South Kaibab to Clear Creek – January 2009
Day 1 – South Kaibab Trailhead to Bright Angel Campground:
Encounters with native & non-native species.
There is a fair amount of leftover snow, ice, and slush almost all the way to the switchbacks below Skeleton Point, which makes for slower going than usual. We pause for two mule trains coming up. Lunch stop is at the Tipoff where a trail crew is making improvements, including the use of a jackhammer. Apparently it weighs about eighty pounds and they carry it up from Phantom in two man teams.
The rest of the trail below the Tipoff is a typically steep descent through the Inner Gorge. We see a California condor perched on the rim of a drop beneath us. Just above the tunnel to Black Bridge, Jack encounters a young Japanese man. He is starting for the South Rim with less than two hours to darkness and 6+ miles of uphill hiking; with no water and apparently no flashlight. Jack worries and discourages him, but the language barrier is a real problem. In the end we give him a couple cups of water; he bows in gratitude and continues. Jack tells a ranger about him just to be safe and we never hear anything more about it. Hope he made it alright.
In Bright Angel camp there are several desert bighorns grazing over a hundred feet up the steep canyon walls across from the creek. A near full moon brightens our canyon to the point that we can walk up to the Canteen without the use of headlamps. Jack doesn’t stay for a third round of Tecates and I nearly stumble over a ringtail on the walk home.
Day 2 – Bright Angel Campground to Zoroaster Canyon:
Water wise, a full moon, & things that go BOOM in the night.
A young bighorn crosses the creek near camp as we pack up. We’re heading up the steep first two miles of the Clear Creek Trail about 10 am. At a break in the Tapeats, the ascent levels out at Sumner Wash. We stop to dry out our frosty gear and have lunch while two ravens eye us closely.
The hike continues and I take a mental note at the main drainage below the southern face of Zoroaster Temple. There is plenty of pothole water here to sustain a return in two days if necessary. We misjudge how far we’ve come just before rounding the point that gives way to a great view of Clear Creek gorge. This is near the halfway point and our late start has put us behind my desired schedule.
In a small gully just south of the Zoroaster Canyon crossing there is one full pothole. I have a decision to make because it’s getting late. I’m not sure if we can make Clear Creek before dark and we’re getting low on water. I scout ahead and there are two viable campsites near the major drainage. The safe bet is to make camp and take advantage of this water.
I’m testing out a new water purification device called the Steripen (from here on referred to as the Zapper), it’s a battery powered device that uses ultraviolet light to purify water. It appears to work but I have my doubts so Jack has brought his pump to be safe.
After setting up I wander down canyon and find a mule deer leg, the last remnant of a carcass devoured some time ago. A full moon rises even before it gets dark, it will be a long, bright night without a cloud in the sky. Around 10 pm Jack has been in the sack for awhile and I’m just about to turn in when we both hear a loud booming noise; apparently emanating southwest of us. We have both heard rock falls in The Canyon but this noise seems much different, it almost has an industrial/explosion type quality.*
*Questions posed to Service personnel later are fruitless and the noise remains a mystery
Day 3 – Zoroaster Canyon to Clear Creek:
A visit with the Ancients.
We wait for the sun to dry things out and then hit the trail. There is a herd of seven mule deer, including a six point buck, less than a hundred yards from camp. My decision yesterday to make camp short of Clear Creek was probably correct but also unnecessary. On the correct side, there is no visible water until we reach the creek. On the unnecessary side, our hike to the creek only takes little over an hour so we could have made it. The descent into the west arm of Clear Creek is steep and has a couple narrow, somewhat exposed sections that require focus.
At the Canteen two nights ago I overheard that Cheyava Falls are not flowing. It’s somewhat reassuring since we plan on day-hiking up the creek, but probably don’t have enough time to get all the way up there.
The first few minutes up creek are tedious, but then we cut a foot path that predominantly sticks to the west bank. There are some fantastic Anasazi ruins up this side canyon.
Back in camp I briefly explore downstream of our camp to the junction with the east fork. Steep canyon walls keep the moonlight at bay until around bedtime.
Day 4 – Clear Creek to Zoroaster Wash:
Unzapable water, unflappable Zoroaster, & unknown ruins.
The Zapper is not working this morning and I’m frustrated. Apparently it’s useless when the temperature is around freezing; making it kind of worthless during the winter, which just happens to be my favorite hiking season in The Canyon. At least we have a backup plan and now I know the Zapper can be unreliable. Retracing our steps up and out of Clear Creek is steep, but we make good time back to the pothole from Camp 2 and drink a quart. Our plan is to stop somewhere on the Tonto platform, east of Sumner Wash and close to water.
Along the way we take an exploratory hike in a side canyon west of the Clear Creek gorge and chance upon another Anasazi ruin. This ruin is a bit smaller than yesterday’s, and the pueblo walls are in a much greater state of decay. It is fascinating to imagine what life was like here around a millenium ago (give or take a couple hundred years). Perhaps there was consistent water available in this creek bed, or at least during wet 
seasons, because existence otherwise would be difficult at best.
We make camp near the potholes we saw on Day 2, in the unnamed canyon that drains the southern face of Zoroaster, but we prefer to call it Zoroaster Wash. As we dine several mule deer sneak down to the largest pothole below us for a drink. A gathering of bats keeps us company and free from insects.
Day 5 – Zoroaster Wash to Bright Angel Campground:
Football and scouting, a non-digression.
After some further exploration this morning we head out to the stone bench at Phantom Overlook, which is a superb place for lunch. I get a chance to talk to someone other than Jack for the last three days when we get to the bottom of Clear Creek Trail. I’ve been waiting to hear about the Cardinals 2nd round playoff game and the news is good – we won.* There are more mule deer above the ranch. We have celebratory refreshments at the 
Canteen before heading back to the campground.
Jack is resting again so I go to the boat beach and then hike the River Trail between the bridges. A California condor circles overhead. I also scout the route to Utah Flats and upper Phantom Canyon for future reference.
*The Cardinals would go on to lose the Super Bowl.
Day 6 – Bright Angel Campground to South Kaibab Trail:
A bald faced departure.Jack wisely gets an early start and is packed and leaving at 7:30. There are more mule deer on the opposite bank. As I’m getting ready alone a bald eagle flies right up the creek, only about twenty feet from my head. Awesome. That’s the first time I’ve seen one in The Canyon. There is surprisingly little foot traffic, and I make it to the top in about four and a half hours.
