Last year, we got our first taste of Grand Gulch, and even before we returned home, I knew I wanted to hike the whole thing. Not all at once - I'm insane, but not that insane - but over the course of several trips.
Almost immediately we knocked out a big chunk of the route when we took @mini.turbodb on her first ever - and still only - backpacking trip, putting a serious dent in the northern half of the Gulch in the process. Note: she has not - to date - requested a repeat performance. She does still speak to us, though, which by the established rubric of traveling with a teenager is basically a five-star review.
And now, we're headed back. We'll enter the gash in the Earth via Collins Canyon and make our way north to the Government Trail - the previous start of our long trek north - enjoying the towering sandstone walls, slickrock surfaces, and ancient artwork along the way.
Or at least, that's the plan.
In Search of Water | Grand Gulch #1 - Last year, we got our second taste of Grand Gulch, and even before we returned home, I knew I wanted to hike the whole thing. Not all at once - I'm insane, but not that insane - but over the course of several trips. Almost immediately we knocked out a big chunk of the route when we took @mini.turbodb on her first ever - and still only - backpacking trip, putting a serious dent in the northern half of the Gulch in the process. Note: she has not - to date - requested a repeat performance. She does still speak…
17 Miles of Sun | Grand Gulch #2 - Putting Bannister House behind us for the time being, we continued our trek through Grand Gulch towards Pollys Canyon. There wasn't a chance we'd make it all the way in a single day - that would be backpacking insanity - but we still wanted to get a few more miles under our belt before calling it quits for the day. In fact, we were hoping to get to the Big Pour - where I'd heard from the BLM that there was some "doesn't look great" water, since it's always nice to have plenty of water for dinner, a face wash…