Forbidden Heart of the Rainbow
September 15-21, 2013
THE RAINBOW PLATEAU
The canyon country of the Colorado Plateau is one of the most unique and scenic places on the planet. In many people’s experience, including this trip’s staff, the portion on the Navajo Nation south of the Colorado River and east of Page known as the Rainbow Plateau is the absolute best. I am convinced that if the Rainbow Plateau were not part of the Navajo Nation, it would be a national park. In fact, it was once proposed as a national park (and, curiously, the Sierra Club opposed it -- more about that when we meet on the trip). We shall almost certainly have the area entirely to ourselves. In addition to the incredible scenery we will see pictographs, petroglyphs, ruins, a variety of Anasazi artifacts, and quite possibly have an up-close experience with the beaver that live in the lower canyon.
OUR ROUTE
The trip begins in on the southwest flank of Navajo mountain at a rock formation known as Round Rock. We will follow a little used Navajo livestock trail into the canyon, perhaps doing a side trip up the canyon, before camping beside a large deep pool suitable for swimming. The second day we will probably follow another hard-to-find Navajo sheep trail to the top of Cummings mesa, then return to the same campsite. Days 3, 4 and 5 we will backpack down the canyon. Day 6 we again leave the canyon to explore the high slickrock lying between Forbidding canyon and Bridge canyon. We will reach the Rainbow trail around Navajo Mountain late in the day, camping at a site known as Painted Rock Camp due to the artwork on a nearby rock face. The last day we follow the Rainbow Trail to Rainbow Bridge and the boat back to Page.
Our hike is on the Chaiyahi Flat and Rainbow Bridge USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles. You do not need maps, compass or GPS except for your own enjoyment.
TRIP DIFFICULTY
This is not a trip for beginning backpackers. That said, neither do you need to be a tri-athlete to hike this route. We have had several participants over 70 years old. The key is conditioning and some experience. You do need reasonable stamina, strength, balance, a high comfort level with heights, and perhaps most importantly, an adventurous spirit. We will hike in shallow water, briefly in deeper water, across soft sand, up and down steep sand dunes, and up and down steep sandstone slickrock. In places the route has significant vertical exposure. For short distances, we will be on slickrock that is as steep as is possible to walk upon. The route has no technical climbing, but it does have a 45 foot rappel, and several places where we will want a handline for confidence and support.
We will hike as a group rather than as 11 individuals --- which is to say that we will help each other over the difficult parts, providing whatever assistance is necessary so that no one exceeds their comfort level, no one is put in an excessively risky situation, no one is made to feel inadequate, and no one is left alone to negotiate rock or deep water with which they are not comfortable.
Cross country travel in the desert is different than hiking in a national forest or national park. Backpacking on trails through Grand Gulch or Canyon de Chelly or Dark Canyon is a significantly less intensive experience. We won't hike many miles, but mileage is a poor indicator of the trip's difficulty. While Forbidden canyon may look like a relatively straight line on the map, our actual route is always twisting and turning, and we are always hiking up, or down, or in water, or in sand (or maybe even quicksand) or on steep rock. Once we start down from Round Rock, turning back is not an option except in the most extreme emergency and not really even then. Even if you could return to Round Rock, you are still in the desert, many miles from anywhere. We will treat and evacuate (by helicopter) an injured participant if necessary but not a tired, sore or grumpy one. Feeling tired, sore or grumpy is not fun; avoiding that will be the focus of another communication.
TRAVEL
The trip officially begins at Round Rock and ends at the Wahweap marina in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The nearest town is Page, Arizona and you are responsible for getting yourself to Page, and from Page to Round Rock, and from Wahweap to Page.
Transportation to Page
If flying, your best choice is Las Vegas, Phoenix or perhaps Page itself. Page is about a 4 1/2 hour drive north of Phoenix and 4 1/4 hours east of Las Vegas.
Air service to Page is provided by Great Lakes Aviation. GLA code shares with major airlines so a through fare is with checked luggage transfer is possible (but not on Southwest Airlines). GLA flies to Page from Phoenix, Denver, and, sometimes, Las Vegas. GLA is not entirely reliable, and I strongly recommend against flying GLA on Saturday, September 14. GLA problems include mechanical delays, erratic scheduling, canceled flights and missed luggage.
