A long evening drive punctuated by a stop in Glenwood Springs to visit a brewery I’d never eaten at before ends with a stop on a plot of National Forest land outside of Monticello, UT. Pete and I throw out tarps and our sleeping bags onto the ground, attempting to dodge the cow patties and quickly fall asleep under a clear sky of brilliant stars. When dawn breaks we pack up and return to the road.
Taking the scenic route we head through Monument Valley, passing numerous cars with California plates all driving 20 miles below the speed limit. I know that’s not how they drive at home, what gives?
We watch our cell phones for signs of arriving in Mountain Standard Time and eventually ask at a gas station “where does the time change”. Answer: across the street.
After arriving in MST, our next destination is the Grand Canyon.
Too early to check into our campsite, we stop at a little used picnic area and notice one other car in the parking lot but no one around. Seeing Colorado plates I’m suspicious, and that hint is confirmed when I recognize the name on the camping permit hanging from the rear view mirror. Laughing, we start hiking from the parking area and traversing along the south rim.
Soon we hear voices and shouted conversation confirms that Jeff and George are on some cliffs above us, but that John and Gerry are climbing the peak known as Sinking Ship right now.
Pete and I continue away from the rim and bushwhack through some steep terrain before hitting the trail that the others used. Wrapping around the east side of the peak we eventually approach the north side.
I hear voices in a small amphitheater ahead and enjoy using the line “Dr. Livingstone I presume?” on John and Gerry who are just wrapping up a rappel.
We catch up and receive a bit of information and decide to attempt their down climb and rappel route versus the one Sarah and company did a few weeks ago.
A bit of scrambling leads to a ledge and a choice between a hand crack with some exposure and a tight chimney. The hand crack looks a little chossy, so I try the chimney and find the climbing not to hard, but unprotectable, with the crux coming at the top while exiting around some chockstones. Pete, the lucky devil, gets to follow with a belay.
We leave the rope at the fresh rappel sling (thanks John!), and find easy scrambling above.
Soon we’re on the summit, but wondering if it’s going to rain. Not wanting to deal with wet sandstone, we don’t spend much time on top.
The down climb and rappel go quickly, and we reverse our hike but head more directly towards the rim and AZ 64.
Wanting to rest up for a big day tomorrow, we continue on to the Mather Campground and setup camp. Dave (aka Hoot) shows up after we’ve setup and joins our party. Then we make final plans for the big hike.
