July 16
Drive 4.5hr to Jackson hole Wyoming
Stay in the Homewood Hotel
July 17
Grand Teaton National Park
Hike Paintbrush loop 19mi
Camp
July 18
Finish Painbrush loop
Camp
July 19
Drive 1.5hr to Yellowstone
Camp
July 20
Yellowstone
July 21
Yellowstone
July 22
Drive to Lake Placid State Park 7hr
Camp
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Itinerary Week 2
Week 2
July 9
Morning at Bryce
Drive to Capitol Reef National Park 2.5hr
July 10
Drive to Moab 2.3hr
Camp at dead horse state park
July 11
Hike in Arches or Canyonlands
July 12
Hike in Arches or
July 13
Drive to Mesa Verde National Park 2.5hr
Do guided tour and camp
July 14
Drive to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 4hr
July 15
Drive 5.5hr to flaming gorge reserve
Camp
- Joshua L. Olson
July 9
Morning at Bryce
Drive to Capitol Reef National Park 2.5hr
July 10
Drive to Moab 2.3hr
Camp at dead horse state park
July 11
Hike in Arches or Canyonlands
July 12
Hike in Arches or
July 13
Drive to Mesa Verde National Park 2.5hr
Do guided tour and camp
July 14
Drive to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 4hr
July 15
Drive 5.5hr to flaming gorge reserve
Camp
- Joshua L. Olson
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Zion National Park
7/5-7/6 Utah
Day 5:
7:00am
Packed up early this morning, and left promptly at seven. The five hour drive across the south rim of the Grand Canyon was an easy view, and made the trip seem much quicker. The only real excitement along the way was a little karmic justice for an inconsiderate drive ahead of us. Immediately after bullying someone attempting to pass him a large bird flew headfirst into his windshield. Unfortunate for the bird, but a riot to see some justice. We promptly passed, and sneered.
If you have never been to Zion, I can tell you that the entrance is a bit unorthodox, yet an absolute blast to experience. Upon checking in at the ranger station you proceed along a simple winding road for roughly ten miles. The traffic soon comes to a halt before you are allowed to enter a two mile long single lane tunnel cut through one of Zions giant monoliths. The darkness of the drive is broken by the occasional twenty by twenty window looking thousands of feet down and showcasing an expansive view out into the canyon.
Unlike the Grand Canyon, Zion is almost entirely made up of towering white sandstone monoliths striped with deep red. Running through the base of the canyon is the Virgin River, which continues to carve the canyon moving over one million tons of sediment and rock each year.
Immediately upon arrival we stretched our legs by tackling one of the most exhilarating hikes in the park. Angels Landing. Angels Landing, rising 1500ft straight up from the canyon floor, was named by Methodist explorer Frederick Fisher, who said it was so inaccessible that only angels could land on it. In the early 1920s Randall Walton, who is considered the first manager of the park, was undaunted by Frederick Fishers statement. He undertook the trail project known today as Walters Wiggles. A series of twenty-one switchbacks leading over 1000ft of elevation to the rear of angels landing. Upon reaching the top of the switches it is another 3/4 of a mile along a perilous path to the peak. In places this trail is a mere three feet wide with a 1200-1400ft drop on either side. Reaching the summit the views are spectacular. Angels Landing has the best view of the entire canyon.
4:00pm
We finished Angels Landing with enough adrenaline pumping that we decided to do one more small hike before calling it a day. Hopping on board one of the Zion shuttles we decided to head up to the weeping rock trail. Weeping rock is a relatively short walk from the shuttle, just a short half mile loop. Weeping rock is pretty much just what it sounds like, a portion of the rock face that has natural springs high above resulting in an appearance of weeping. Over the course of the year water seeps into the porous white sandstone near the top of these stone monoliths. The water slowly filters down until it reaches the denser iron filled layer, and is forced sideways from the rock. The resulting springs create a habitat for a diverse amount of plant life high on the cliff surfaces, called hanging gardens.
We headed back to camp, read a little bit, and went to sleep.
Day 6:
We originally planned on doing a two day backpacking trip through the Narrows, a portion of the Virgin River in a slot canyon. But the campground halfway down the 16 mile hike was closed. We opted to instead do a day hike up the Virgin River and get a little swimming in.
