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Previous - May 11th, 2008 - North Kaibab
Detours
(May 12th - May 13th - Jacob Lake, Arizona)
I
crawled out of my tent in the crackling cold, and as I surveyed the
numerous snowdrifts scattered about, decided to walk Forest Road 610
for about 8 miles north to a point where the Arizona Trail intersected
it, rather than following the trail as it swung east towards the rim of
Marble Canyon. Looking off in the direction the trail took, the woods
looked crowded with snowdrifts. I had struggled last night staying on
the trail through the snowdrifts near the Park boundary. Hopefully the
dirt road would be easier to follow this morning.
This plan worked out well. FR 610 was quiet, empty of any traffic, and
generally free of snow. By the time I rejoined the Trail, there was
very little snow showing and I felt confident hopping back on the
official route.
Again, the Trail served up a beautiful morning of hiking as it worked
steadily north across the Kaibab Plateau. My favorite sections here
were where the trail made its way through some of the gorgeous meadows
that are scattered across the Plateau. One of the nicest such sections
was a nearly 2 mile walk along the meadow in Upper Tater Canyon. I
collected water there too, in a shallow pond fed by snowmelt and
littered with all kinds of animal tracks.
Upper Tater Canyon on the Kaibab Plateau
After passing through more meadows in Pleasant Valley, Little Pleasant
Valley, and Little Round Valley I came across a sign at Crane Lake
which displayed a trail closure notice for the section of the Arizona
Trail directly ahead. The sign explained that the closure was in effect
for safety reasons. The next 8 miles of trail went through an area
ravaged by the 2006 Warm Fire. Forest Service officials were concerned
about the danger posed by the giant swath of dead trees left by the
fire that now seemed ready to topple to the ground.
So, I took the second detour of the day, this time following the paved
shoulder of Highway 67. Happily, traffic on the highway was pretty
light since all of the facilities at the North Rim were still closed
for the winter. They were not scheduled to open until May 15.
In the afternoon, dark clouds took over the sky and a cold wind picked
up. I put on all my rain gear as cold rain and sleet began pelting
the Plateau. I reached the end of the trail closure area well after
sunset and gratefully walked off and away from the pavement into the woods to
make camp. As dark gathered, it began to lightly snow.
Though I stayed dry and warm, it was a bit of a visual shock the next
morning to find my camp blanketed with two or three inches of new snow.
And what about following the trail in this snow? I certainly did not
want to return to the pavement on Highway 67, so I decided to give the trail a try.
Though covered with a layer of snow, the path along the trail presented
a subtle, scooped groove that made it possible to follow. I lost the
trail only a couple of times, quickly finding it again with help from
the GPS.
Snow Camp on the Kaibab Plateau
By 11 o’clock, I reached Highway 89. Utah was a mere 28 miles away! I
turned west though, and walked beside the highway for a couple of miles
to the restaurant and motel at Jacob Lake. Here I cleaned up and
enjoyed plenty of hot food. In the evening Jim joined me at the motel.
Tomorrow I would load up with water at Jacob Lake and start the final
leg of my journey to the Utah border.
-Dave Baker
