Day 3 of my solo hike in the Grand Canyon, March 16, 2021. Yesterday was spent on the Beamer Trail, today I head back downriver on the Beamer, past Tanner Rapids and onto the Escalante Route.
A Cold, Shallow Start
Excellent night of sleep, even after laying around all day. Quiet and peaceful, except at one point I thought I heard something chewing on my food bag. A quick flick of the finger and whatever it was stopped and I never heard it again.
Looking back down river I could see there was quite a bit of snow on the rim, which had fallen a reasonable distance down the canyon walls as well. It again reaffirned my decision to carry the micro spikes as I was sure I’d need them on the way out too.
The Colorado River had receded significantly overnight. It was already low, but now it had reached it’s lowest point during the Glen Canyon Dam maintenance. When I had arrived it was around 8,000 cfs, it was now at 4,000 cfs.
I climbed out of my sleeping bag and got breakfast and camp chores completed. Breakfast today was oatmeal with a little flax seed, protein powder, milk powder and brown sugar. To that I added a mix of regular and golden raisins. Soooo good. And of course a cup of my new found love: Café Bustello instant coffee with chocolate.
The plan today would be to head back downriver, past Tanner Beach where I camped on the first night, and on down the Escalante. I filtered some water, knowing I could get more at Tanner if I needed it.
Walking back Down River along the Beamer
Heading down river on the trail I’ve already walked was pretty easy going, but it was also neat to see it from this other perspective. Routes and obstacles always look different from the other direction – what seemed obvious before was less obvious now, and vice versa.
My goal today was at least Cardenas Creek. From there I’d have to go 5 more miles before the next logical camp, so I figured I’d play it by ear today.
Just before I left Beamer I ran into 3 guys from California, super nice and chatty. They were camped at Tanner, under the overhang (upriver from the beach) and out for a dayhike. They scored a walk-up permit to go down the Tanner, a couple nights, then back up the Tanner. They were headed to Sedona from here to do more hiking. Can’t think of a better way to spend time in this area of Arizona.
The funniest thing I remember about them was one guy talking about wanting to see the Meteor Crater on the way home, but the $20 entry fee had him waffling on this decision. I think his name was Roger. Roger, I hope you got to see the crater and the glass rocks around the rim.
I came upon the NPS crew, just before Tanner Rapids, across the river. The water levels dropped so much overnight their boats were left high and dry, well above water levels. I briefly watched them pushing, pulling and bouncing their boats back into the much lower water.
The views along the Beemer….just as I had remembered from only a day before. Cairns I didn’t really notice going upriver helped guide me downriver. There is no signage along this route, but the well worn path and well placed cairns certainly help guide you along without issue.
The weather was perfect, I hiked in a long sleeved shirt, mostly for sun protection, and shorts.
Escalante Route
I finally made it back to Tanner Rapids and the Tanner Beach area. Other than the day hiker’s camp I saw no one or no trace of anyone in the area.
I could have used some water, but the water was so low it was all mud and I didn’t feel like messing with that, nor did I need the water. I’d have plenty to get me to Palisades and I’d deal with whatever I faced there.
I continued on across Tanner Beach and onto the Escalante Route. With all the campsites along the beach area you just had to scout ahead to be sure you were heading down river and not just to another campsite.
The trail was easy to follow, and the wind was strong today, which offered cool temperatures. I still had my puffy jacket since camp, and partway across the Escalante. I could see how this stretch would be absolutely miserable in the warmer months.
I continued along the route, enjoying a Snickers and Gatorade as I went. Easy to follow at this point, and not difficult at all. This section actually reminded me of the Tonto East I had hiked several years ago between Hermit and Boucher….it just meanders along, in and out, rolling, rolling, rolling. You get great views of the Colorado River during most of this section of the route.
Cardenas Beach
Cardenas camp is awesome! It’s HUGE with lots of tent sites for small or large groups. I understand this is a stop for large rafting parties, and I now I understand why. Room for all!!
