The second time was barely the charm for this trip. Jeff and I had planned to do this trip a couple months before but we knew it was going to be a big day on the heel of three other big days before so canned it for later. With Sara the plan was to do the trip as an overnight trip- hike down Salt Trail Canyon to the Little Colorado, ditch all but canyoning gear, hike back up and across to Big Canyon, descend Big Canyon back to the river, camp by the river, and then return up Salt Trail Canyon the next day. Although this meant more walking, we would not have to fuss around with large packs and drybags in the canyon, which for me always makes the canyon easier and much more enjoyable. Between Big Canyon itself and the unique creamy blue waters of the Little Colorado, this was said to be a classic trip with high bang for its 8000ft elevation gain/loss entrance fee. The flow of the Little Colorado was zero at the Cameron, AZ bridge which meant all the water would be coming from the karstic Blue Spring downstream and the Little Colorado should be in dreamy Caribbean blue mode.
Top of the Coconino in Salt Trail, Little Colorado in distance
Following a very windy night we packed at the rim, carefully selecting out just what we needed and nothing more (in hindsight it would have been worth carrying more water). An easy stroll down the hill brought us through the Kaibab and Toroweap to the top of the Coconino. Here our cairned trail plunged down a steep and loose gully, zigzagging its way down a rare break in the resistant cliff forming unit. I could quickly tell the terrain was going to slow us down a lot more than I anticipated. It did not help that I overshot the trail in two spots requiring rougher cross-country travel to regain. What should have taken maybe twenty minutes took well over an hour.
We fumbled to follow the trail at a few other places (it most stays high to the left) and I had a nice fall gashing a couple of my fingers pretty good. But eventually we made it down to the top of the Redwall
where we crossed over the drainage to the right side and traversed
narrow ledges and boulder piles at the side of the impressive Redwall
narrows. We saw several collared lizards along here. Once within earshot of the Little Colorado, the route abruptly drops about 1000' through several cliff bands to reach a small campspot near the river. Sara was pretty tired by the time we reached the river, her
footing not accustomed to such steep and loose terrain. We dropped gear
and went for a soak in the opaque river.
Sara was not really feeling up to more hiking to reach Big Canyon and the day was getting on, but was willing to try. We made it to the top of the Redwall, most of the elevation killed but a small fraction of the total distance to the start of the canyon, before I called it as a poor idea. We took our time hiking back down to the river. I felt pretty defeated. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful other than me hiking up to the bottom of Big Canyon to get us some [barely drinkable!] water and the violent wind whipping up dust everywhere, including our tent. We went to bed early to give ourselves the possibility of a fresh try at Big Canyon early the following morning.
View of the Little Colorado from the Redwall between Salt Trail and Big
We managed to get an early start, up by 5a and hiking by 6a, which gave us some hope of a Big Canyon trip. I carried all the weight and volume my pack could handle as we hiked up the steep slope to the top of the Redwall for the second, but not final time. We dropped our packs at the head of the Salt Trail Redwall narrows apart from the bare minimum needed to descend Big Canyon. I dreaded the long traverse on the far side of Salt Trail as it looked to be bouldery with discontinuous ledges. I was pleasantly surprised to find the travel easier going than the trail on the other side! The ledges were fantastic and we had a couple fresh footsteps to help us make good decisions. The early start gave us full shade until we reached the bench above the Little Colorado. Now it was time for sunscreen! We enjoyed the great views of the river and its travertine dams on this brief stretch before contouring back up into the Big Canyon drainage. The going got rougher here but we were still making decent time. We found an entry into the canyon bottom easily enough, and delighted at the easy travel down the sandy wash and its polished limestone surfaces, Eventually pools, complete with guardian frogs, began to appear, some harder to bypass than others. We had a snack and suited up. A bit more of the pools interspersed with scrambly wash gave way abruptly at an enormous chockstone with a deep and dark void beyond and the distinct sound of babbling water. The 60ft rappel drops right into the stunning Spring Room, a very special place. We sampled the various springs before filling our bottles up with the least foul tasting water.
After the short swim we almost immediately reached the next drop, a pleasant chute waterfall, the first of four travertine falls we would rappel in this canyon. This was followed by a narrow flooded corridor which marked the end of the narrows and the last of the shade.
The second half of the canyon expanded greatly in width with three beautiful fanning travertine falls marking the last three obstacles. The pools between them were equally beautiful- greens and blues of many shades. We found good anchors left by the previous group at all the drops which greatly helped us on time. I had never been in a canyon quite like this with all of the travertine falls and pools. Who would have thought that this little gem was hiding here? The last rappel dropped us into the Emerald Pool, sometimes visited by hikers.
It was suggested the Emerald Pool be the place to remove wetsuits but I knew there would be plenty of opportunities to cool down if we overheated and some more fun could be had with the final boulder scrambles and pools of Big Canyon, and the travertine dams down at the Little Colorado. This turned out to be a good decision as we found several places where waterfalls plunged down unseen voids between boulders, offering a much more interesting way to enjoy the boulder garden.
Once at the Little Colorado it was hard to resist a play in the travertine dams on the river. Despite the sizable flow and depth of the river, there are places where the travertine dams are continuous across the river, making for a remarkably easy crossing. It was hard to resist plunging into some of the spa-like pools.
Unfortunately the day was getting on and we had a long way left to go so we changed back at the Salt Trail camp and then hiked back up to our packs. The return out was unnoteworthy, but much smoother now that I know where the trail tended to be and to know how it was marked. We reached the last of the Supai ledges at the base of the Coconino scramble just at dark set in. We slowly made our way up the Coconino, breaking out into the moonlight once on top. A quick dinner at the car and we were ready for bed. I was very satisfied to be able to have seen this canyon. Thanks to Sara for digging deep to make it happen.
Ascending the Redwall in Salt Trail Canyon, Little Colorado beyond
1 comment:
Hey Nick... haven't checked your webpage lately. Nice to see you're still doing exciting things and taking fabulous photos!
Bob Lee (aka Krista's dad)
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