The start of the hike was a paved river walk for one mile to the trailhead. Most of the tourists didn't make it past that point, and just played in the river there. This hike up the river was without a doubt the best secret of Zion. The hike starts with the river about 60ft across, the water moving rather quickly, but at only one or two feet deep it was pretty easy progression. The canyon quickly closed up around us, at some points the water was over five feet deep with only fifteen feet across. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones, or any pictures of the road to Petra that is what this felt like. 400ft straight up cliffs on either side of us so close together it was scary to think of flash flooding in that area, especially when it started to rain. The clouds hung around for most of the morning, which was perfect for Zach, the low lighting allowed him to take some long exposure shots of the water. Yes he brought his camera with him. Unfortunately this meant while I was able to swim and float he was stuck worrying about getting his camera wet. I think it was worth it.
About five miles upstream we decided to stop for lunch, then head back downriver. I'm not going to lie, the trip back was far more fun than the trip up. We got the opportunity to float casually in the deep parts, and even found a few great spots to jump off high rocks. Of course on my final jump I went to far and bashed my knee on a rock. I guess it's all a learning experience anyway.
5:30pm
Finishing our day in the river we decided to do one more short hike up to the emerald pools. A series of green pools overlooking dramatic views of the canyon. With my knee all banged up we only did about 1.5 miles visiting the lower and middle pools. They were somewhat underwhelming after today's activities.
We decided a real meal was in order, and just down the road from our campground was the famous Bumbleberry Cafe, or so we thought. When we got there we found that bumbleberries had closed down, and a new restaurant "Wildcat Willies" was in it's place. Ready to eat just about anything at this point, we didn't complain, had a seat and ate a couple delicious pretzel burgers. They really hit the spot.
Getting back to the campground a thunderstorm had started throwing distant flashes. So we put on the rainfly, and prepared for a stormy night. As the storm came closer and the lighting brighter and more frequent the wind picked up, and I took a walk down towards the restrooms. Walking in the dark a sudden bright flash of lighting sent sparks across the sky illuminating the stark silhouettes of four massive monoliths. They appeared like guardians standing vigilant over the valley, protecting us from the storm that approached them. I stood and watched this scene for another fifteen minutes just waiting for the stone to come alive.
The storm raged all night, lighting, thunder and heavy rain. Tomorrow we leave Zion behind us.
MILEAGE:
Driven-
This trip: 248.5
Total:1105.5
Walking:
This trip: 17
Total:66
Day 5:
7:00am
Packed up early this morning, and left promptly at seven. The five hour drive across the south rim of the Grand Canyon was an easy view, and made the trip seem much quicker. The only real excitement along the way was a little karmic justice for an inconsiderate drive ahead of us. Immediately after bullying someone attempting to pass him a large bird flew headfirst into his windshield. Unfortunate for the bird, but a riot to see some justice. We promptly passed, and sneered.
If you have never been to Zion, I can tell you that the entrance is a bit unorthodox, yet an absolute blast to experience. Upon checking in at the ranger station you proceed along a simple winding road for roughly ten miles. The traffic soon comes to a halt before you are allowed to enter a two mile long single lane tunnel cut through one of Zions giant monoliths. The darkness of the drive is broken by the occasional twenty by twenty window looking thousands of feet down and showcasing an expansive view out into the canyon.
Unlike the Grand Canyon, Zion is almost entirely made up of towering white sandstone monoliths striped with deep red. Running through the base of the canyon is the Virgin River, which continues to carve the canyon moving over one million tons of sediment and rock each year.
Immediately upon arrival we stretched our legs by tackling one of the most exhilarating hikes in the park. Angels Landing. Angels Landing, rising 1500ft straight up from the canyon floor, was named by Methodist explorer Frederick Fisher, who said it was so inaccessible that only angels could land on it. In the early 1920s Randall Walton, who is considered the first manager of the park, was undaunted by Frederick Fishers statement. He undertook the trail project known today as Walters Wiggles. A series of twenty-one switchbacks leading over 1000ft of elevation to the rear of angels landing. Upon reaching the top of the switches it is another 3/4 of a mile along a perilous path to the peak. In places this trail is a mere three feet wide with a 1200-1400ft drop on either side. Reaching the summit the views are spectacular. Angels Landing has the best view of the entire canyon.
