Day 5: The Confluence to Middle Route Exit (6.5 miles)
This is it. The Big Day. Today we were to tackle Buckskin Gulch in all its squidgy squelchy glory – hiking 6.5 miles through uncertain terrain before heading out via the Middle Route Exit. That we would be hiking through water was in no doubt – however, what was unclear was exactly how deep the water would get in places. We’d already navigated some lady garden deep waters the day before and we were all hoping that it wouldn’t creep much higher than that!! That water is COLD. To allay our fears as to what the next few hours would hold, Ronnie and Pika had very carefully explained the day to us the night before, and assured us that we would all be fine, that we were all capable of completing the hike. As I mentioned yesterday, our first task was to navigate past the enigmatically named “The Obstacle” which was about a mile up from where we camped. I asked our guides how we would know when we came across it – they just looked knowingly at each other and said “You’ll know”. Gulp.
Breakfast was a quicker affair today – granola with various dried fruits, rather than a cooked breakfast. And FINALLY I was able to palm off some jam to my fellow hikers as turns out that jam (or jelly in US-speak) is a delicious condiment for granola (cue short but profound conversation as to what constitutes a condiment). I guess I should be grateful I still have some jam left – eating almost a whole pound of jam in 4 days is probably not very good for you. As we packed up our camp gear for the last time on this trip, we only had to grab one little empty gas canister from the depleted shared gear pile – all the various bags of food and comestibles had gone. To get us all ready and limber for our day’s adventure, Pika led us through a few yoga stretches – things were definitely starting to stiffen up, so it was a welcome exercise!
Our guides had warned us that today might start off a bit chilly, hiking through the gulch, as there was very little sun to be had right down at the bottom of the canyon. They were not wrong. I wore my little black puffy jacket for most of the hike and was still pretty chilly – and alas, there was not much that could be done to warm up our feet. They stayed cold and wet for the entire day. The mud was EXTREME – it was very very slick and caked our trail shoes, such that each step became harder and harder as your feet became more and more weighed down and the sole’s tread completely disappeared, adding to the overall spiciness of your hike. If we weren’t slogging over the mud, we were wading through the water – and this, again, was cold AF. We did meet a few people en route, some of whom told us of chest high water further up in Buckskin Gulch – fortunately, that was past our exit point, so fingers crossed it wasn’t going to get that bad.
After a mile or so, we rounded a corner – and there it was. The Obstacle. As our guides had indicated, there was no doubt that This Was It – the route was completely blocked by a collection of GIANT boulders. They had clearly been there a while as etched into the main boulder we would be climbing over were a sequence of hand & footholds that had been carved there by the ancient Puebloan people that first lived on these lands over 700 years ago. Along with the handholds, there was also a knotted rope slung down the boulder – this was more for hauling your backpack up with, though, rather than being something to rely on to help you up the rock. For this, you followed a careful sequence (demonstrated by Pika) of where to place your feet and hands. After watching the intrepid Kathy successfully make it to the top, I decided to go up next before my nerves got the best of me. The first part was pretty easy – but the last step was, for me, the hardest as the thought of “don’t fall now – you are so near the top” crammed unbidden into my brain! Fortunately, I grabbed hold of Pika’s hand, she helped pull me up – and I was over! I’d done it!! Boulder Jam Level UNLOCKED!
We then waited on the Other Side as each of our gang ascended the boulder – until, unfortunately, one of our group was not successful in her initial ascent attempt. After some discussion, it was agreed with our guides that, from an abundance of caution, that her and Ronnie would take an alternate route out of the canyon – instead, looping back into and then out of Paria Canyon, rather than continuing up Buckskin Gulch and exiting via the Middle Route rock scramble. It was a real shame that the whole of our little tribe was not able to finish together after so many awesome shared experiences up to this point – but safety comes first and it was very impressive to see how professionally our guides handled the situation (their company is called BackCountry Found, btw, so deffo look them up if you want guiding services in the Grand Canyon area https://www.bcfound.com/). As a special bonus for clearing the Jam successfully, we were all awarded with a butterscotch lollipop to suck on – we felt we had all earned it.
Because of this snafu, we were a bit behind our regular schedule, but we just all dug in, Kept Calm and Carried On. There was still at least another 5 miles to go before we would reach our exit point and this Gulch was not to be rushed. As you can see from the pictures, the scenery was – as expected – stunning, with the high canyon walls providing as much of a dramatic backdrop as any we had seen in Paria Canyon. Because it was narrower, though, it was harder to navigate and so it felt much slower going. Maybe it was the lack of sun and the overall cold, but I’m not going to lie – it was challenging. It was less about the physical challenge (although my legs did start to feel a bit tired by the end of the day), but it was more about the mental exertion that became necessary to keep going. Maybe we were all a bit frazzled by the Boulder Jam Incident, but after another couple of hours of slogging, I was kinda Over It. The miles seemed fucking endless. I was cold and tired and hungry and was just wanting to be there already. After an hour of this mental internal tantrum, I realized that just had to make peace with where I was, right now. Being able to deal with this type of struggle is just as important for my endurance training as is the physical conditioning work. So I surrendered to the reality of my current situation and remembered to “Embrace The Suck” rather than fight against it (an important piece of advice bestowed on me during my Isle Royale trip). It didn’t change how cold my feet felt – but it did help make the last couple of miles less of a battle.
