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| Backpack | 44.00 Miles |
11,000 AEG |
| | Backpack | 44.00 Miles | 4 Days | | |
| 11,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | The forecast called for highs around 70 at the river, then another atmospheric river later in the week. I decided I’d get in my canyon fix now, then buckle down on work when it got cold and rainy. Gunther Castle has been in the back of my head for a while because I’ve heard it has some of the best views in the eastern canyon.
On Sunday I set off around 11:30am and descended Tanner at a moderate pace. While there were plenty of bootprints on Tanner, the only tracks on Beamer were from a mountain lion. I followed the Beamer Trail until it headed up onto the Tapeats, then forged my own way between the brush and the cliffs towards Carbon Creek. There is barely a use trail but bushwhacking really wasn’t that bad, which was a good thing because I was running short on daylight. I found a sandbar below Carbon to launch from and set off in my packraft around sunset. I met three kayakers at Carbon Beach who were making big miles and taking out at Diamond within the week.
I left camp around 8am on Monday but I should have left at first light. I found two(!) mylar balloons on my way up Carbon and Chuar creeks. There were mountain lion tracks all over the soft shale-y creekbeds and it looks like there was a cub or two following mom.
The climb through the Tapeats (for the second time) was very steep and quite a departure from my easy creekbed walking. I crossed a saddle then a small ravine which both had small isolated basins. When I reached the ravine I’d follow through the Redwall there were many short but tedious obstacles in the bed. I briefly scouted for Supai breaks at the saddle above the Redwall break, and although there was no easy talus slope, I correctly identified a weakness in the top blocks. I noted landmarks near my scrambles and even remembered them correctly later, allowing a speedy descent.
Gunther Castle has an incredible view across Chuar Valley, to Siegfried Pyre, into Kwagunt and Nankoweap, across the plateau towards Marble Canyon, over Chuar Butte, and even to the San Francisco Peaks and Navajo Mountain. I spied many routes I’ve recently traversed and even noticed a car glinting at Lipan Point. It would be a fantastic vantage point to study cliffbreaks, if only I had the time to pull out a map, binoculars, and make detoured notes. I was surprised by how few entries the summit register contained; just half a dozen groups since 2018 and none in 2023. I guess it’s a full day detour and most people don’t bother, which seems silly to me considering the ease and the view. There was trash left from the Washburn surveys on the northern end of the summit.
I didn’t leave the summit until after 2pm and was glad the descent through the Supai and Redwall were much quicker than the way up. Watching the clock, I began traversing below Galeros after 3pm. I was disappointed I didn’t have time to cross the saddle and traverse the northern side, but I barely had the energy for another climb anyway. The sidehilling started out relatively easy, but then I entered a thicket of some horrible shrubby plant with greenish spines and no leaves. They were all over one gully and they stab! I looked them up and I think they were crucifixion thorn plants, north of their usual range. Once beyond a small saddle, the footing became poorer and alternated between plunge-steppy and scree-on-rock every few steps. This does not make for efficient progress  I contoured at the base of some cliffs where the terrain was barely flatter.
It was a relief to reach the ridge of Bright Angel Shale west of Chuar Butte. The walking was finally fast, and good thing, because I had less than an hour and a half of daylight left! This ridge is still higher than Temple Butte – what a funny perspective! When I reached the Butte Fault I had a use trail and some ducks to hasten my descent, and I was in such a rush I didn’t take the time to knock many of the ducks over. I’m a little sad that this route is being trailed out; it didn’t feel wild like the rest of my hike. On the other hand, it aided my quick descent. I hustled down the ravine, glad I picked the small bypasses correctly on my first tries, and reached the flat part of the creekbed within about half an hour. From here I jogged much of the way on soft, flat shale, figuring that was preferable to hiking longer in the dark. I reached the bypass in the Tapeats narrows in Carbon before finally pulling out my headlamp. In the dark, I heard owl hoots echoing through the canyon.
I only wasted a little time packing in the morning and hit the trail relatively early. Ugh, I am getting sick of the Tanner Trail. It is so much more annoying climbing it than descending, too. First the slow and steady climb in the Dox – which wouldn’t be bad except it’s only the start – then the hills through the Tapeats and shale, then the steep Redwall push, and finally the sufferfest of the final mile. Still, it’s a necessary hardship because this trail provides winter access to such a large, interesting area of the north side.
And hey, look at that: I spent literally half of January in the Grand Canyon. 2024 is off to a good start!  |
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