I filtered some water and had a snack of the leftover Fritos, a Little Debbie Oatmeal Pie and some Justin’s Honey Alond Butter on a tortilla. The Almond Butter was a new one for me to take hiking, I like the stuff generally at home and thought hiking it’d make for an easy, calorie dense snack or lunch. I brought 2 – Honey Almond and Chocolate Hazelnut and Almond Butter. I’m going to rate this one a “Meh!”
I’m still really enjoying the Lemon Lime Gatorade powder I carried in. Again, it’s heavy but so worth the weight. I generally alternated between water and Gatorade as to which I carried on my pack strap within easy reach. At each break I’d switch them in most cases.
The Colorado River was waaaaay low, this normally sandy beach was a soft squsihy mess. That made water collection a little more interesting, but thankfully I had the Sea to Summit kitchen sink which meant I could just grab water and filter elsewhere.
I decide to just stay here for the afternoon and night, didn’t really feel like pushing on another 5 miles – and I felt great, I think I was more worried the farther I went the closer I would be to the end.
I found a site tucked back in some trees with grand views. I assumed I’d see the NPS crew come through, and this was a logical stop for them. I didn’t really want to be on the loose sand of the beach with the winds I’ve been experiencing, and at this point, I like the solitude. Call me anti-social if you want, but just being here, alone with the views is an absolute sense of peace and calm. I have not once thought “This is boring.”
Hiking solo has its perks if you can handle it. Not everyone can. Some need that reassurance of another person, others need the comraderie and attention. Being solo allows for complete freedom to start and stop when you want, sleep or don’t sleep when you want, eat when you want, etc. With that said, hiking with the right person or people is also awesome! I’ve had some amazing trips with some great people and have enjoyed every moment of it too!
Dinner
I wasn’t hungry enough to have a big meal tonight. This has always been my issue hiking: lack of appetite. I understand this is normal, so I do force myself to eat enough calories and the right kinds of foods. I’ve never carried cheese or any kind of salami. I love cheese and charcuterie and thought this was make a great snack. The first couple of days I kinda cursed at this giant hunk of meat in the bottom of my food bag, so today I said I’d better give it a chance.
Game. Changer.
Holy cow this absolutely hit the spot!!! This is the Columbus Italian Dry Salami, I found it at Meijer grocery store back home. It’s non-refrigerated and it is so incredibly tasty! This was the perfect blend of tasty, greasy and salty. Paired with a little cheese – I just used the Havarti and Gouda cheese snacks from Sam’s Club. They are individually packaged slices, I cut in half to have with the salami.
Oh I was so happy to have carried this in my food bag. At this exact moment I sorta regretted that last minute decision to not bring in a box of red wine. I mean, what’s another 4 pounds, right??
Technology Update
I carried in the Garmin satellite communicator, my iPhone and a battery pack. I used the Garmin to send a message each morning that I was starting, and to track my progress which goes to a webpage where my friends and family could check on my progress. I’d always send a message that I was stopping for the day also. I’d randomly send a message to my wife or kids just to reassure everyone I really was ok and really was having fun.
I used my iPhone to track my route on AllTrails. It was in airplane mode so it wouldn’t try looking for a signal that didn’t exist. And rather than carry my big Canon DSLR this trip I used only my iPhone for pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. It was also paired to the Garmin via bluetooth and I used the Garmin app for messaging rather than the crappy interface on the device itself.
At the end of Day 3 the Garmin was down to 58% and iPhone 60%. Well, at that rate, this wasn’t going to fare well. I did charge both devices at this point, knowing I could always quit using the phone and use only the Garmin if it came down to it. A small solar charger would have given me extra piece of mind.
I spent the evening just enjoying the silence and the views. I never did see the NPS crew, or any other person. It was just a nice, quiet night.
Route Map and Retrospective
Today was 6.5 miles of mostly flat terrain. Mileage-wise I could have easily kept going, but I didn’t need to and was happy to just sit and chill. I often tend to do too much mileage and not enough enjoying. This trip would turn out to have the perfect balance of both.
Tomorrow I would push on to 75-Mile Rapids, setting myself up for the last night along the Colorado River.