4:00pm
We finished Angels Landing with enough adrenaline pumping that we decided to do one more small hike before calling it a day. Hopping on board one of the Zion shuttles we decided to head up to the weeping rock trail. Weeping rock is a relatively short walk from the shuttle, just a short half mile loop. Weeping rock is pretty much just what it sounds like, a portion of the rock face that has natural springs high above resulting in an appearance of weeping. Over the course of the year water seeps into the porous white sandstone near the top of these stone monoliths. The water slowly filters down until it reaches the denser iron filled layer, and is forced sideways from the rock. The resulting springs create a habitat for a diverse amount of plant life high on the cliff surfaces, called hanging gardens.
We headed back to camp, read a little bit, and went to sleep.
Day 6:
We originally planned on doing a two day backpacking trip through the Narrows, a portion of the Virgin River in a slot canyon. But the campground halfway down the 16 mile hike was closed. We opted to instead do a day hike up the Virgin River and get a little swimming in.
The start of the hike was a paved river walk for one mile to the trailhead. Most of the tourists didn't make it past that point, and just played in the river there. This hike up the river was without a doubt the best secret of Zion. The hike starts with the river about 60ft across, the water moving rather quickly, but at only one or two feet deep it was pretty easy progression. The canyon quickly closed up around us, at some points the water was over five feet deep with only fifteen feet across. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones, or any pictures of the road to Petra that is what this felt like. 400ft straight up cliffs on either side of us so close together it was scary to think of flash flooding in that area, especially when it started to rain. The clouds hung around for most of the morning, which was perfect for Zach, the low lighting allowed him to take some long exposure shots of the water. Yes he brought his camera with him. Unfortunately this meant while I was able to swim and float he was stuck worrying about getting his camera wet. I think it was worth it.
About five miles upstream we decided to stop for lunch, then head back downriver. I'm not going to lie, the trip back was far more fun than the trip up. We got the opportunity to float casually in the deep parts, and even found a few great spots to jump off high rocks. Of course on my final jump I went to far and bashed my knee on a rock. I guess it's all a learning experience anyway.
5:30pm
Finishing our day in the river we decided to do one more short hike up to the emerald pools. A series of green pools overlooking dramatic views of the canyon. With my knee all banged up we only did about 1.5 miles visiting the lower and middle pools. They were somewhat underwhelming after today's activities.
We decided a real meal was in order, and just down the road from our campground was the famous Bumbleberry Cafe, or so we thought. When we got there we found that bumbleberries had closed down, and a new restaurant "Wildcat Willies" was in it's place. Ready to eat just about anything at this point, we didn't complain, had a seat and ate a couple delicious pretzel burgers. They really hit the spot.
Getting back to the campground a thunderstorm had started throwing distant flashes. So we put on the rainfly, and prepared for a stormy night. As the storm came closer and the lighting brighter and more frequent the wind picked up, and I took a walk down towards the restrooms. Walking in the dark a sudden bright flash of lighting sent sparks across the sky illuminating the stark silhouettes of four massive monoliths. They appeared like guardians standing vigilant over the valley, protecting us from the storm that approached them. I stood and watched this scene for another fifteen minutes just waiting for the stone to come alive.
The storm raged all night, lighting, thunder and heavy rain. Tomorrow we leave Zion behind us.
MILEAGE:
Driven-
This trip: 248.5
Total:1105.5
Walking:
This trip: 17
Total:66
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Havasupai Falls
7/2/11-7/4/11 Arizona
Day 2
5:00am
Surprisingly we woke without an alarm just fifteen minutes before the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, we quickly drove over to the rim, climbed out to our favorite photo rock, and started snapping away. Sunrise over the canyon is just as indescribable as sunset, reds, yellows, tourists. With the weather forecasting temperatures in the 100s down in the canyon we did not idle. Packed up the car and we were off. Little did we know that the hour drive we anticipated from the south rim to the Supai trailhead was in fact a three hour drive way out of our way with heavy backtracking.
I suppose a little information about our next stop is in order. We are going to the Havasupai Indian reservation located about 8 miles down into the Grand Canyon. Havasupai literally translates into "The People of the Green Water" because of the incredible amount of lime that gets picked up by the river running through their land. This lime calcifies everything in the river, rocks, trees, leaves and moss. Which helps give the water it's incredible vibrant green/blue color, and creates the most incredible rock formations. National Geographic declared Havasupai Falls "The greatest swimming hole in the world."
11:00am
On the trail down into the canyon, and we are surprised that there are not many people around, which may be a good thing when we get to the falls. The trail starts out as a series of switchbacks leading deep into the canyon for one mile and 1000ft of elevation loss. Upon reaching the bottom we almost immediately found ourselves in a dry riverbed with stunning red 500ft sheer cliffs on either side of us. This continued for the next seven miles through the canyon, and got a little bit mundane aside from the occasional burro carrying supplies passed us or helicopter sped overhead.
