Old Goat Gets Lost, Finds Margaritas.

The following is a guest commentary featuring some recent ultra length Adventure runs in the Grand Canyon by Old Goat, highlighting some of the many fantastic options available outside of the traditional "R2R2R" -Adventure Boy Man

Report of Old Goat Sighting in Grand Canyon

Don’t do it.  Don’t go to the Grand Canyon to trail run.  Just say NO!  Once you do, you will be hooked, always needing another “fix”.  

Back in the spring of 2007, I did my first Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim.  That should have been good enough.  A fantastic adventure.  Time to move on.  But no.  Every spring and fall since then, I need another shot of the “Big Ditch”.  I admit my addiction.  Maybe there is no hope for me.  Eight R2R2R’s and various other “Grand” jaunts have only whetted my “Canyon Lust”.  My tastes are evolving though.  I’m starting to look beyond the mule-pee puddles and tourist-filled trailheads of the corridor trails. 

My latest adventure, with spouse Pat, explored several South Rim trails on the east end of the park.  We spent a day driving there from Pocatello (650 miles/11 hours), a day jaunting, a rest day, a second day jaunting, and another day getting home.  The first two nights, we scored free camping in the national forest just outside the East Entrance.  The third night we opted for a hot shower and the creature comforts of Mather campground within the park.  Night four was in a Page motel, next door to Pat’s all-time favorite Mexican restaurant that serves bucket-sized margaritas!

Looking upriver from Tanner trail

Confluence of the Little Colorado

Jaunt #1:  Tanner and Beamer trails.  Pat did the Tanner Trail, Rim to River and back, a distance of 16-ish miles.  I tacked on the Beamer Trail to the Confluence of the Little Colorado.  Round distance for me was 35-ish miles (maybe more, depending on your source).  A frosty sunup start at the Lipan Point trailhead.  Temperature was in the low 20’s on the rim, but quickly warmed as the sun rose and the trail descended.  River elevation is slightly  more than 4,600’ below the rim.  Though both trails are classified as  unmaintained wilderness trails, I considered them good, sometimes rough, easy to follow tracks, mostly runnable, at least on the downhill!  The Beamer Trail sees less use, is sometimes vague, but has a gazillion cairns marking the way.  It endlessly weaves in and out of small gullies and canyons, making upriver progress slow.  The only water source for both trails is the Colorado River.  My extremely enjoyable day took me about 11 hours.

Looking downriver from Beamer trail

Cottonwood Creek

Jaunt #2:  Grandview and Tonto Trail to Hance Rapids.  Pat declined to go along with me on this outing, saying something about “being smarter than a mule”.  She had a fun day going down Grandview Trail and exploring Horseshoe Mesa.  I went down Grandview, off the west side of Horseshoe Mesa and down to Cottonwood Creek.  Something about even a trickling little stream in the desert seems like an exotic oasis.  I continued east on the Tonto Trail, contoured into Hance Creek, then a long gradual downhill trail to Hance Rapids on the river, about 16 miles from the start.  Plan A was to continue up the New Hance/Red Canyon trail, 6.5 miles back to the Rim, where my chauffeur awaited.  From the river, no signs or cairns marked the route, only sparse foot tracks leading south up a broad sandy wash.  I was about 99% sure I knew where I was and kept marching.  About a mile from the river I was surprised to come across an elderly man sitting in the shade, making a drawing of the vista before him.  To my question as to if I was on the New Hance trail, he replied, “Absolutely not!  This is Papago Canyon.  I’m with a Sierra Club outing.  Our trip leader is very experienced and is exploring this dead-end canyon with the rest of the group.”  Damn!  What to do?  Risk getting lost and/or spending a night in the Canyon, or turn around and retrace my route.  I headed back the way I had come.  Back on the Tonto trail, I passed a group of backpackers.  “Anyone know where the New Hance Trail is?” I asked.  Yes, they had come down it.  Yes, I had been on the New Hance Trail when I met the old man!  From Hance Creek, I took a shortcut, the Miner’s Trail, back up to Horseshoe Mesa, then the steep climb to Grandview trailhead.  I had to road-run about four miles to where Patient Pat was waiting for me, arriving about three hours later than planned.  Awesome adventure.  Total distance; about 35 miles.  Time; about 10 hours.  Lesson learned; never trust old men on Sierra Club outings!  Next trip, New Hance Trail.

Looking upriver towards Hance Rapids