Grand Canyon | food | FIELD WORK Institute | Hance Creek
Go Wild
by
Ken McAlpineWalters' discourse on water was equally long-winded: "Hydrate or
die," he cautions. "You need water. You need
food. All the rest is
extra."
FIELD WORK
Institute courses at Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the
Grand Canyon do
require some sacrifice. Yes, they are relatively cheap, but that's
because instructors, Walters included, won't schlep your stuff or
whip you up portobello mushrooms at day's end.
With our own food and water (roughly 24 pounds of it) ensconced in
our packs, early the next morning, beneath a cloudless blue sky and
unwinking sun, we step away from the rim. Our plan is simple. Day
one: Hike to Horseshoe Mesa, set up camp, and explore the mesa. Day
two: Don day packs and drop farther into the canyon, descending to
the Tonto Platform, then farther still to Hance Creek, where we'll
stock up on water before returning to camp. Day three: Hike back
out.
We amble through what Walters calls "transitional country" - not
the remote backcountry of GCFI's longer trips, but far from
civilization nonetheless.
"About a quarter of 1 percent of the people who come to the Grand
Canyon see these places," says Walters. "You won't believe the
stars at Horseshoe Mesa."
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