We are up around 6:30.  Keith complains about being kept awake by some noise last night.  I didn't hear anything except the rapids and slept pretty well since I was so tired.  I then find that I accidentally left my bag of almonds and M&Ms in my pack.  A mouse ate through my pack and there are nuts and candy strewn all on the ground.  Keith and I have a good laugh that the noise that kept him awake last night was probably the mouse yelling to all his friends to come on over for the feast.  I guess my wife is going to have to warm up her sewing machine and fix my pack when I get home.

     We are each taking two quarts of Gatorade, food and snacks, first aid supplies, extra socks, and a water filter for our day hike to the Little Colorado River today.  It is over six miles each way.  Surely we will be back before dark, so we skip taking a headlight.  For some reason, my heels have been a little tender and red.  Hopefully, things will go well today with my feet.  We leave camp just before 8:30.  The first part of the hike is a steep climb until reaching the top of the Tapeats.  From up here, there are great views both up and downstream.

Climb to the top 10-15-2007 @ 8:37	Lava Canyon Rapids 10-15-2007 @ 8:52	The view on top 10-15-2007 @ 9:09

     A little ways down the trail we see a large raft group far below us. 

Raft group far below us 10-15-2007 @ 9:17	Raft group far below us 10-15-2007 @ 9:34

     Pretty soon we come to the one area on the Beamer Trail with some minor exposure.  Like many areas in the Canyon, it is much less scary when you are actually doing it.  There are a lot of drainages to traverse and struggling with them has gotten old fast.  We are really being slowed down by all this scrambling in and out of these drainages.  These things seem to go on forever.

Only exposure on the trail 10-15-2007 @ 9:41	Only exposure on the trail 10-15-2007 @ 9:41	Looking upstream 10-15-2007 @ 10:04

     About a quarter-mile before the confluence, we pass a cairn marking a trail junction.  The left branch goes down to a small beach on the river for camping and filtering water.  We continue on the main trail to the confluence.  The Little Colorado is running a more blue color than it was when I did my Cape Solitude hike last week.

Confluence 10-15-2007 @ 12:48	Confluence 10-15-2007 @ 12:49	Confluence 10-15-2007 @ 12:50

     It takes a little mild scrambling through some brush to get down to the beach.  We pass some Sacred Datura on the way to Ben Beamer's cabin. 

	Sacred Datura 10-15-2007 @ 12:56

      We arrive at Ben Beamer's cabin about 1:00.  Ben Beamer was a prospector who came here in the late 1800s.  He made some improvements to a Pueblo Indian ruin and lived in it for about two years.  His Beamer Trail, when connected to the Tanner Trail, provided a way to transport ore from the area to the rim.  The small size of the cabin is a stark example of the tenacity of these early day explorers.  After some picture taking, we sit down to have lunch and relax a while.  I set up two five-picture photo-galleries of the cabin in case some people's browsers do not support larger galleries.

	Click either picture for a five-picture photo-gallery of Ben Beamer's cabin
Ben Beamer cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:02		Ben Beamer cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:02

	Click either picture for a five-picture photo-gallery of Ben Beamer's cabin
Ben Beamer cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:03		Ben Beamer cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:03

     Since it took four and one-half hours to get here, Keith and I decide to only stay a half-hour and leave at 1:30, so we will get back before dark.  I borrow some of his blister blocking patches and put those on my tender heels.  I then wrap my ankles and heels with some tape and put on fresh, clean socks.  That should keep everything in place.  We get our picture taken in front of the cabin and start back.

Keith by Ben Beamer's cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:31	Richard by Ben Beamer's cabin 10-15-2007 @ 1:32

     Just then a raft pulls into the Little Colorado River and ties up.  Keith and I hurry down to see if we can hitch a ride back to Palisades Creek.  It turns out this is a Park Service raft and they only have one extra life preserver.  Due to my tender feet, Keith is gracious enough to let me have the ride back to camp.  In a few minutes, I hop in and off we go.  Just around the corner are some salt deposits on the wall.  I wonder if these were part of the Hopi salt mines.  We pass Keith, who is down at the camper's beach filtering water.

Park Service raft 10-15-2007 @ 1:49	Salt deposits 10-15-2007 @ 2:22	Salt deposits 10-15-2007 @ 2:22

     Steve and John are Hydrologists employed by the Park Service.  They are involved with the Tamarisk eradication program.  It takes about an hour for our raft to reach Palisades Creek.  I say goodbye and they push off, headed to Tanner Rapids to pick up the chairperson of the eradication program.

Steve and John departing 10-15-2007 @ 3:08	Steve and John departing 10-15-2007 @ 3:08

     This is such a pretty camping spot we have here.  The view of the river is magnificent.  It looks like some dories have pulled into the camping spot across the river.

Lava Canyon Rapids 10-15-2007 @ 3:20	Dories tied up across the river 10-15-2007 @ 3:20

     I pass a little time watching some rafts run the rapids by our campsite.

Rafts running the rapids 10-15-2007 @ 4:10	Rafts running the rapids 10-15-2007 @ 4:11	Rafts running the rapids 10-15-2007 @ 4:14

     I later meet with Bob Bordasch and his group, who are camped just a little ways from us.  I can't believe all the hors d'oeuvres and food they have.  Of course, I haven't been complaining as I eat their shrimp and olives.  I'm just wondering how they got all this stuff down here.  Some of his group may do a day hike to the Little Colorado tomorrow.  They are then headed west on the Escalante and going out the Grandview.

	Bob Bordasch and his group 5-15-2007 @ 4:55

     I have been looking for Keith to return and am getting a little concerned, so I head back to camp.  Keith is already there, having made great time without me slowing him down.  We have some pretty flowers growing right here at our campsite.  I take special care tonight to get all my food items into my stainless steel, mesh Ratsack Cache bag.  

	Fleabane Daisy 10-15-2007 @ 7:45

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