THE BADGER-JACKASS TRAVERSE
DAN GREENBERG, CHRISTOPHER MATTERA, & ANDREW TURCHON
On September 1st and 2nd, 2017, while the desert heat raged relentlessly, a small team of three canyoneers enjoyed a delightful experience in the Marble Canyon area of Grand Canyon. Typically in summer we will steer clear from dry desert canyons with forecasts for 97 degree high daytime temperatures. And considering a multi-day trip in such heat, no thank you! But this was a fairly short trip, so we were able to beat the heat by starting late on day one and ending early on day two. Additionally, remaining as light as possible was absolutely prudent. We minded our pounds, and our ounces. The team carried no tent or sleeping bags, as they were not needed. The forecast called for clear skies and minimal wind, and with an overnight low temperature of 70, so staying warm for the night was simply a matter of wearing a light layer. We also shaved off other weight where possible, but with canyoning gear and river gear, a bulky pack is nonetheless carried when doing the Badger-Jackass Traverse.
This is a first class route, descending 3 or so miles to the Colorado River by way of the technical north fork of Badger Creek Canyon and enjoying a number of scenic rappels, scrambles and down-climbs. We left the car along Route 89A at the bridge crossing Badger Canyon at about 4:00pm and arrived at the Colorado River around 6:30pm having stayed shaded the entire time in Badger. At this point a choice presented itself, we could have camped on a lovely beach at the bottom of Badger Creek Canyon where it reaches the Colorado River at Badger Rapids, or we could have hiked up river along the rocky and overgrown riverbank in attempt to better position ourselves for the pack raft river ferry we would be making the following morning at sunrise. We chose to hike up the boulder strewn river bank about 3/4 of a mile in search of a good campsite.
This is a first class route, descending 3 or so miles to the Colorado River by way of the technical north fork of Badger Creek Canyon and enjoying a number of scenic rappels, scrambles and down-climbs. We left the car along Route 89A at the bridge crossing Badger Canyon at about 4:00pm and arrived at the Colorado River around 6:30pm having stayed shaded the entire time in Badger. At this point a choice presented itself, we could have camped on a lovely beach at the bottom of Badger Creek Canyon where it reaches the Colorado River at Badger Rapids, or we could have hiked up river along the rocky and overgrown riverbank in attempt to better position ourselves for the pack raft river ferry we would be making the following morning at sunrise. We chose to hike up the boulder strewn river bank about 3/4 of a mile in search of a good campsite.
The hike began at the Badger Creek Bridge where Route 89A crosses over Badger Creek. It was about 4pm and the thermometer was flirting with 98 degrees in the shade. It is at this spot where we were dropped off by our friend Steve Stellato, and where our small fellowship of Andrew Turchon, Dan Greenberg and Chris Mattera began the descent of Badger Canyon, the first stage of the Badger-Jackass Traverse in Grand Canyon National Park and on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Almost at once the canyon began to slot up, and the obstacles appeared. At first a couple of scrambles and a down climb or two. Soon, however, we had to remove packs and pass them to better position ourselves for the climbs and eventually the rappels which would become necessary at the several sheer drops.
Before long the ropes came out of the packs, as did the harnesses and other implements of canyoneering--a sport whose sole purpose is passing through desert canyons for the pure aesthetic of the experience. We do not "conquer" canyons, we do not defeat them...when we are lucky we pass through their dangerous narrows and subterranean passageways admiring the magnificence of nature and the pure simplicity and grace of wilderness simply for the sake of the experience. In this photo one of the authors, Christopher Mattera, rappels the first drop in Badger Creek Canyon.
Obstacles abound, and in this instance it's a pool full of mucky and stenchy water which has collected in a depression in the rock, and is known as a pothole. Avoiding potholes when possible will allow the canyoneer to remain dry, warm, and allow for better traction on the rock. Dan Greenberg and Chris Mattera contemplate how best to avoid the drink and remain dry.
Dan Greenberg is ready to perform the second rappel in Badger Creek Canyon. Notice the bulky nature of his pack…while not very heavy it is loaded to the brim with canyon gear and river gear which will be useful the following day when the team crosses the Colorado River.
