|
Paria Canyon Hike, 2005
 My legs ached with
cold, like a swarm of angry hornets had stung me with freezing
venom they throbbed. Jen sobbed as our weary group of five
sloshed through the turbid Paria River on the start of day 3. I
stretched a nervous hand behind to feel how much the holes
abraded by the red sandstone in my pack had grown since the day
before. I swallowed hard when I felt my gear poking through.
“Once the sun gets into the canyon it is going to be a beautiful
day,” I said almost convincingly. In truth, it was the lowest
point of our five-day hike in the S. Utah and N. Arizona Paria
Wilderness.
Our group of five
arrived at the Phoenix Arizona airport. Kevin drove from
Tucson, Jen and Paul (author) flew from Sacramento and Ken and
Heath flew from outside Detroit. From Phoenix we drove the
rental minivan to Lee’s Ferry Arizona. The long drive and lack
of sleep caused our trip to get a later start than we hoped. We
stopped at the ranger station near Whitehouse trailhead to get
the latest canyon conditions. According to the rangers there
were “intermittent, chest deep cold pools” in the canyon. We
expected this and were not put off by this news. Once we got to
the Wire Pass trailhead we rehashed our plan. “We should be
able to hike 13 miles and camp near the confluence this
evening”. We planned to hike between 13-14 miles the first day
to reach the first of many reliable springs. Then between 8-10
miles each day thereafter, taking time to enjoy the scenery and
side-trips. In all we planned for 5 days and 4 nights (with an
extra day if needed). We had completed hikes up to 17 miles
long in training, but knew that hiking in the ever-changing
terrain of the canyon would be slower than on the established
trails we trained on.
On day one we knew
that we were in trouble when we saw Buckskin Gulch. Instead of
the intermittent pools that we had been warned about the
Buckskin roared with muddy water. After hours of negotiating
the flooded canyon we realized we only made it less than half
our planned distance. With only an hour of sunlight left in the
day we stared at our maps in disbelief then decided to make camp
at Middle Pass, only halfway to the confluence and halfway to
the first spring. The next day the water level in the canyon
went down some, but rain, sleet and cold slowed our pace again.
We carried on determined to make it to the first spring to
refill our dwindling water supply. After two days of hiking we
only progressed 16 miles. After freezing our feet for a third
morning the weather improved, the underfoot terrain became
visible and our pace livened. By the end of day three we felt
confident that we wouldn’t need to use the insurance day we
allowed ourselves. Day four and five the weather continued to
improve. Despite numb feet and sore muscles we reached our
vehicle by afternoon on day five with 4.5 hours of video, over
800 photos, and a lifetime of great memories.
Our 5-day
adventure began months prior. Reservations are required up to 7
months in advance (to secure your permits call 435/688-3246 or
go to
https://www.az.blm.gov/paria). As “trip leader” I
dis covered Backpackinglight.com while researching ways to reduce
the shared load that my wife and I would carry during our trip.
I planned to use the trip as a photographic and journalistic
foray, but also as an opportunity to explore some of my newly
acquired lightweight gear and skills. I have only
subscribed to the lightweight ways for several months and I am
admittedly not experienced or skilled enough (yet) to be
confident on a 5-day canyon hike, in below freezing
temperatures, when rain/snow is expected to go “ultralight”. I found that Backpackinglight.com, in combination with the print
media format, was a terrific way to find a balance of comfort
and lightweight travel to meet my budget, hiking needs and skill
level. To this end I will describe the performance and outcomes
of the gear that I acquired as a direct result of research and
recommendations of Backpackinglight.com.
To start, I
replaced my 5.5-pound (88-ounce) 5500 internal frame ci backpack
with a 3-pound (ounces) 3000 ci GoLite Infinity pack.
During training and overnight hikes in Northern California it
performed better than I could have asked for. However, in
 the
shoulder–width confines of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, the pack, which is made of SiLite HG™ (a silicone
impregnated polyester fabric and xPac™ (a more abrasion
resistant fabric) sustained multiple holes on the first day. These holes grew
 to the size of half-dollars and
on the last day a huge longitudinal tear developed on the back
along the daisy-chain seam. To be fair the pack remained
comfortable the entire trip and never failed completely or
allowed my gear to spill out while I walked. To GoLite’s
credit, when I honestly described in detail how I had
used/abused the pack and the damage it had they asked me to send
it in, then promptly sent me new pack free of charge!
 
I left my 3-pound
(48 ounce) sleeping bag at home and brought my new 1 lb 5 oz (21
ounce ) 750+ goose down Mountainsmith Wisp sleeping bag. With
help from silk-weight long underwear, a GoLite Rumor vest and a
Mountain Hardwear Gorestopper™ beanie cap I woke up cool the
first and last nights, especially in my lower legs and feet, but
remained comfortable without shivering. I am confident that
with a full-length sleeping pad I would have slept warmly
through each night.
 For
this hike Jen and I used a lightweight single wall tent called
Missing Link.
This tent made by Mountain Safety Research (MSR) weighs just 3
pounds (48 oz.). This tent requires the use of two
trekking poles and guy lines for pitching and offered plenty of
leg and headroom with a gear-storing awning to boot (photo 8)!
A tarp would have been a pound or
 more lighter, but traveling
with my wife in an unfamiliar area in less than ideal weather
conditions lead me to this choice. Although we experienced
periods of steady rainfall and a moderate amount of condensation
on the tent walls was observed each morning, we stayed dry,
comfortable and insect free.