I recommend flying to either Phoenix or Las Vegas and driving from there and I recommend that you travel on Friday, September 13, especially if you plan to fly GLA. I recommend and encourage, but will not organize, sharing rental cars. Estimated cost of a car and fuel shared by several participants would be about $150 per person which is slightly cheaper than a round trip, advance purchase non-refundible fare on GLA. (And a refundible GLA fare is out-of-sight expensive.) It is okay to leave a car in Page.
Your getting to Page, by itself, is not sufficient. Your equipment must arrive as well. On about half the SC Rainbow trips, a participant has had a backpack lost or delayed (it has happened to me several times). Airlines can lose baggage even if you do everything right (i.e., check in a full hour before departure, no tight connections). The baggage connections on the GLA flights to Page have been especially risky. Giving your airline a window of opportunity to find your lost baggage by not flying on the last possible flight has saved several participants. If your baggage does not arrive, you have few options -- and none of them good ones. The Page Walmart has some equipment, but not good equipment. If you need to replace equipment, the nearest source for good stuff is Flagstaff (2.5 hours distant). Bottom Line: You and your gear must be ready to go by Sunday morning at 7 am.
The trip will end Saturday, September 21 in the mid to late afternoon -- I can't say exactly when because it depends on the boat schedule, which is variable day-to-day. I don’t recommend scheduling return flights on the 21st , though participants have scheduled red-eyes from Phoenix very late Saturday night and to my knowledge, all have made their flights.
I recommend not scheduling any critical, can’t-possibly-miss activity on Monday, September 23. A SC Rainbow Plateau trip has never failed to complete as scheduled, so the likelihood of that happening is certainly low, but I won't rule it out either (and, BTW, I always bring an emergency meal just in case). Weather is always a factor and I have several times needed to make major adjustment in a trip's itinerary due to high water in the canyons. Even the tiny stream in Bridge canyon where we will be the last day can flood such that it is impassable.
Transportation Page to Round Rock
Transport from Page to Round Rock is not part of the trip (insurance issues) so you are responsible for this. In theory, you could drive your own vehicle to RR but in reality, this is not practical because of the need to retrieve the vehicle at the end of the trip. RR is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Page; the last 10 miles are on an unpaved road, and the last several miles on a rough 4WD track requiring a high-ground-clearance vehicle.
I will arrange with long-time Navajo friends, Sara Ateno and her family, to provide transport to RR. We will leave Page early Sunday morning, about 8 am. The cost will be about $75 per person, paid to Sara, not to me or the Sierra Club. They will probably have a large pickup with two bench seats and a SUV, and some of us will probably need to ride in the bed of the pickup for the last several miles (but never on the highway). Sara and her family are cautious, reliable drivers; they have assisted with transport for SC trips for many years and we have never had a problem. Sara, BTW, is a registered nurse and the director of the health clinic in Navajo Mountain; her grandfather, Buck, is one of very few remaining traditional medicine men. Almost 90 years old, Buck still travels to remote Navajo communities to perform traditional ceremonies.
If an accident should occur involving transport to Round Rock (has never happened before, but is always possible), the Sierra Club will not assume liability. I emphasize, again, that this transportation is NOT part of the Sierra Club trip.
Transportation from Wahweap marina to Page
The backpack trip ends about a mile below Rainbow Bridge. From there, we will take a scheduled concession boat on Lake Powell to Wahweap marina at the Aramark resort about 10 miles west of Page. The boat trip is about 2 1/2 hours. The cost of the boat trip is included in the trip fee. I will arrange for a shuttle service to meet us at Wahweap. Although transport from Wahweap to Page is not included in the trip (insurance again), the cost is minimal and I will cover it.
Accommodations in Page
Page is a small town of several thousand people but has become a tourist destination, especially for Asians and Europeans. It has many motels (see the internet link below) and you may stay anywhere you wish.