Andrew Turchon about to make an unavoidable wet landing in a pothole at the bottom of rappel two in Badger Creek Canyon. It’s rare to see a hiker carrying a three piece kayak paddle along for the ride, but this trip will involve pack rafting and that paddle will become integral for Andrew to cross the Colorado River in his 4 pound inflatable raft. For safety sake the team will also wear neoprene wetsuits and personal flotation vests, along with climbing helmets, when making the pack raft crossing in the morning.
Andrew drops into a some narrows in Badger Creek Canyon always mindful not to kick rock or debris down on the canyoneer below who, in this instance, happens to be Dan Greenberg
To avoid the puddle in the photo below the team chose to rappel off of a knot chock anchor (a knot which is jammed into a crack in a rock) rather than use the traditional anchor in the watercourse which would have deposited the hikers directly into the waist deep pothole. Instead, this short free hanging rappel is performed from the knot chock anchor and everyone stayed dry and enjoyed the free hanging air of this rappel.
In this image Andrew is about to go into free air…he is demonstrating excellent rappelling positioning, as if he were sitting in an invisible seat, legs up right. Rappelling is not a terribly difficult endeavor, but it does draw from a series of skill sets and disciplines and, of course, the penalty points for error are extremely high.
A nearly full moon over Badger Creek Rapids, which is the mouth of Badger Canyon. The mouth of Jackass Canyon (our exit route tomorrow) may be seen just across the river.
They blend into their natural habitat quite well, however, two young big horns may be seen in this image up high on the rocky hillside. Surefooted, bighorn sheep, otherwise known as rams, are able to high step their way across the most delicate and dangerous talus fields and rock slides as if by magic. These fellers, probably no more than several months old, have yet to develop their iconic rack of horns yet and are still learning their way around the inner canyon.
It’s been said that everything in the desert is prepared to bite, sting, or otherwise cause harm to unwitting hikers. Truth is, the flora perhaps more so than the fauna, is capable of pain, destruction and death. This is Teddy Bear Cholla, but don't let the name fool you, this is not something you want to cuddle with. This cholla has spines like hooks which almost jump out at the casual passerby. Of course, they don't jump, but a brush against this bush is likely to cause you great discomfort.
Working hard to stay dry, here Dan Greenberg and Chris Mattera struggle to climb around a pot hole pool. It was a hot day, so getting wet was not an issue, but keeping our shoes dry for the sake of traction on the down climbs was a priority.
After an evening of preparations for the following day, we relaxed at camp. Andrew had the good fortune of meeting a brewmaster at a local Flagstaff brewery who in turn gave him some samples to try out and he brought several of them along. That evening, in camp, while reliving the day's adventure, we enjoyed a beer tasting, and then an evening sleeping under the big Grand Canyon sky.
Our boats were sturdy little guys, weighing in at about 4 pounds, and very inexpensive. We each named our boats. Here we see Andrew’s boat, the Three Little Birds, in preparation to make the five minute Colorado River ferry trip.
View from the boat…a $15 pool toy. The river was calm and smooth, so we made the crossing at sunrise at about 6:00am, after waking at first light. All gear and items were dry-bagged, then a wetsuit was put on, then of course a personal floatation device. Then it was time to jump in and paddle 100 yards to the opposite bank.
Climbing out of Jackass Canyon was a challenge at some points…there was scrambling, climbing, and a lot of boulders to traverse around or over. In this image Dan Greenberg is about to climb a short pitch of fifth class terrain. Dan described another pitch, a short distance from this one, as “eight seconds of scary”.
The inner gorge of the Grand Canyon can be serene, and it certainly is so here an hour or so after sunrise. We had been hiking for about 2 hours at this point, with the first half of that time spent preparing for and breaking down after the five minute pack raft trip, and the second hour spent toiling over and around boulders comprising a ¾ mile length talus field.
