October, 2003 - South Kaibab to Phantom to Kwagunt to Tanner

Trip number 33 - October, 2003 - South Kaibab to Phantom to Kwagunt to Tanner

This was then and still is now the longest backpacking trip I have done in the Grand Canyon. It was 11 days and 10 nights of mostly wilderness backpacking and mostly off trail. We were on trail for the first two days, going down the South Kaibab Trail to the Phantom Ranger Station, and then over to Clear Creek on the Clear Creek Trail the following day. On the final day we hiked out on the Tanner Trail. The 8 days in between that was all off trail climbing over saddles and following creek beds and fault lines. It was a spectacular trip and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. I was invited along on this trip by my ranger buddy, Chuck Sypher. Chuck was a major asset to me in the development of the Grand Canyon Explorer web site, providing me information about trails, and hiking and backpacking dos and don'ts, and search and rescue information. Chuck was the ranger at Indian Garden for several years and I visited him there on a few occasions and we did some day hiking together. I forget what they actually called this trip but it was supposed to give some rangers who have desk jobs and don't typically get down into the Canyon a chance to have that experience. We had four members in our party in total and Ranger Dave was the only one I had not hiked with before. There were some fun times on this trip but it was also a lot of work. I got to see many places that I probably would never have seen on my own. Some of the more memorable experiences were: The dinner at the Phantom Ranch Ranger Station on the first night of the trip. Climbing up to the saddle between Wotan's Throne and Angels Gate... again. I did this once on my own back in March of 1999. Seeing the artifacts in Asbestos Canyon. Climbing The Tabernacle. The ruins in Lava Creek. Arifacts from an old still, which was operated during Prohibition, in Lava Canyon. Butte Fault and the Horsethief Route. Kwagunt Rapids. Rafting from Kwagunt down to the Tanner Trail. Stopping at the Little Colorado River to do some trash collection. The full trip report is here.

North rim and Clear Creek gorge from Clear Creek Trail The Tabernacle from the river runners trail to Rattlesnake Beach Ruins near Lava Creek Butte Fault, Horsethief Route Calm water above Kwagunt Rapids, Colorado River

Next >> Trip number 38 - October, 2005 - Indian Hollow, Cranberry Canyon & Kanab Canyon

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