GRAPEVINE LOOP TRAIL                  

Start Date: 10-27-2020
End Date: 10-30-2020
Number of Nights:  3
Number of Contacts9
 

Trip Leader Name/Permit number:  Hanks 20-05116, Rao 20-06296
River Trips:  0
Backcountry Users:  6
Off itinerary or incorrect group size (EXPLAIN): 

Night by Night Itinerary: 

1.  Down Grandview to Hance Creek  
2.  Hance Creek to Grapevine
3.  Grapevine to Cremation
4.  Out South Kaibab

Mileage:  Day 1:     6     
                 Day 2:    12    
                 Day 3:    12
                 Day 4:     8 

Name of Wilderness Visitor Use Assistants:   Dean Reese 

Weather:  Sunny and cool. 

Patrol Summary:   (Visitor Contacts (Include descriptions, condition of hikers, permit compliance, how your contact with them was received, what you did to assist them, and did you contact LE Rangers later); Monitoring and Restoration Work You Accomplished: (include Trash Collection); Suggestions for BIC folks who make this hike in the future.)    

Day 1:  Hiked down Grandview Trail.  Made some visitor contacts with Rao, and multiple day hikers.  It was a cool morning.  Took photos of some pretty nasty graffiti down on one prominent rock in the Supai.  Stopped for lunch at Horseshoe Mesa, and looked at the campsites.  Looked good, no one there yet.  Left late afternoon for Hance Creek.  Checked out Miner’s Spring on the way down.  It was dry.  There is a small pool downstream of the spring, but it’s super small and looked pretty lousy.  Got to the campsite late afternoon and had a nice chat with Hank’s group.  

Day 2:      Hiked across the Tonto to Cottonwood Creek, where I found good water at the trail junction.  Walked upstream to see the burned area.  Sure enough, it was badly burned in southwest arm, where the spring is.  There was good water there too.  I went back and continued on to Grapevine.  There was a small flow of water at the spring shown east of Grapevine Creek.  There was no water at the creek, and the downstream option only looked good for climbers.  I wanted to find a good route for non-climbers, so I walked upstream, and within ten minutes, found good water in some narrows, in the main bed of the creek (southeast arm).  I filled up water, ate some food, and went out to camp on the Tonto.  

Day 3:    Hiked to Lonetree.  No water there, and the water at the spring was miniscule.  I continued hiking downstream, where I found better flow, but it tasted terrible.  I had heard from some visitors about an archaeological site in Lonetree, so I went searching for that at the base of the Tapeats.  It was pretty easy to find and really cool.  See attached pictures.  I then continued on to Cremation with the lousy water.  On the way, I saw a giant, healthy looking buck, and thought about whether there might be water in Cremation somewhere.  I had never been to the spring shown on the Sky Terrain map east of Cremation, so I decided to give it a look.  On the way, I found an awesome projectile point.  The spring actually did have a very small trickle of water.  There were quite a few bones along the way too, a grim reminder of the fragility of life and the precarious, fearful existence endured by our friends and permanent residents of the harsh and beautiful landscape below. 

Day 4:    Hiked out South Kaibab.  Talked to quite a few people on the hike out.  I hadn’t seen anyone after Hance Creek.  I think a lot of people were spooked by the cold weather and the potential lack of water between Cottonwood and Lonetree.  I had left my bike parked there at the trailhead.  Apparently, it was in a spot frequented by elk, because they were lounging around nearby, and it looked like the seat and handlebars had been licked extensively by our musky friends.  I rode back to Grandview to pick up the vehicle.  

 

 
 

Lonetree Archaeological Site

 
     
 

 
 

Lonetree Water

 
     
   
  It looks tiny in this picture, but this point was about four inches long, one of the
 biggest points I’ve ever seen.  It was east of the eastern arm of Cremation, near the spring