Dan Greenberg on the last climb of the exit…this is a 40 foot dry fall (a cliff which is a waterfall when its flowing, or dry when it’s not flowing) which requires climbing up and out of as one last obstacle in Jackass Canyon. Using a fixed line, Dan ascends the dry fall and the team begins the final leg of the hike—non technical walking up the dry wash for about 45 additional minutes.
Darkness had fallen by now, and making our way over the difficult terrain with no good camping sites in view, became hard work, so we were pleasantly surprised when we happened upon a small, sandy patch of flat terra firma along the Colorado. A beach it was not, but it sufficed and provided us with sleeping space for three, plus a place to cook dinner and enjoy the evening sky. The location had the added appeal of providing an easy access way to cooking and drinking water, and proved to be a great put-in spot for our boats in the morning.
At sun up it we broke camp and inflated our pack rafts. Helmets, wetsuit, and flotation jacket are all a must and required by park service permit when pack rafting in the Grand Canyon. Our other permit was issued from the Navajo Nation, as we would be exiting out Jackass Canyon, on the Navajo side of the river. The Navajo have no such requirements and ask only that you “leave no trace” of your passing. Once inflated, we put our rafts into the Colorado and ferried over to the opposite bank to the Navajo side of the river and celebrated our ferrying success. One team member, Andrew, had a paddle break on him within moments into the ferry trip and was close to being up the river without the proverbial paddle. Happily, one blade was fine, and our companion paddled across canoe style rather than kayak style. River conditions were perfect, water was flat and smooth, mild current, and no wind. Our pool toys performed valiantly and the pack raft trip across the Colorado was a highlight and a delight.
At sun up it we broke camp and inflated our pack rafts. Helmets, wetsuit, and flotation jacket are all a must and required by park service permit when pack rafting in the Grand Canyon. Our other permit was issued from the Navajo Nation, as we would be exiting out Jackass Canyon, on the Navajo side of the river. The Navajo have no such requirements and ask only that you “leave no trace” of your passing. Once inflated, we put our rafts into the Colorado and ferried over to the opposite bank to the Navajo side of the river and celebrated our ferrying success. One team member, Andrew, had a paddle break on him within moments into the ferry trip and was close to being up the river without the proverbial paddle. Happily, one blade was fine, and our companion paddled across canoe style rather than kayak style. River conditions were perfect, water was flat and smooth, mild current, and no wind. Our pool toys performed valiantly and the pack raft trip across the Colorado was a highlight and a delight.
View from the promontory on the Navajo Reservation side of the Colorado River looking back over at Badger Canyon (the obvious break between the two walls of Redwall Limestone).
Once on the Navajo Reservation side of the river, we learned a lesson the hard way: Tis best not to go 3/4 miles up river to cross. In actuality, while we did plan to go up river far enough to create a huge window between us and the rapid, we ended up at the 3/4 point due to wanting a nicer camping spot. But this necessitated hiking the same 3/4 mile back downriver on the Navajo side, of course, and on that side it’s a talus field, and the walking is deliberate and slow. If doing this route again, we would likely either A) camp at the rapid and then launch from about 1/4 of a mile or less above the rapid, or B) hike up river to the nice campsite we enjoyed, then ride the river about a half mile taking out about a 1/4 mile above the rapid. We would do that to avoid the talus field, but regardless, it was awesome! The ferry and talus hike down river led to nice views of the Badger Rapid from a promontory before dropping down into Jackass Canyon, the exit route.
The lower portion of Jackass has plenty of scrambling, many boulders to pick through and climb over. Still we continued to remain shaded, never exposed to solar radiation for even a moment since hiking the first few steps the previous day. It was a coolish and lovely 70 degrees or so, and we were beating the heat as desired. Half way up Jackass we approached a 40 foot dry fall with a deep, brownish pool at the bottom. It would have been a shame to get shoes wet and muddied right before climbing the dry fall, though a rope was fixed in place and allowed for an easy ascent regardless. We keep dry feet by climbing on the sloping ledges on the left side looking up canyon. The right side looking up canyon looked tempting, and each of us explored the option, though left we ultimately chose.
