Destination: Grand Canyon - The Backcountry

Where we left off: the planning and the preparations are compete, the permits secured, the flights successful, the acclimation day hike done, and the drive to the trailhead from Bright Angel Lodge in progress.

My group of 5 backpackers is ready and raring to go for our first Grand Canyon backpacking trip as we arrive at Grandview Point.  We strap on our backpacks, take the obligatory “before” pictures and head DOWN the trail.

And DOWN we go.  The trail at this point is steep, the switchbacks built up long ago with stones, logs, and cobbles.

Some of the steeper places have been paved with cobbles and some of these cobbles are quite smooth and slippery.  As we make our way gingerly down the trail, trying not to face plant on the steep incline, driven by gravity and our 45+ pound backpacks, we are easily passed by a young woman with a daypack, wearing Teva sandals, virtually jogging down the trail.

Being the nice Midwestern gentleman that we are we say Hey, and keep on going at our pace.  Our packs are at their heaviest now, with 5 days of backcountry food, water for the day, for cooking dinner, for the evenings libations, and for a portion of tomorrow’s hike.  Our research told us that our 1st backcountry site at Horseshoe Mesa is basically dry, there is water available at Page Spring or Miner’s Spring, but that is a precarious, exposed, and steep hike to the east of Horseshoe Mesa, which we have chosen not to attempt.

About halfway to Horseshoe Mesa the same young woman that passed us going DOWN is now passing us going UP.  She is moving uphill at the same speed that she was moving downhill.  We assume that she went all the way down to Horseshoe and is now on the way back.  While we marvel at the stamina of youth, we also reflect on the preparedness and experience of age.

The rest of the hike to Horseshoe is fairly uneventful, except for a Tarantula on the trail, and a brief stop at an old mine just before Horseshoe.

The view of Horseshoe Mesa from the trail is awesome.

We arrive at the old stone building at Horseshoe Mesa, drop our packs, and head out to look for the best backcountry site for our 3 tents.

We decide on a great site on a mesa overlooking a gorge and proceed to set up camp.  The wind is ferocious here, although the weather is warm and clear.  Each of us carries Slinglite backcountry chairs, which make the lounging spectacular.

After camp is set and a significant period of rest and relaxation is complete our mission is to locate and explore Cave of the Domes.  We had read about this cave on numerous web sites, marked it on the map, and put the approximate coordinates into the GPS.

The cave is not as easily located as it might seem.  We know it is several hundred yards off trail, and past reports have said that there are some semi-exposed, sheer-drop type trails on the way.  After a couple of false turns, off trail bushwhacking that turns up empty, and numerous lower leg abrasions from blood hungry prickly vegetation, we locate a faint trail that looks promising.

The trail skirts a small valley on fairly level ground and then passes through a section of skinny trail on the edge of a side canyon that requires some concentration.  Eventually, after rounding a turn, with the trail hugging the cliff, we open up to a wider spot and see the cave entrance.  It is small.  We’re all good-sized guys and this is not a good-sized hole, it is approximately a foot and a half tall and about 3 feet wide.

We put on our headlamps and eagerly crawl through the entrance on our bellies through the dirt.  Once through the entrance the cave is fairly expansive.  We can easily stand up, with much room topside to spare.  Stalagmites (from the ground up), stalactites (from the ceiling down), as well as a trail register greet us.

After oohing and aahing for a while, signing in on the register, taking some too-dark video and numerous pictures, we head out and back to camp for happy hour and to cook dinner.

After returning to camp from Cave in the Domes we cooked dinner: chicken burritos and black beans, and mixed up the evening’s libations.

Our drink of choice in the backcountry is what we affectionately call “Sierra Coolers.” A semi-lethal combination of Crystal Light and grain alcohol mixed in a Nalgene 1 liter canteen.  Yes, even in a dry camp, we carried enough water for a few nightcaps, so we’re looking for the most bang for our buck!

Finally, more lounging around the campsite, a great sunset over Horseshoe Mesa, and early to bed to prepare for the next day’s hike.

It was a very good day; a great hike, awesome scenery, a cool cave, and a good dinner, with a happy hour kicker.  Looking forward to tomorrow.

This is Part 2 of Len’s story about his Grand Canyon backpacking trip, complete with awesome photos. Check back next Friday for the third installment of our Guest Blogger’s trip.