That said, I recommend Debie's Hide-A-Way and I have reserved three large suites for the nights of September 13, 14, and 21. Debie's was originally constructed in the 1960s as temporary lodging for the construction workers building Glen Canyon Dam. Completely remodelled, it is clean, neat, and not at all shabby. Carl and I will be at Debie's. Each suite has kitchen, living room with large sofabed, and two bedrooms each with a queen bed. Between the two queens, the sofabed, and the floor (perfectly acceptable option in my opinion), each suite can accommodate 3-6 people and so the three suites are very nearly sufficient space for our entire group. The cost will depend on how many participants want space at Debie's but expect about $40 per person per night.
If you want space at Debie's on the 13th, 14th or 21st, tell me and be sure to indicate for which nights. First-come-first-served re who gets the bedrooms, the sofabed, or the floor. Do not make reservations directly with Debie's. Deadline is August 25 --I must confirm with Debie's by then.
If you don't want space at Debie's, that is ok. Alternatives include the Lake Powell Motel, which is immediately adjacent to Debie's and almost identical (but probably won't have space), and the Holiday Inn Express just across the street, or anywhere you wish. Nearly every major motel chain has a facility in Page. Alternatives will certainly be less spacious and more expensive. A list of motels in Page with contact information is at http://www.page-lakepowell.com/Lodging.html.
When you finish making travel and lodging plans, send me the details. I want to know how you plan to travel to Page, when you expect to arrive, and how to contact you, i.e., a cell phone number. If you are not staying at Debie's, tell me where you are staying.
Pre-trip meeting
We will have a pre-trip meeting on Saturday evening, September 14, at 7 pm, Arizona Standard Time, in my suite at Debie's. Attendance at the meeting is very strongly encouraged. If you don't expect to attend, tell me.
Arizona does not use daylight savings time. Except the Navajo reservation, which does. Page, although nearly surrounded by the Navajo res, is not part of it. So our meeting time, 7 pm Arizona Std Time, is the same as:
Eastern Daylight Time: 10 pm
Central Daylight Time: 9 pm
Mountain Daylight Time (which is also Navajo Daylight Time): 8 pm
Pacific Daylight Time (which is also Arizona Std Time): 7 pm
September 15-21, 2013
THE RAINBOW PLATEAU
The canyon country of the Colorado Plateau is one of the most unique and scenic places on the planet. In many people’s experience, including this trip’s staff, the portion on the Navajo Nation south of the Colorado River and east of Page known as the Rainbow Plateau is the absolute best. I am convinced that if the Rainbow Plateau were not part of the Navajo Nation, it would be a national park. In fact, it was once proposed as a national park (and, curiously, the Sierra Club opposed it -- more about that when we meet on the trip). We shall almost certainly have the area entirely to ourselves. In addition to the incredible scenery we will see pictographs, petroglyphs, ruins, a variety of Anasazi artifacts, and quite possibly have an up-close experience with the beaver that live in the lower canyon.
OUR ROUTE
The trip begins in on the southwest flank of Navajo mountain at a rock formation known as Round Rock. We will follow a little used Navajo livestock trail into the canyon, perhaps doing a side trip up the canyon, before camping beside a large deep pool suitable for swimming. The second day we will probably follow another hard-to-find Navajo sheep trail to the top of Cummings mesa, then return to the same campsite. Days 3, 4 and 5 we will backpack down the canyon. Day 6 we again leave the canyon to explore the high slickrock lying between Forbidding canyon and Bridge canyon. We will reach the Rainbow trail around Navajo Mountain late in the day, camping at a site known as Painted Rock Camp due to the artwork on a nearby rock face. The last day we follow the Rainbow Trail to Rainbow Bridge and the boat back to Page.
Our hike is on the Chaiyahi Flat and Rainbow Bridge USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles. You do not need maps, compass or GPS except for your own enjoyment.
TRIP DIFFICULTY
This is not a trip for beginning backpackers. That said, neither do you need to be a tri-athlete to hike this route. We have had several participants over 70 years old. The key is conditioning and some experience. You do need reasonable stamina, strength, balance, a high comfort level with heights, and perhaps most importantly, an adventurous spirit. We will hike in shallow water, briefly in deeper water, across soft sand, up and down steep sand dunes, and up and down steep sandstone slickrock. In places the route has significant vertical exposure. For short distances, we will be on slickrock that is as steep as is possible to walk upon. The route has no technical climbing, but it does have a 45 foot rappel, and several places where we will want a handline for confidence and support.
