Hi back from a pretty awesome yet butt kicking trip down into the Grand Canyon. The trip got jacked in that my trucks fuel pump failed about 200 miles from home. So my friend who invited me caught a ride with the others as they came through the town. I had to lay up over night and was able to be on the road about 1:00 the next day. Had to then play catch up to the rest which would be another almost 2 days to find them. I had never been down into the canyon before and so was flying solo with a compass and topo to get to the base camp. I started my descent at 6:00 pm and hiked till about 8:30 which by then was pretty dark down there. I lost the trail and ended up on a cliffs edge above the Colorado river and made my camp for the night. Your group is required to have a permit to be down in there overnight and since I did not have one with me, as our group leader had it, I was told not to get caught without one or the rangers would send me back up to the top.So here I'am playing escape and evade from park rangers till I find the group. I eventually reached the camp by about 5:00 pm the next day after about another 13 miles of pretty cool and brutal trails. All in all one person was struck on the head from a falling rock and had about a 2" gash which we Super Glued shut in conjunction with compress bandaids. Then on the final day my friend broke his foot as we slogged through 5 miles of the Phantom Creek drainage. Then he had another 9 miles to hike to get out from Phantom ranch. The creek phase due to rain was in places inpassable unless you swam, which is what we did. You would just have to chuck your pack over the waterfalls edge and slip and slide till you jumped into the pool below some 8 to 10 feet down. Then recover your pack and push it as you swam till you found footing. LOL it was ice cold,blood pumping and at times scary, but there was no turning back after the first waterfall. Other occassions your wading from knees to your chest it was a trip to remember. My feet were beat to hell from all the hiking, water and more hiking. Damn the final day it was 14 miles and up 4800 ft in elevation. It was an adventure into a Cactus, scorpion and rattlesnake infested desert. We actually had a rattlesnake staying on a ledge for 2 days in our first camp. You can't disturb any wildlife down there so we had to co-exist. made for a long night sleeping as they are nocturnal hunters.

 

Sounds like an awesome trip! Except for the obvious bad parts...

I hiked part way down the Grand Canyon years ago with a 2 year old in a kid-backpack. Never did get back to hike all the way to the bottom. What a great place.

Thanks for sharing your story and pics.

 

WoW `Greg, you are a adventurous `soul 4-Sure.
I hope being a ex-paratrooper with training helped you endure the search for your friends.

Really enjoyed reading your words & thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures....

I can now fully understand why you were not online & knew that your SuperSuper Turbo Monte was in a Race for Monte of the Month on the MCF.

I'm sure your feet with heal, but your memories & experience of this challenge will be embedded in your mind 4-ever

Look forward to your future posts & your adventures in life.
Again, thanks for sharing with your Monte Carlo Family.
EnJoy your `Journey of `Life...
Peace/Out from `Space

 

Sounds like such an epic!!! Awesome pics!

 

looks like you got some nice pics and had a good time!

 

Glad you stayed safe and had a good time. Nice pics.

 

Great Pics

 

Awesome pics! Sounds like it was a great time