My longtime friend, Art Just, and I had talked some time about doing a hike tougher than the Corridor trails.  At our age, we figure we need to be doing those type of hikes soon while we still can.  We decide to do the Bill Hall Trail to Thunder River and Deer Creek.  We have thoroughly studied all the Thunder River trip reports from the various Canyon websites and feel we are as prepared as possible.  We agree to meet at Jacob Lake the afternoon before our hike.  I arrive at the Canyon a day early, which allows me to figure out how to get to the trailhead from Jacob Lake.  The Ranger at the North Rim Backcountry Office is quite helpful and gives me detailed instructions to the trailhead and a few handouts. 

     I decide to test out my new instructions ahead of time and mark the route with my GPS to make sure I can find my way back.  It is 33.7 miles from the Jacob Lake Inn to the Monument Point parking lot and takes just under one hour.  I am glad I got the Ranger's help.  Had we waited until tomorrow morning to travel to the trailhead, that would have been a difficult drive in the dark for the first time.  I find a small campsite right on the rim just a quarter mile before the parking lot, so I pitch my tent to save the site and head back to Jacob Lake. 

     Art and I meet at 3:00 at Jacob Lake as planned.  We eat dinner there early and proceed out to the trailhead, so we can get an early start tomorrow.  About halfway to the trailhead, a deer with the largest rack I have ever seen decides to cross the road at exactly the same point where I am.  I have never had a collision with a deer before, so I'm not sure how I am going to explain to my wife all the antler holes that are about to be made in the side of her car.  Suddenly, just as the deer is within inches of the car and we are looking eye-to-eye from about six inches, he veers off to the side.  After my heart rate subsides, I am able to drive again.  We arrive at my tent about an hour before dark and set up camp. 

The plan for tomorrow is to get up early, drive the short distance to the trailhead, park the cars, head down the Bill Hall Trail, meet the Thunder River Trail, continue on it across the Esplanade, go down the redwall, go across Surprise Valley, make the descent by Thunder River, and finally camp at Upper Tapeats.  That is a total distance of 10 miles, but we are confident we can do that in one day.  We will be caching two quarts of water each on the Esplanade for our return trip.  For day 2, we will climb back out by Thunder River, cross Surprise Valley, take the Deer Creek Trail down to Deer Creek for two nights.  We will spend day 3 exploring the Narrows and Deer Creek Falls.  For day 4, we will go back up the Deer Creek Trail, cross Surprise Valley, climb the redwall, partially cross the Esplanade, pick up our water cache, and spend the night.  On day 5, we will continue across the Esplanade and go up the Bill Hall Trail back to Monument Point.

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