By the time we reached the village of Supai we were exhausted. (Keep in mind we are carrying forty-five pound packs) The town was not what we expected, pretty run down, old horses, old people and dust. It really felt like stepping back in time. We stopped by the village store after checking in, and got ourselves some cold Gatorade and an ice cream sandwich for lunch, then continued the last two miles to the falls.
3:00pm
The past two days have been so spectacular, full of sunsets and rises, cliffs and canyons. But nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that are the Havasupai falls, pictures don't do justice. The main waterfall is a turquoise green cascading from the most intense red canyon rock into a crystal pool of blue. We quickly made camp, changed into our swimwear and headed back up to the falls. The water temperature is perfect, and the number of people even better. Only a few folks swimming, and a few others snapping pictures. While swimming around at the base of the waterfall Zach spotted a rope sticking out from the rock behind it. Of course we had to investigate. Swimming back behind the fall is one of the hardest things I've ever done, because of the massive amount of water that is practically coming down on your head, pushing you into the rock, or worse, under it. "I AM SPARTICUS!" I made it up onto the ledge behind the falls, the water actually was flying up and creating a sort of wind tunnel, you could spit and it would fly twenty feet out the side of the fall.
We swam for about three hours and decided to head back to camp. Unfortunately I made the mistake of going barefoot in the falls and my toes got all torn up on the calcified rock. I'll have to wear my hiking boots in from now on. We got back to the camp and decided to continue on and explore further down the canyon. We came to the end of the campground about half a mile down, and shortly after came to the top of Moonie Falls. This was a big one! Several hundred feet of sheer cliff into another blue-green pool. We had to get to the bottom so we continued down the trail, which suddenly got steep and rocky. It continued to get steeper and steeper until we came to a warning sign "Proceed at your own risk". Bah! We figured, this was easy so far why not continue. Looking around we were a bit baffled, the trail was gone, and there was a big cave going almost straight down into the rock. That couldn't be, but it was! We descended into the darkness, checking our footing as we made our way down the steep stairs. About 50ft of this and we came out onto a ledge with chain guards and we were that much closer to the falls. Another steep cave descent, and we popped out some 100ft above the water. We almost considered turning back, as what lay ahead of us was a straight down climb with nothing but chains, and some loose footholds cut into the rock. I felt like Indiana Jones at this point. We gathered our courage and started the climb down, which got more and more slippery as we got closer to the spray from the waterfall. It was all worth it! The view from the bottom was incredible, as well as the other three small falls just down the river. We will definitely be coming back out here to swim tomorrow.
It was getting dark so we returned to the campsite to grab a bite to eat, when Zach had a brilliant idea. How about we take a light behind the waterfall when it's dark dark out. Great, now I get to be photography assistant and swim out in the pitch black into the torrent behind the falls. This sounded like a great idea, so I changed back into my trunks, waterproofed my flashlight (ziplock bags) and headed out. We arrived with still a small amount of light from sunset, and Zach used this time to find the best angle, lens and exposure, so I wouldn't have to be back there for to long. We used his camera flash as a signal to go out and return. This was by far the hardest thing I had to to today. Swimming without light, unable to see handholds on the rock, being battered by what seemed to be three times as much water as earlier in the day. I felt like I was in an ocean storm, my ship wrecked and my body smashed into the rocks. I finally made my way up onto the ledge, almost getting sucked under in the process, and shined my light as high as I could into the back of the fall, I felt like I was in the storm signaling for help. This lasted about ten minutes before Zach gave me the signal to come back, so I jumped into the back of the fall, which is a great time, the water hits you and tosses you out about twenty feet away.
Back to camp and to bed, what a long perfect day. Now to just sleep under the stars and listen to the river. This is the most beautiful place I've ever visited.
Day 3:
I've walked a mile in another mans shoes. (Two actually) after the fiasco of yesterday and my lack of water shoes I made it my quest to find some sort of foot protection for the day. Within the first few hours of the morning milling around the camp and wandering upstream I was blessed with an old discarded size 11 pair of water shoes. They required a bit of repair but they made due, and gave my feet a much needed rest. We started off the morning with a quick breakfast before Zach headed up river to snap some photos before everyone started playing in the water. He was gone for roughly an hour, during which I cleaned up camp and had myself some quiet reading time. Unfortunately my reading time was interrupted by an evil fat little ground squirrel who decided to eat his way through Zachs' brand new pack into his trial mix.
