PAGE, AZ
On my way from Flagstaff to Page, AZ, I decided to check out Lee's Ferry & Spencer Trail Lookout. After hiking the Grand Canyon yesterday (17 miles, 4500' climb), the Spencer Trail seems like a walk in the park at just 4 miles and 1,638 feet.
Boy, was I wrong. It totally kicked my butt.
Here are a couple shots from the trailhead. The first shows ruins from the Lee family who originally settled the area and started the ferry in 1873. See that wall of mountain behind it? That's where we're going.
Here's the Colorado River at the trailhead, where the Lee's started their ferry business. See the kayakers?
Ok, time to climb! Today was a hot day in the low 90's and this particular trail climbs over 1,500 feet in just one mile. That's a 30% grade. Plus, it was everything I was worried the Grand Canyon would be - steep and narrow, with sharp drop-offs to the canyon.
This is a view about halfway up. See the trail where we are going?
No? Let's zoom in on the top right hand side of that picture and add some purple arrows. Here we go:
See what I mean about it being steep? That is a 90-degree drop to the left of that trail!
Not sure what happened, but about half-way up, I was just done. I don't know if I was dehydrated or overheated or just spent from the Grand Canyon the day before, but all of a sudden, I just didn't feel well. I parked on a rock in the sun (there was no shade to be had anywhere on this trail), ate about a cup of raisins, drank nearly all my water, and just rested. A young woman from Philly (Johanna) who is working remotely like me, but traveling in a van (which she named Jovanna, very clever) stopped and took a break with me, but I think she was really just making sure I was ok. :)
I finally got my second wind, perked up, and made it to the top. Here I am at the trail end marker for proof. :)
And wow. Here's the view from there. See the cars in the parking lot below?
This was a great workout of a hike! Total miles = 4.38. Total elevation gain = 1,638.
Epilogue
I couldn't stand the thought of a little 4-mile hike getting the best of me, so six days later, on the next Saturday, I went back a second time just to show Spencer Trail it's not the boss of me. THIS time, I was able to hike to the top in 57 minutes without stopping. Victory!
Bonus: Navajo Bridge
Between the hiking trailhead and Page, AZ you cross over gorgeous twin bridges with an incredible view of the canyon below. Here's a quick shot of the canyon with a shadow of the bridge:
This bridge was a big deal. Before this, the only way to cross the river was via Lee's Ferry. Construction of this bridge began in 1927. Materials were hauled from one side of the river to the other via ferry, but then the ferry sank and killed three men, and was not replaced. So for the next several months, no direct route existed between Utah and Arizona, requiring people to travel 800 miles around the canyon to reach the other side of the river.
So yeah, this bridge was a really big deal when it opened in 1929! To this day, it is one of just seven land crossings of the Colorado River for 750 miles.