North Rim Passage, Bright Angel to Saddle Mountain - concluded

Success and Otherwise

The trip title, North Rim Passage, is a direct play on the historic search for a North American Northwest Passage, or the easy way to get from Europe to the Orient. Eventually the deed was done, but there was nothing easy about it. In the same way, this was a search for the easiest way to travel between Bright Angel Creek and Saddle Mountain, but it was never going to be easy.

When Steck's GCLH-II was published I thought this would end speculation, but as I studied the route for the Nankoweap / Bright Angel Loop I found I had my doubts about sections along Temple Butte and from Lava to Basalt. Riverbank travel in these sections depends on the seasonal and even hourly rate of flow from Glen Canyon Dam. Sand beaches along the water line are not entirely stable. It was my goal to seek a route that would be reliable and repeatable.

I can say that the result was as good a choice as I expected it to be. In fact, I believe there is no easier way through. Possible exceptions were: 1) Sheba Temple, where the saddle is probably the best choice; 2) between Rattlesnake Camp and Unkar, where a more direct route could be tried; 3) the Mile 72 closure and obstacle, where an access above the cliffs needs to be tested; and 4) connecting Basalt to Lava, where some improvements could avoid the worst terrain. Knowing the area better now, I would like to try something a little different next time, but it would be to keep the challenge of seeing new places, not to substantially improve the route.

From everyone who has an interest in treks like this one, the most-asked question is: "What would you do different?"

I would handle the stretch between Clear Creek and Vishnu differently. Mostly, I would not worry about having a dry camp. I would expect it. My approach to this area was too timid. There is no need to be so concerned about being away from water, but it remains important to carry a good supply and be out of the sun during mid-afternoon. We could easily have started toward Vishnu toward the end of the second day and camped south of Howlands. Some of my partners have suggested that Howlands Saddle is worth a try, but I doubt it. However, I would like to check the route from the mouth of Clear Creek directly east up to the Tonto. But even if this works, there is still the trade between elevation and overall distance. I do not recommend the connecting route through Zoroaster Canyon given in GCLH-II except for a very small group of 2 or 3.

I believe the route through upper Asbestos can be substantially shortened, and, of course Sheba Saddle looks like the better choice.

The Mile 72 problem is a difficult one. There is no route away from the riverbank published or documented. The Mile 72 closure is poorly defined and the NPS has not provided enough information about this area. The area of closure once was defined as "Furnace Flats" and is now given as "Mile 72," meaning the rightside riverbank at this river mileage. Neither of these is really a map reference and there is no designation of the closure boundary. The site is actually Mile 71.5 on Trails Illustrated — Mile 72 is a well-used river camp. The supposed purpose of the closure is to protect an archeological site from erosion, but the occasional backpacker has less impact on the bank than changes in river flow. It is understandable, however, that the NPS wants to keep raft groups out of the area because of the very high traffic they can generate.

An area of marginal success was food supplies. I recommended energy and food bars to those on the trip, expecting that there are so many kinds that everyone would find something they liked. Some had good success with my methods and some were not so pleased with what they had to eat. People should try different things to find what they like, but you really can't take a casual approach to food on a trip lasting more than a week.

I intended to carry enough supplies not to consume body-weight and I might have succeeded. I carried more than 18 pounds of food; over 28,000 calories. I lost 5 pounds and carried out 5 pounds of leftovers; I just couldn't eat it all. I think Danny ate nearly all his supplies and lost 15 pounds. I have read that you can loose 5 pounds just consuming your glycogen reserve and associated fluids, and I believe that this is mostly what happened to me. In the latter half of the trip I couldn't reach the energy level I expected in spite of feeling strong. In regard to this, I believe the timing of meals is most important for maintaining endurance. I have used the two-lunch system for years, but it's also essential to take on calories immediately after stopping each day, and I think I would have benefited more from using a sports-mix more frequently to keep the calorie intake higher and more useable.

For a final comment, I confess that my approach to this trip was a bit different from usual. Having fun is most important and I try to avoid death-marches or being always pressed for time. We had some good days and extra time at Phantom Ranch, Clear Creek, Unkar, Basalt, and Nankoweap. But in between, more often than not, there was an urgency to keep moving and a lot of uncertainty. The uncertainty was real and unavoidable. Very few people have been to these places and very little has been written about them. I researched all I could, but it reached a point where I kept looking for more and it wasn't there. It came down to doing half the trip, out and back, just to complete the research, or mixing the known with the unknown and forcing the connections between them. This was the dilemma and the choice that resulted in this trip. It was the right choice without a doubt.

This time it was most important to me to cover the distance, connecting point A to point B and resolving the unknown. Having a good time became secondary. On the other hand, allowing more time would have increased carrying-weight and made the time commitment more difficult. In the end, although the priorities seem justified, I could have visualized it better and made my intentions clearer, if I had realized the difference.

END