We will hike as a group rather than as 11 individuals --- which is to say that we will help each other over the difficult parts, providing whatever assistance is necessary so that no one exceeds their comfort level, no one is put in an excessively risky situation, no one is made to feel inadequate, and no one is left alone to negotiate rock or deep water with which they are not comfortable.
Cross country travel in the desert is different than hiking in a national forest or national park. Backpacking on trails through Grand Gulch or Canyon de Chelly or Dark Canyon is a significantly less intensive experience. We won't hike many miles, but mileage is a poor indicator of the trip's difficulty. While Forbidden canyon may look like a relatively straight line on the map, our actual route is always twisting and turning, and we are always hiking up, or down, or in water, or in sand (or maybe even quicksand) or on steep rock. Once we start down from Round Rock, turning back is not an option except in the most extreme emergency and not really even then. Even if you could return to Round Rock, you are still in the desert, many miles from anywhere. We will treat and evacuate (by helicopter) an injured participant if necessary but not a tired, sore or grumpy one. Feeling tired, sore or grumpy is not fun; avoiding that will be the focus of another communication.
TRAVEL
The trip officially begins at Round Rock and ends at the Wahweap marina in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The nearest town is Page, Arizona and you are responsible for getting yourself to Page, and from Page to Round Rock, and from Wahweap to Page.
Transportation to Page
If flying, your best choice is Las Vegas, Phoenix or perhaps Page itself. Page is about a 4 1/2 hour drive north of Phoenix and 4 1/4 hours east of Las Vegas.
Air service to Page is provided by Great Lakes Aviation. GLA code shares with major airlines so a through fare is with checked luggage transfer is possible (but not on Southwest Airlines). GLA flies to Page from Phoenix, Denver, and, sometimes, Las Vegas. GLA is not entirely reliable, and I strongly recommend against flying GLA on Saturday, September 14. GLA problems include mechanical delays, erratic scheduling, canceled flights and missed luggage.
I recommend flying to either Phoenix or Las Vegas and driving from there and I recommend that you travel on Friday, September 13, especially if you plan to fly GLA. I recommend and encourage, but will not organize, sharing rental cars. Estimated cost of a car and fuel shared by several participants would be about $150 per person which is slightly cheaper than a round trip, advance purchase non-refundible fare on GLA. (And a refundible GLA fare is out-of-sight expensive.) It is okay to leave a car in Page.
Your getting to Page, by itself, is not sufficient. Your equipment must arrive as well. On about half the SC Rainbow trips, a participant has had a backpack lost or delayed (it has happened to me several times). Airlines can lose baggage even if you do everything right (i.e., check in a full hour before departure, no tight connections). The baggage connections on the GLA flights to Page have been especially risky. Giving your airline a window of opportunity to find your lost baggage by not flying on the last possible flight has saved several participants. If your baggage does not arrive, you have few options -- and none of them good ones. The Page Walmart has some equipment, but not good equipment. If you need to replace equipment, the nearest source for good stuff is Flagstaff (2.5 hours distant). Bottom Line: You and your gear must be ready to go by Sunday morning at 7 am.
The trip will end Saturday, September 21 in the mid to late afternoon -- I can't say exactly when because it depends on the boat schedule, which is variable day-to-day. I don’t recommend scheduling return flights on the 21st , though participants have scheduled red-eyes from Phoenix very late Saturday night and to my knowledge, all have made their flights.
I recommend not scheduling any critical, can’t-possibly-miss activity on Monday, September 23. A SC Rainbow Plateau trip has never failed to complete as scheduled, so the likelihood of that happening is certainly low, but I won't rule it out either (and, BTW, I always bring an emergency meal just in case). Weather is always a factor and I have several times needed to make major adjustment in a trip's itinerary due to high water in the canyons. Even the tiny stream in Bridge canyon where we will be the last day can flood such that it is impassable.