We had a quick swim in the fall closest to our camp before heading back up trail about a mile to Supai waterfall used more by the locals, who incidentally remind me of Samoans. This fall is about 30ft tall with the deepest pool beneath it, it is also the widest of the waterfalls, which makes it perfect for jumping off of. Both of us had a grand time leaping into the aqua waters below despite the fear of dying. Supai falls also had the largest amount of space behind it for leaping and diving.
The rest of the early afternoon was spent wandering around Mooney Falls exploring the series of little falls below it until about 3:00 when the weather suddenly changed. Within only a few minutes the sky went from sun and blue to grey with thunder, while dropping temperature rapidly. We knew this meant rain was coming so we scrambled back up the chains and ran back to camp just as it started to pour. Our timing was perfect as we were able to get everything into the tent and have time to be able to enjoy the weather. Of course this much rain in a dry canyon means possible flash flooding so we went up to the cliff above Havasu Falls to watch the storm play out. Fortunately we didn't have any flash flooding, but we did get the opportunity to witness the birth and death of a waterfall high on the cliffs above us.
By this time the sun was dropping and we were still soaked to the bone, so we headed back to camp, dried off. Best we could, and went to bed. Until about 2:00am i woke up to Zach having a bit of a sleep walking adventure, he apparently thought it smart to go sleep out in the mud without a shirt on. He doesn't remember this happening.
Day 4:
Woke up early, packed, and headed up trial. We made pretty good time getting back up to the parking lot, about 5 hours. Considering the time it took to climb the last mile. Straight up with a 35lb pack. We had some Gatorade in the parking lot and drove back to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Showered, ate, slept.
(I've decided to post all of the pictures at the end of the blog due to text being covered up by them on some computers. Also I apologize if my grammar or typing is a bit off from time to time, I'm blogging this on my iPad keyboard.)
MILEAGE:
Driving-
This trip: 392
Total: 857
Hiking:
This trip: 27
Total: 49
Day 2
5:00am
Surprisingly we woke without an alarm just fifteen minutes before the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, we quickly drove over to the rim, climbed out to our favorite photo rock, and started snapping away. Sunrise over the canyon is just as indescribable as sunset, reds, yellows, tourists. With the weather forecasting temperatures in the 100s down in the canyon we did not idle. Packed up the car and we were off. Little did we know that the hour drive we anticipated from the south rim to the Supai trailhead was in fact a three hour drive way out of our way with heavy backtracking.
I suppose a little information about our next stop is in order. We are going to the Havasupai Indian reservation located about 8 miles down into the Grand Canyon. Havasupai literally translates into "The People of the Green Water" because of the incredible amount of lime that gets picked up by the river running through their land. This lime calcifies everything in the river, rocks, trees, leaves and moss. Which helps give the water it's incredible vibrant green/blue color, and creates the most incredible rock formations. National Geographic declared Havasupai Falls "The greatest swimming hole in the world."
11:00am
On the trail down into the canyon, and we are surprised that there are not many people around, which may be a good thing when we get to the falls. The trail starts out as a series of switchbacks leading deep into the canyon for one mile and 1000ft of elevation loss. Upon reaching the bottom we almost immediately found ourselves in a dry riverbed with stunning red 500ft sheer cliffs on either side of us. This continued for the next seven miles through the canyon, and got a little bit mundane aside from the occasional burro carrying supplies passed us or helicopter sped overhead.
By the time we reached the village of Supai we were exhausted. (Keep in mind we are carrying forty-five pound packs) The town was not what we expected, pretty run down, old horses, old people and dust. It really felt like stepping back in time. We stopped by the village store after checking in, and got ourselves some cold Gatorade and an ice cream sandwich for lunch, then continued the last two miles to the falls.
3:00pm
The past two days have been so spectacular, full of sunsets and rises, cliffs and canyons. But nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that are the Havasupai falls, pictures don't do justice. The main waterfall is a turquoise green cascading from the most intense red canyon rock into a crystal pool of blue. We quickly made camp, changed into our swimwear and headed back up to the falls. The water temperature is perfect, and the number of people even better. Only a few folks swimming, and a few others snapping pictures. While swimming around at the base of the waterfall Zach spotted a rope sticking out from the rock behind it. Of course we had to investigate. Swimming back behind the fall is one of the hardest things I've ever done, because of the massive amount of water that is practically coming down on your head, pushing you into the rock, or worse, under it. "I AM SPARTICUS!" I made it up onto the ledge behind the falls, the water actually was flying up and creating a sort of wind tunnel, you could spit and it would fly twenty feet out the side of the fall.