As we slowly made our way to the Middle Route, we passed another famous landmark called the Slide Rock Arch – named for obvious reasons (I think I put that in yesterday’s post by mistake). We hadn’t seen too many other people – but there were a couple that did leave, um, an impression. I was hiking in the middle of the pack at this point (I think it was around mile 5) and noticed two guys and a dog a couple hundred meters away heading towards us, going downstream. As I looked a little closer, my brain snagged on a couple of minor details, jolting it out of its mud-induced reverie. The exact detail was “Is that guy not wearing any pants???“. In this case, both the US and UK versions of that sentence would be correct as, by the time we had fully approached them (and Pika was nonchalantly chatting with them asking about the conditions upriver), it became obvious (*ahem*) that both guys were Buckskin Naked from the waist down! They had the manners (?) to tug down their t-shirts in an attempt to cover up their man parts (especially in front of a group of 8 ladies) , but there was still definite dong hanging loose and visible!! (which, under the circumstances, given the cold and water was actually kinda impressive). I know I expected to see some sights this morning, but I definitely was not expecting to see naked penis! As our polite conversation reached its natural eyes-averted conclusion, we bid our farewells and moved off in opposite directions, one of our group looked back at them as if to double check “umm…did I really see that??”. By this point, they had already foregone any attempt at modesty, reverting back to nature, and letting it all hang back out. We all looked at each other, waiting what we thought might be a safe distance out of earshot, before peeing ourselves laughing. And thus it was that one our enduring memories of Buckskin Gulch was of two lily white bottoms bouncing happily off into the distance. Let that freak flag fly, baby!
This little wildlife encounter seemed to put a bit of pep into everyone’s step, so it wasn’t that long after that we finally reached the point at which we would exit the canyon. It was called the Middle Route and it was another trail with historic importance, again used by the ancient Puebloans with handholds carved into the rockface that our guides would help talk us through. Because we were later than planned, our driver Wagner (also from Backcountry Found) had left the van and had hiked down into the canyon to meet us. He knows this area like the back of his hand and had successfully completed the Middle Route ascent hundreds of times. This was good to know because, standing at the bottom and looking up, it looked quite daunting!! Having an experienced guide for this part was absolutely essential, as you would likely completely miss the ascent route if you didn’t know what you were looking for. Even when you did, it took a very trained eye to pick out the handholds and know which way to go. The way we did it was in sections – Wagner would demonstrate the first bit, then we would follow in turn. We had the option to remove our backpacks and have those hauled separately up the cliff, but we all decided to keep ours on – by this stage, they weren’t all that heavy – plus who doesn’t love the extra challenge, right?? The first part was the hardest – but it wasn’t any harder than the Boulder Jam we’d cleared earlier on in the day. After the first part, the next few sections were easier, less steep, and so, bit by bit, we wound our way up the cliff face, up and up until we finally made it to the top!! It was a real sense of accomplishment – especially when looking down, to see how far we’d come.
After we had successfully exited the canyon, the fun wasn’t quite over as we then had a mile long slog through sand (including some decent elevation gains!) to fully get out of the Middle Route and up to where the trailhead starts and our Backcountry Found van was parked. Because of the Boulder Jam Incident, we were quite a bit behind what the usual schedule would have been, so we got to the top just as the sun was beginning to set. The views back across the Paria Canyon Vermillion Wilderness were breathtaking and, in the evening glow, it was absolutely stunning. Finally, we were able to look down and see the canyon we’d spent the last 5 days in, stretching away before us. Once we got back to the van, Wagner had brought some snacks and drinks for everyone – so we gratefully fell on the fresh strawberries, orange slices and pickles (?). There was even a last surprise and a tray of freshly baked brownies waiting for us in the van! One other important task was for us all to deposit our Poop Tubes into a big black container (labeled with our names) which we would then empty into a dumpster on our drive out of the park. For those of you interested in keeping score, I managed 3 poops (of varying sizes and degrees of satisfaction) and Amanda was, indeed, crowned the Poop Champion of the trip.
After that task was completed, all that was left to do was drive back to our hotel, take a VERY well-deserved (and needed) shower and then meet at a local brewery restaurant for a celebratory team dinner. All in all, it was a terrific trip – again, not the hardest from a physical perspective, but it certainly exercised the mental muscles at times and I chalked up multiple new experiences over the week – so from that aspect, mission accomplished. What’s next on my backpacking agenda, I hear you cry? Well…. I’m excited to share with you that, next April, I will be tackling the incredible Annapurna Base Circuit hike in the Himalayas in Nepal! THIS is what I will be training my tushie off for – me and the Stairmaster will become best friends over the next 5 months! Annapurna ABC trek And – what will make the trip even more fun – my poop buddy Amanda will be leading it!! So yay for new friends and for continuing adventures!!!