Transportation Page to Round Rock
Transport from Page to Round Rock is not part of the trip (insurance issues) so you are responsible for this. In theory, you could drive your own vehicle to RR but in reality, this is not practical because of the need to retrieve the vehicle at the end of the trip. RR is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Page; the last 10 miles are on an unpaved road, and the last several miles on a rough 4WD track requiring a high-ground-clearance vehicle.
I will arrange with long-time Navajo friends, Sara Ateno and her family, to provide transport to RR. We will leave Page early Sunday morning, about 8 am. The cost will be about $75 per person, paid to Sara, not to me or the Sierra Club. They will probably have a large pickup with two bench seats and a SUV, and some of us will probably need to ride in the bed of the pickup for the last several miles (but never on the highway). Sara and her family are cautious, reliable drivers; they have assisted with transport for SC trips for many years and we have never had a problem. Sara, BTW, is a registered nurse and the director of the health clinic in Navajo Mountain; her grandfather, Buck, is one of very few remaining traditional medicine men. Almost 90 years old, Buck still travels to remote Navajo communities to perform traditional ceremonies.
If an accident should occur involving transport to Round Rock (has never happened before, but is always possible), the Sierra Club will not assume liability. I emphasize, again, that this transportation is NOT part of the Sierra Club trip.
Transportation from Wahweap marina to Page
The backpack trip ends about a mile below Rainbow Bridge. From there, we will take a scheduled concession boat on Lake Powell to Wahweap marina at the Aramark resort about 10 miles west of Page. The boat trip is about 2 1/2 hours. The cost of the boat trip is included in the trip fee. I will arrange for a shuttle service to meet us at Wahweap. Although transport from Wahweap to Page is not included in the trip (insurance again), the cost is minimal and I will cover it.
Accommodations in Page
Page is a small town of several thousand people but has become a tourist destination, especially for Asians and Europeans. It has many motels (see the internet link below) and you may stay anywhere you wish.
That said, I recommend Debie's Hide-A-Way and I have reserved three large suites for the nights of September 13, 14, and 21. Debie's was originally constructed in the 1960s as temporary lodging for the construction workers building Glen Canyon Dam. Completely remodelled, it is clean, neat, and not at all shabby. Carl and I will be at Debie's. Each suite has kitchen, living room with large sofabed, and two bedrooms each with a queen bed. Between the two queens, the sofabed, and the floor (perfectly acceptable option in my opinion), each suite can accommodate 3-6 people and so the three suites are very nearly sufficient space for our entire group. The cost will depend on how many participants want space at Debie's but expect about $40 per person per night.
If you want space at Debie's on the 13th, 14th or 21st, tell me and be sure to indicate for which nights. First-come-first-served re who gets the bedrooms, the sofabed, or the floor. Do not make reservations directly with Debie's. Deadline is August 25 --I must confirm with Debie's by then.
If you don't want space at Debie's, that is ok. Alternatives include the Lake Powell Motel, which is immediately adjacent to Debie's and almost identical (but probably won't have space), and the Holiday Inn Express just across the street, or anywhere you wish. Nearly every major motel chain has a facility in Page. Alternatives will certainly be less spacious and more expensive. A list of motels in Page with contact information is at http://www.page-lakepowell.com/Lodging.html.
When you finish making travel and lodging plans, send me the details. I want to know how you plan to travel to Page, when you expect to arrive, and how to contact you, i.e., a cell phone number. If you are not staying at Debie's, tell me where you are staying.
Pre-trip meeting
We will have a pre-trip meeting on Saturday evening, September 14, at 7 pm, Arizona Standard Time, in my suite at Debie's. Attendance at the meeting is very strongly encouraged. If you don't expect to attend, tell me.
Arizona does not use daylight savings time. Except the Navajo reservation, which does. Page, although nearly surrounded by the Navajo res, is not part of it. So our meeting time, 7 pm Arizona Std Time, is the same as:
Eastern Daylight Time: 10 pm
Central Daylight Time: 9 pm
Mountain Daylight Time (which is also Navajo Daylight Time): 8 pm
Pacific Daylight Time (which is also Arizona Std Time): 7 pm