We swam for about three hours and decided to head back to camp. Unfortunately I made the mistake of going barefoot in the falls and my toes got all torn up on the calcified rock. I'll have to wear my hiking boots in from now on. We got back to the camp and decided to continue on and explore further down the canyon. We came to the end of the campground about half a mile down, and shortly after came to the top of Moonie Falls. This was a big one! Several hundred feet of sheer cliff into another blue-green pool. We had to get to the bottom so we continued down the trail, which suddenly got steep and rocky. It continued to get steeper and steeper until we came to a warning sign "Proceed at your own risk". Bah! We figured, this was easy so far why not continue. Looking around we were a bit baffled, the trail was gone, and there was a big cave going almost straight down into the rock. That couldn't be, but it was! We descended into the darkness, checking our footing as we made our way down the steep stairs. About 50ft of this and we came out onto a ledge with chain guards and we were that much closer to the falls. Another steep cave descent, and we popped out some 100ft above the water. We almost considered turning back, as what lay ahead of us was a straight down climb with nothing but chains, and some loose footholds cut into the rock. I felt like Indiana Jones at this point. We gathered our courage and started the climb down, which got more and more slippery as we got closer to the spray from the waterfall. It was all worth it! The view from the bottom was incredible, as well as the other three small falls just down the river. We will definitely be coming back out here to swim tomorrow.
It was getting dark so we returned to the campsite to grab a bite to eat, when Zach had a brilliant idea. How about we take a light behind the waterfall when it's dark dark out. Great, now I get to be photography assistant and swim out in the pitch black into the torrent behind the falls. This sounded like a great idea, so I changed back into my trunks, waterproofed my flashlight (ziplock bags) and headed out. We arrived with still a small amount of light from sunset, and Zach used this time to find the best angle, lens and exposure, so I wouldn't have to be back there for to long. We used his camera flash as a signal to go out and return. This was by far the hardest thing I had to to today. Swimming without light, unable to see handholds on the rock, being battered by what seemed to be three times as much water as earlier in the day. I felt like I was in an ocean storm, my ship wrecked and my body smashed into the rocks. I finally made my way up onto the ledge, almost getting sucked under in the process, and shined my light as high as I could into the back of the fall, I felt like I was in the storm signaling for help. This lasted about ten minutes before Zach gave me the signal to come back, so I jumped into the back of the fall, which is a great time, the water hits you and tosses you out about twenty feet away.
Back to camp and to bed, what a long perfect day. Now to just sleep under the stars and listen to the river. This is the most beautiful place I've ever visited.
Day 3:
I've walked a mile in another mans shoes. (Two actually) after the fiasco of yesterday and my lack of water shoes I made it my quest to find some sort of foot protection for the day. Within the first few hours of the morning milling around the camp and wandering upstream I was blessed with an old discarded size 11 pair of water shoes. They required a bit of repair but they made due, and gave my feet a much needed rest. We started off the morning with a quick breakfast before Zach headed up river to snap some photos before everyone started playing in the water. He was gone for roughly an hour, during which I cleaned up camp and had myself some quiet reading time. Unfortunately my reading time was interrupted by an evil fat little ground squirrel who decided to eat his way through Zachs' brand new pack into his trial mix.
We had a quick swim in the fall closest to our camp before heading back up trail about a mile to Supai waterfall used more by the locals, who incidentally remind me of Samoans. This fall is about 30ft tall with the deepest pool beneath it, it is also the widest of the waterfalls, which makes it perfect for jumping off of. Both of us had a grand time leaping into the aqua waters below despite the fear of dying. Supai falls also had the largest amount of space behind it for leaping and diving.
The rest of the early afternoon was spent wandering around Mooney Falls exploring the series of little falls below it until about 3:00 when the weather suddenly changed. Within only a few minutes the sky went from sun and blue to grey with thunder, while dropping temperature rapidly. We knew this meant rain was coming so we scrambled back up the chains and ran back to camp just as it started to pour. Our timing was perfect as we were able to get everything into the tent and have time to be able to enjoy the weather. Of course this much rain in a dry canyon means possible flash flooding so we went up to the cliff above Havasu Falls to watch the storm play out. Fortunately we didn't have any flash flooding, but we did get the opportunity to witness the birth and death of a waterfall high on the cliffs above us.