The lower portion of Jackass has plenty of scrambling, many boulders to pick through and climb over. Still we continued to remain shaded, never exposed to solar radiation for even a moment since hiking the first few steps the previous day. It was a coolish and lovely 70 degrees or so, and we were beating the heat as desired. Half way up Jackass we approached a 40 foot dry fall with a deep, brownish pool at the bottom. It would have been a shame to get shoes wet and muddied right before climbing the dry fall, though a rope was fixed in place and allowed for an easy ascent regardless. We keep dry feet by climbing on the sloping ledges on the left side looking up canyon. The right side looking up canyon looked tempting, and each of us explored the option, though left we ultimately chose.
Above the dry fall, things flatten out, and a fork enters on the right and on the left, though to access our car, we knew to stay in the center fork. This was the first sunlight we had, it was about 9:30am and it felt warm. A half hour later, after passing some cows and an angry snorting bull which did not look too happy to see us (we gave it a wide berth), we were at the car. It was only about 10:15am or so, but it was hot. By selecting our beginning and ending times very carefully, we had beaten the heat, enjoyed a great route, and sat in the cool confines of the Marble Canyon Lodge restaurant. We lingered over breakfast for two hours, telling tales, scarfing food, rehydrating, and tipping big for the opportunity to use the booth as our own personal post-hike debriefing area for a couple of hours.
This map outlines the route taken by our team. The red line indicates the hiking route. Starting on the north side of the Colorado River we parked at Badger Canyon on Route 89A, descended Badger and its rappels and dowclimbs, then hiked up river about ¾ of a mile to our camping location. The following sunrise we pack rafted across the river, and once on the Navajo Reservation side of the Colorado we traversed the talus field to the mouth of Jackass Canyon—which we then climbed up through to our waiting vehicle on the other side of the river. Like life itself, all great journeys however long or short have beginnings and endings. For us, planning the start and end time was crucial to beating the heat on this desert backcountry route. Being mindful of each and every detail allowed us to remain on schedule. And the sense of adventure we always bring along helped to ensure the Badger-Jackass Traverse was an outstanding sojourn across bold and iconic American and Navajo landscapes.
This map outlines the route taken by our team. The red line indicates the hiking route. Starting on the north side of the Colorado River we parked at Badger Canyon on Route 89A, descended Badger and its rappels and dowclimbs, then hiked up river about ¾ of a mile to our camping location. The following sunrise we pack rafted across the river, and once on the Navajo Reservation side of the Colorado we traversed the talus field to the mouth of Jackass Canyon—which we then climbed up through to our waiting vehicle on the other side of the river. Like life itself, all great journeys however long or short have beginnings and endings. For us, planning the start and end time was crucial to beating the heat on this desert backcountry route. Being mindful of each and every detail allowed us to remain on schedule. And the sense of adventure we always bring along helped to ensure the Badger-Jackass Traverse was an outstanding sojourn across bold and iconic American and Navajo landscapes.
This young rattlesnake was photographed in Waterholes Canyon, on the Navajo Reservation, not far from the Badger-Jackass Traverse. Rattling and poised to strike, it stands as a reminder wilderness comes on its own terms, as it should. We travel through wild places with the intent to draw from them strength, spirituality, and the opportunity to become better people in effort to make the world a better place in our short time here.
Header art by T. Guzzio. Original photo by C. Mattera.
CONNECT WITH...
DAN:
Dan Greenberg is an educator, mountain biker and telemark skier who watches a little too much hockey. Follow him on Twitter @dmgreenberg340.
CHRISTOPHER:
Christopher Mattera, Ed.D. has been descending and photographing technical canyons on the Colorado Plateau for twenty-five years. His photography appears in Moab Canyoneering: Exploring Technical Canyons Around Moab, the newest guide book to technical canyoneering on the Colorado Plateau, recently published by Sharp End Publications. In addition he is an educator, and writer. Contact Chris at chrismattera@hotmail.com.
ANDREW:
Andrew Turchon is a long distance hiker (AT 2003, JMT 2011, LT 2013), educator, and PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He can be reached at aturchon@revere.mec.edu.
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