Down in the Grand Canyon

In mid-March, we had clear, sunny skies and warm temperatures. My hiking buddy, Bill Ferris, and I had obtained a backpacking permit to do a nine-day hike in the Grand Canyon.

We would stay at the campground near Phantom Ranch our first night. Then, we would follow the well-traveled trail to Clear Creek. From there, we would hike up an intriguing route that would take us above the Redwall formation to the saddle between Wotans Throne and Angels Gate. The former is the dramatic mesa that dominates the view from the popular Cape Royal viewpoint on the North Rim. The latter, or at least half of it, is often referred to as “Snoopy Rock.”

From this saddle, we would contour over to Hall Butte, a formation named for one of the men on Major Powell’s trip down the Colorado River in 1869. There, we planned to descend into Vishnu Canyon and continue east, at the level of the broad Tonto plateau, into Asbestos Canyon. After a layover day there, we would turn around and follow the Tonto plateau all the way back to Phantom Ranch.

On the third day, we climbed to the Wotans-Angels Gate saddle, often over rocky outcrops that looked unacceptably fragile. We felt exhilarated when we reached the saddle, but agreed we would never do that climb again.

STEEP AND VERY LOOSE

We worked our way to Hall Butte and found the proper descent ravine that would lead us to the bed of Vishnu. The slope was very steep and the rocks were very loose. As we neared the bottom of the Redwall, the dynamics of our hike changed. Bill was probably some 40 feet below me. With my right hand, I grabbed hold of a large boulder, about the size of a shopping cart. I intended to use this handhold to more lightly step across the ravine. As I took my first step I instantly realized I was in trouble.

The rock and I were suddenly airborne. I crashed hard with my right knee into a rocky surface a few feet away and spun around. I immediately tried to lift myself up on my left leg and my left knee popped. I fell back to the ground and slid a few feet down the slope. Then, I could see that the boulder was thundering down the slope toward Bill. As he tried to move out of its path, the boulder clipped the lower corner of his backpack, spun him 180 degrees, and sent him tumbling down the slope.

After four or five complete rolls, Bill landed in a small patch of rocks. I feared for the worst, but shortly after coming to a rest, he called up to me, “Dennis, are you OK?” Miraculously, he hadn’t broken anything, although he had bad scrapes above his eye, on his left arm and had hurt his right leg.

LIMPING TO WATER

I slid down to his position and we dragged ourselves over to a well-protected spot where we assessed our injuries and spent the night. The next morning, we could see water in the drainage down below us. We decided it was crucial to get there, so we limped and hobbled our way down to the bed. We probably covered about a half-mile. It took us three hours.

This spot was perfect, with flowing water and terraced rock surfaces where we set up our camp. Appraising our situation, our default choice was to wait here until our itinerary was over. Then, our families would contact the Park Service and a search would ensue. We had plenty of food and water, and neither of us seemed to need immediate medical attention.

The next morning, I felt strong enough to hike, even though my left knee was still swollen and, with too much pressure, would buckle. We decided I would try to follow the Tonto Plateau back to Phantom Ranch to get help. Even with good opportunities to pick up water along the way, I carried seven quarts with me.

I was able to do much better than I had hoped. Two and a half days after leaving Bill behind, I reached Phantom Ranch, where I met up with Ranger Bil Vandergraff. He was able to contact the park’s SAR unit, and a helicopter picked up Bill at about noon and flew him up to the South Rim. I stayed the night at the campground, and hiked out the next day — my eighth day in the canyon, and five days after our brush with tragedy in the Grand Canyon.

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