By this time the sun was dropping and we were still soaked to the bone, so we headed back to camp, dried off. Best we could, and went to bed. Until about 2:00am i woke up to Zach having a bit of a sleep walking adventure, he apparently thought it smart to go sleep out in the mud without a shirt on. He doesn't remember this happening.
Day 4:
Woke up early, packed, and headed up trial. We made pretty good time getting back up to the parking lot, about 5 hours. Considering the time it took to climb the last mile. Straight up with a 35lb pack. We had some Gatorade in the parking lot and drove back to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Showered, ate, slept.
(I've decided to post all of the pictures at the end of the blog due to text being covered up by them on some computers. Also I apologize if my grammar or typing is a bit off from time to time, I'm blogging this on my iPad keyboard.)
MILEAGE:
Driving-
This trip: 392
Total: 857
Hiking:
This trip: 27
Total: 49
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Itinerary
I promised this itinerary a week ago, but until now did not have the opportunity to get it posted, so here i
Is the first week, follow along with us.
June 30
Pack/organize
July 1
Drive to the grand canyon south rim 7.5hr
July 2
Drive to Supai trailhead 2.5hrs
Hike 10 miles into canyon to camp
July 3
Stay full day in Havasupai and explore falls
July 4
Hike out of Supai and drive back to the Grand Canyon
July 5
Drive to Zion 5hr
Climb angels landing 4hr
July 6
Start hike in narrows #2 day hike in north America 8mi, camp
July 7
Finish hiking out of canyon 8mi
Drive to Bryce
- Joshua L. Olson
Is the first week, follow along with us.
June 30
Pack/organize
July 1
Drive to the grand canyon south rim 7.5hr
July 2
Drive to Supai trailhead 2.5hrs
Hike 10 miles into canyon to camp
July 3
Stay full day in Havasupai and explore falls
July 4
Hike out of Supai and drive back to the Grand Canyon
July 5
Drive to Zion 5hr
Climb angels landing 4hr
July 6
Start hike in narrows #2 day hike in north America 8mi, camp
July 7
Finish hiking out of canyon 8mi
Drive to Bryce
- Joshua L. Olson
Animals 3.0
Continued animal updates
Dolphin- Photographed
Sea lion- Photographed
Fox- Photographed
Sea Gull-Photographed
Mule Deer-Photographed
California Condor-Photographed
Grizzly Bear-Photographed
Elk-Photographed
Moose-Photographed
Buffalo-Photographed
Marmot-Photographed
Mountain Goat-Photographed
Black Bear-Photographed
Unicorn-Photographed
Prairie Dog-Photographed
Canadian Geese-Photographed
Bald Eagle-Seen
Wild Horses-Seen
Pronghorn-Seen
Grouse-Seen
Rubber Boa-Seen
Wolf-
Boar-
Mountain Lion-
Kodiak-
Coyote-
Big Horn Sheep-
Bigfoot-
Bobcat-
Lynx-
Beaver-
Porcupine-
Otter-
Wolverine-
Skunk-
Dolphin- Photographed
Sea lion- Photographed
Fox- Photographed
Sea Gull-Photographed
Mule Deer-Photographed
California Condor-Photographed
Grizzly Bear-Photographed
Elk-Photographed
Moose-Photographed
Buffalo-Photographed
Marmot-Photographed
Mountain Goat-Photographed
Black Bear-Photographed
Unicorn-Photographed
Prairie Dog-Photographed
Canadian Geese-Photographed
Bald Eagle-Seen
Wild Horses-Seen
Pronghorn-Seen
Grouse-Seen
Rubber Boa-Seen
Wolf-
Boar-
Mountain Lion-
Kodiak-
Coyote-
Big Horn Sheep-
Bigfoot-
Bobcat-
Lynx-
Beaver-
Porcupine-
Otter-
Wolverine-
Skunk-
The Grand Canyon
The Night Before:
Packing up the car was relatively uneventful, we had plenty of space for everything, with room to spare. (Bringing the big screen!) just kidding. I'm most thankful for my new backpack, an impressive upgrade over my original A.L.I.C.E pack. My good friend Brad lent it to me for the trip along with a camel pack, which is a welcomed upgrade.
