North Rim Passage, Bright Angel to Saddle Mountain - continued

10 May -- Now that we are nearly back on schedule, we opt for a later start at 7:00. We reach Malgosa beach at 8:00. On the upriver side we find the wreckage of a nest in the reeds where both mother duck and her eggs became a meal. A solitary coyote track comes from upriver and retraces along the bank. Brush, boulders and sand all go hard against our progress to Kwagunt Creek (10:00). Here we rest in the shade a bit and try to extract enormous quantities of cheat-grass from our socks. Long pants would have been a better choice today. Just as we get ready to go I sense the heat is building and scoop another liter from the creek. Our objective for the day is Nankoweap beach, hoping for help from a river party to make repairs. As we go on, we spot a black and white striped snake and manage to get a picture. I think it's a variety of king snake. All the mesquites are showing a fresh set of leaves and new growth this year, and new branches poke into our pathway. We continue along the beaten track above the river bank that we have both traveled before, but it’s not as fast as we had expected. Rather than 2 hours to Nankoweap, it takes more than 3. Here, in the shade of a big mesquite approaching Nankoweap beach, we drink our last water and then come out onto lower Nankoweap beach at 13:30, walking directly into the midst of a raft group. Immediately, we get a generous offer of beer, but – our minds unhinged by the uncertainties of many long days of travel through unknown parts – we beg for glue instead.

The river group is extremely helpful, handing each of us a cold beer and getting out their patch kit. We work through an elaborate process of roughing the surfaces, priming and waiting 20 minutes, applying glue and standing on the boot sole for another 20 minutes. Oh, and we get a free lunch as well.

The beach is rather crowded and includes the curiosity of a German group doing a film version of Powell's trip. They have three, low, wooden boats manned by oarsmen with backs to the bow as Powell would have done it. The "John Wesley Powell" of the cast is actually missing part of one arm. Horrendous winds blow sand into everything, but not until lunch is over, and we then choose a protected campsite up in the Tamrisk. After dinner, we rejoin the group and try to repay their help by offering information on side-hikes and river camps. The group seems to be having a lot of trouble deciding what they want to do, and the evening trickles away into a long sermon on how people learn to get along and develop trust and respect for each other on a river trip. I can only hope they manage to get along and develop trust and respect for each other on this particular river trip.

11 May -- We start at 7:00, follow the creek, and reach Tilted Mesa Springs at 11:00. We have a snack and talk with a group of campers there, allowing them to believe (without deceit) that we are heading out Tilted Mesa Trail. When we mention that we have come from Grand Canyon Village and Phantom Ranch, the group gives back blank, silent, confused stares. Actually, we do mention that we are headed up the creek today and plan to be out tomorrow, but that would also make little sense without knowing the area well. They are all camped right beside the spring here, but don't know it's there. We gain two items of information, one (not useful to us) that the seep at Marion Point on the Tilted Mesa Trail is flowing well, and (more useful) that there is plenty of water in Saddle Creek near the trailhead. Continue at 11:30. Just above the next spring we come across a garter snake with a frog jammed in its mouth. The proper start up the north fork can be ambiguous, but we catch it extremely well. Then, the sole comes off Danny's other boot.

What with tying the other boot sole on and struggles getting around the 3600 foot spring (never much fun), travel is not as fast as we expect. A little over a year ago I tramped this section perfectly in under two hours. We reach Seiber Point by 14:30 (or was it 15:00) and go up to our familiar camp by the rock above the fork. The pot pieces Marshall found years ago are still here. It seems still early enough to make a try for the falls, but Danny will wait here on account of his boot. The creek is flowing at every place with a volume that makes travel upstream a real effort. Along the way is yet another snake... either a red-striped king snake or a longnose snake. I manage to reach Mystic Falls with enough light for pictures, and get back by 16:30... all at quite a cost in effort and energy. Danny shows me the large lion track he has found in the dry mud near the camp. We figure 3 feet measuring the stride between opposing fore and aft prints. Back-tracking the lion for little way, we go up the Marion/Seiber drainage and locate our camp in the junipers opposite a gap in the Tapeats cliff at 18:00. As light begins to fade, the mosquitoes invade and a few biting gnats are here as well. A humingbird darts about after the bugs, and then a little later the bats take over. Temperature is cool and a breeze blows occasionally, so the mosquitoes are not very many.

12 May -- Start at 7:00; we are not in hurry. The way up Marion/Seiber follows familiar stages: Muav Spring at 9:00. Danny and I both love this spot and so we linger. Then we climb through the various obstacles to the Muav top at 10:30. The air is very hazy today looking out across the buttes to the south. Struggle up the north slope and across to the base of the ravine at 12:00. Climb the steep ravine (getting pretty chewed-up with use), continue to the Redwall rim at 13:30 and stop for lunch. Find the necessary breaks in the Supai cliffs and reach the Nankoweap/Saddle Mountain saddle at 14:00. Descend Trail 57 to reach Saddle Canyon trailhead at 15:30. Dad is sitting in the 4Runner parked there in the shade at the end of FS445 waiting for us.

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