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| Hiking | 8.75 Miles |
1,785 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.75 Miles | 5 Hrs 25 Mns | | 2.56 mph |
| 1,785 ft AEG | 2 Hrs Break | 11 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I finally checked this one off my wish list. What an amazing place this truly is! Looking around at the bottom of the trail, it is almost hard to believe you are not far from the geographic center of AZ.
There were four other cars in the lot when I arrived at 9AM so I set off at a good clip in hopes of reaching the bottom before too many more showed up. This was also smack-dab in the middle of the hottest week of the year in AZ and temps at the TH were already nearing 90F at that early hour. I did not stop at all on the descent and made it to the dam by 10:30AM. There were definitely several spots where I looked downhill on the way and though to myself, "well, this part is certainly going to suck coming back up," only to turn the next corner and add on, "but this part is going to suck even more." At least I had some idea of what I was getting into.
I opted not to cross the falls over to the toilet bowl only because I did not want to get my Altras soaked and was suspect of my "water shoes" (acquired that morning at Walmart for $8) ability to safely take me down the hill adjacent. Got to the bottom swam into the grotto a few times, attempted to swim to the base of the falls a few times (but ended up letting the current win that fight,) had a snack, took the obligatory photos, and generally basked in the natural beauty for 90 min before packing my gear and heading out.
I had brought my Grayl filter bottle with me to avoid carrying excess water weight on the way in and offered to filter some for the others before heading out. One couple very thankfully took me up on my offer but the other (who had exclusively speaking Spanish) did not. It may have been my horrible grasp of the langauge (although I was modestly impressed with myself for being able to come up with "Necessito mas agua?" followed by me pointing at the Grayl and adding "puro" on the spot) but the politely declined.
The hike out... well, no other way to say it... sucked (as expected.) Starting up the hill just after Noon, it was between 98-100F the entire time and the single, lazy cloud in the sky refused to move anywhere near the sun.
I called back a tip one of the GCNP rangers had given my daughter and I when we hiked out Bright Angel years back-- 'Go two switchbacks and then stop and take 10-12 deep breaths before continuing'-- and substituted 'shady spots' for the switchbacks (as there are not many of either to be had.) That worked in keeping me alive and generally mobile but that second mile of the trip out is a beast of elevation gain. What started out as hiking for 3-5 min and then resting/breathing for 20 seconds early in that mile soon turned to hiking for 30 seconds to some small bit of shade, taking off my hat to cool down, and resting for 2 min before starting another sub-minute ascent up the hill. In the end, I was very happy I had my new trekking poles along for their first use or I think my knees would have been much worse for the wear.
I passed one girl sitting alone near the top who asked me how much farther it was to the TH. I didn't recall seeing her near the falls so I am not sure if she had turned back somewhere part way. I checked my GPS track and told her it was less than a mile, probably closer to 3/4 back to her car and she seemed somewhat relieved at that. I asked if she was okay and twice if she needed water (I had plenty left for that short distance) but she said she was good. I asked once more to be sure but she assured me she was okay so I set off again and reached the TH around 2:20PM.
I kept the roof off my Jeep for this trip (thinking it was going to be cooler while I spent 9 days in the Payson area) so there was not much respite from the heat on the drive back. I did douse myself in my remaining filtered water in the parking lot and then relished in the 24oz I had still ice cold in the insulated bottle in the Jeep on the drive back.
I had planned to stop at That Brewery for a post-hike victory beer but sadly found they are closed on Wed and Thurs so I hit The Old Country Inn in Pine instead. While enjoying my beer, I noticed a flyer advertising that Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are playing on the patio there Labor Day weekend so it now seems I will be headed back to Pine sooner than planned. 
What a day this was. I am so glad I did it and, despite my complaints about the hike out, I cannot wait to do it again. |
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"Being unselfish is a natural high, like hiking or paint thinner."
- Homer J Simpson |
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Route Scout
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
so frequent reapplications of sunscreen (and later use of my umbrella) were necessary to keep from burning. The rain, which threatened to fall most of the day never really broke other than a few random drops. I had started the day hoping we could avoid rain but changed my opinion after few hours of solid sun.