On our trip our
group of 5 carried two Jetboil stoves.
The stoves worked without flaw during many training hikes for
this trip. However, I would describe its performance on this
trip as merely adequate. One of the stoves was difficult to
light and both took much longer to boil water in the cold
mornings. This is not unusual with canister stoves in cool
temperatures. What was unsettling was the way one of the stoves
coughed and sputtered even after it warmed up. During the trip
one of the Jetboils became clogged with grit from the sandy soil
or one of the seals inside the stove housing failed. The result
was an inefficient fuel burn that forced us to consume our last
meal cold. Again, the manufacture backed up their product, at
least in my case. Jetboil replaced my stove free of charge when
I returned from my trip.
 The only gear
related regret that I have from this trip was neglecting to
bring a Chlorine Dioxide type water treatment (e.g. AquaMira
see
link here)
While using a traditional pump style filter offered a chance to
sit down and chat the extra two pounds (approximately
one pound each) was not needed. The Buckskin and Paria were far
to turbulent on our trip to be filter treated without at least
an overnight settling period. However, we could have avoided
the unnecessary weight because the springs were clear and
frequent enough to be chemically treated.
 We carried two
pairs of Leki Ultralite Ti COR-TEC Ergo poles,
weighing 16.8 ounces for the pair. We all agreed that trekking
poles were one of the most valuable tools on this hike. The
reason for this was the sediment laden Buckskin and Paria waters. During drier times of the year they may not be
needed, but during our hike probing the muddy water was the only
way to know if you would step onto an ankle twisting sloped rock
or a three-foot deep hole.
Clothing choice
for this trip would vary widely, as the temperatures can be
anywhere from the single digits to 120 degrees. On our trip the
temperatures were in the low 30s up to 80 degrees. Our typical
backpacking attire was quick drying shorts or pants, technical
base layer, technical shirt and wind or rain jacket (depending
on conditions).
 In the mornings when the weather was cooler we
added beanie caps, and a synthetic vest. Shoe selection is a
serious concern on this hike. During warmer months when water
is ankle deep or less, typical lightweight hikers will work
well. Our group used a variety of footwear from more
traditional 6-inch hiking boot (with a neoprene-lined sock for
warmth) to my choice of a “self-bailing” water specific trail
shoe. My thinking was that the self-bailer would shed water
quickly, thus making each step lighter. In the end, all worked
adequately, but I have learned that quickly expelling water,
then having a fresh batch of icy water rush back over your feet
is not a good idea in cold conditions. Alternatively, in warmer
conditions the self-bailing shoe may have been ideal. Our
entire group experienced numbness in our feet for days after
this trip.
The Buckskin and
the Paria in particular are fed most of the year by a series of
small springs. In the spring, these rivers swell from a jolt of
icy snowmelt from the nearby mountains and plateau. Unlike a
typical river the Buckskin and Paria waters have little chance
to soak up the warm rays of the sun as they snake through deep
canyon walls. This keeps the springtime water temperature near
40 degrees or below.
Over two months
later the author is the only one still suffering from minor
nerve damage (numbness) in the tip of his right big toe.
Despite the wading through bone chillingly water for most of the
first three days all five of our group agreed that the trip was
not to be missed. A few weeks before and after our trip the
temperatures soared well above 75 degrees. It was simply a
combination of bad luck and poor timing on the author’s part
that the group experienced the extremes of low temperatures and
high water flows.
One of the
highlights of this trip was the opportunity to take off our
packs and enjoy the two-mile side hike to Wrather
Arch. Wrather Arch is one the world’s top-ten largest natural
stone arches.
*Photo
tip: For a different photo opportunity, take your camera on the
trail leading to the left at the bottom of the steep final
approach. This will give you a wider and grander perspective.
When you visit the
Paria Wilderness, stay at
Marble Canyon Lodge (1-800-533-7339.
They offer clean, “rustic”, affordable rooms and are just
minutes away from the parking lot where you can park your
vehicle and meet your shuttle ride to the Wire Pass Trailhead.
Betty Price (928-355-2252) is a licensed shuttle driver who
knows the local roads, geology, and lore as well as anyone. On
our drive in her roomy 2004 Chevy Trailblazer equipped with
external luggage carriers she described the astoundingly
numerous beer choices and selections of choice-cut grilled
steaks at the
Lees Ferry Lodge (1-800-451-223)
in such mouth watering detail that we committed to our post-hike
meal before stepping foot on the trail!
The author’s trip
was during the end of a cold storm in the later part of March.
The Bureau of Land Management BLM suggests exploring this vast
wonderland of ancient canyons, riparian oasis’s and expansive
deserts in the months of April-June and September and October.
The BLM offers a mile-by-mile, flip style map ($8.00, plus
shipping) by calling the Arizona Strip Interpretive
(435-688-3246). Finally, the BLM warns, “Flash floods
 can occur
(in the Paria Wilderness) during anytime of the year, but
especially during July, August and early September. These
unpredictable events can drastically change hiking conditions.
Life threatening water flows are evident from flood debris.” The amount of water we experienced was
uncomfortable (at best), but only a trickle when compared to
flash flooding conditions during a desert monsoon. The area is
designated as wilderness for a reason and quick rescue in some
remote stretches of the canyon is impossible. It may take days
for rescuers to reach an injured hiker so BLM suggests that you
document intended entry and exit points with the rangers at the
contact station (near the White House Trailhead).
“Light is right”
Paul Grube
|
