I thought was a pretty reasonable request. Going back was a slog, we were both basically out of fuel to eat and water to drink, but we got back to camp sans headlamps (both of us had left ours in the tent) about ten minutes before dark, just how we had drawn it up.
We endured some of the worst and most sustained high winds I have ever encountered while backpacking Sunday night, but were still able to get a pretty early start Monday morning despite the nearly sleepless night. We later learned that those were most likely 40 plus mph winds that we were dealing with for about 12 straight hours. The hike out started off quick and then became a bit of a slog around the tip off point when some quarter inch sized hail began to pelt us, luckily this turned into some softer snow very quickly, but the high winds and white out conditions required us to draw on a little grit for the final three miles of the climb out. We were rewarded for our tough little climb out with the road closed and gated off right before the trailhead due to the snow and ice on the road. However, just as we were contemplating how we were ever going to get home with a gated off road now in front of us, a tow truck driver came and unlocked the gate for us and some other pretty anxious travelers. I was not even aware the forest service gated off that rim road during poor road condition events!
In the end, the second time proved to be a charm and I could not think of a better person to share that amazing summit with! It was team work the whole way, nothing came easy and it was always interesting!
The return route I posted to the track is just a leg of the official route for anyone examining route. I turned off Route Scout on our return from the summit to conserve my battery, so just used the official route for an estimation of stats.
|
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
