It's been more than a year since I visited my first Grand Canyon Polychrome site out on the Esplanade and I've been very curious to get back and look for more of these wonderful pictographs. Naturally, being rock art - and a relatively rare variety at that - the locations of the sites are a closely guarded secret by those lucky enough to know of their locations. I'd hoped to finally meet and head out on a hike with Randy of adventur.co - one of the foremost rock art experts I know - but family matters came up and he was unable to make it. Still, with a possible lead on another Polychrome panel, early spring seemed like the perfect time for @mrs.turbodb and I to don our backpacking gear for the second time ever, grab a bit of water, and venture out into the vastness of the grandest of canyons.
Headed to Hades | Esplanade #1 - It's been more than a year since I visited my first Grand Canyon Polychrome site out on the Esplanade and I've been very curious to get back and look for more of these wonderful pictographs. Naturally, being rock art - and a relatively rare variety at that - the locations of the sites are a closely guarded secret by those lucky enough to know them. I'd hoped to finally meet and head out on a hike with of adventur.co - one of the foremost rock art experts I know - but family matters came up and he was unable to…
Savoring Shade in the Spirit Shelter | Esplanade #2 - It was a little windy when we closed our eyes on our own little patch of slickrock sandstone, but sometime during the night - after air temperatures equalized a bit - it calmed down and there was barely a breeze when our alarm went off about 20 minutes before sunrise. Our new-to-us Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3 tent worked so much better than the semi-self-standing tent we had previously. Unlike most mornings where we might hit the snooze button once or twice, we were up and about almost immediately. Knowing that the forecast was for even hotter temperatures than…
No More Hiking | Esplanade #3 - After two days and more than 25 miles backpacking across Grand Canyon Esplanade, where temperatures exceeded 95°F, we were ready for something a little less strenuous. And cooler. What better way to get both of those things than wandering - or in our case, hobbling - into a lava tube that's often sporting a little ice in the back corners, even on the hottest of days! Having made the decision to high-tail it out of camp in search of a soft bed, warm shower, and nachos at one of our favorite eateries, we had several hours of wheeled travel ahead…