So we packed the car, cleaned up and went out with Rex and Laura Miller on their boat followed by a pleasant evening at the resort sipping wine, and visiting with what had to be half of the vino 100 wine club. After that a short time on the boat, a little impromptu swim and back home to get some rest before this thing got started.
Day 1:
5:00am
Up, showered, and out the door by 6:00am. The drive to the canyon was relatively uneventful, aside from making great time! The GPS said it would take 7.5 hours door to door, and we made it in an easy 6.5 hours. The last 50 miles are the worse due to the flat dry scrubby desert like terrain, until suddenly BOOM! You come out of the trees and it's nothing but spectacular views into the canyon. We imagined what it must have been like for the first travelers to come upon the canyon, with no way to cross and canyon as far as the eye could see.
Upon arrival at the canyon, we set up camp, which only took us about 5 minutes and headed off in the direction of the rim. The vistas are breathtaking here, photos won't do this canyon justice, but we will post some anyway. We hiked along the rim east, and found some nice places to step off the trail, or skip the guard rails and get closer to the rim.
We even caught a glimpse of the elusive and highly endangered California Condor.
Stopping for lunch at the parks grocery I also had the opportunity to see the extraordinarily rare bearded woman! (Sorry no photographic proof of this one) We also spotted a pirate riding an electric scooter today, people watching at the parks is going to become a nice pastime.
We hitched a ride back to camp to grab a quick bite before sunset (hot food this time) and promptly went back out to the rim for some sunset photos. Finding a nice spot at the tip of a jutting rock Zach set up his tripod and started snapping away.
He really seems to know what he is doing with that camera! He even got a few shots of other photographers and all those sheep like tourists.
No joke 95% of the people here are not speaking English.
Back to camp to prepare for the 10 mile hike down into the canyon tomorrow. We cannot have a fire due to the dry season, but we are having a nice Cuban cigar (thank you David) and enjoying the dim glow of our Coleman lantern. So until tomorrow.
MILEAGE:
Driven: 465mi
Total: 465mi
Walked: 2
Total: 22
- Joshua L. Olson
Packing up the car was relatively uneventful, we had plenty of space for everything, with room to spare. (Bringing the big screen!) just kidding. I'm most thankful for my new backpack, an impressive upgrade over my original A.L.I.C.E pack. My good friend Brad lent it to me for the trip along with a camel pack, which is a welcomed upgrade.
So we packed the car, cleaned up and went out with Rex and Laura Miller on their boat followed by a pleasant evening at the resort sipping wine, and visiting with what had to be half of the vino 100 wine club. After that a short time on the boat, a little impromptu swim and back home to get some rest before this thing got started.
Day 1:
5:00am
Up, showered, and out the door by 6:00am. The drive to the canyon was relatively uneventful, aside from making great time! The GPS said it would take 7.5 hours door to door, and we made it in an easy 6.5 hours. The last 50 miles are the worse due to the flat dry scrubby desert like terrain, until suddenly BOOM! You come out of the trees and it's nothing but spectacular views into the canyon. We imagined what it must have been like for the first travelers to come upon the canyon, with no way to cross and canyon as far as the eye could see.
Upon arrival at the canyon, we set up camp, which only took us about 5 minutes and headed off in the direction of the rim. The vistas are breathtaking here, photos won't do this canyon justice, but we will post some anyway. We hiked along the rim east, and found some nice places to step off the trail, or skip the guard rails and get closer to the rim.
We even caught a glimpse of the elusive and highly endangered California Condor.
Stopping for lunch at the parks grocery I also had the opportunity to see the extraordinarily rare bearded woman! (Sorry no photographic proof of this one) We also spotted a pirate riding an electric scooter today, people watching at the parks is going to become a nice pastime.
We hitched a ride back to camp to grab a quick bite before sunset (hot food this time) and promptly went back out to the rim for some sunset photos. Finding a nice spot at the tip of a jutting rock Zach set up his tripod and started snapping away.
He really seems to know what he is doing with that camera! He even got a few shots of other photographers and all those sheep like tourists.
No joke 95% of the people here are not speaking English.
Back to camp to prepare for the 10 mile hike down into the canyon tomorrow. We cannot have a fire due to the dry season, but we are having a nice Cuban cigar (thank you David) and enjoying the dim glow of our Coleman lantern. So until tomorrow.
MILEAGE:
Driven: 465mi
Total: 465mi
Walked: 2
Total: 22
- Joshua L. Olson
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