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The Trip

The Grand Canyon is one of our national treasures, awesome in its grandeur and magnificent in its beauty. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon offers us a unique view of what is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is a view that looks over vistas that reach all the way to the San Francisco Peaks to the south, and beyond Powell Plateau to the west. The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past generations. When we're not working on our new trail project, we will be able to take time to enjoy this gift by sitting and watching the changing play of light and shadows.

Approximately five million people visit the South Rim each year; yet only 60,000 make it into the 1.2 million acres of backcountry. Far fewer people visit the North Rim or venture into its backcountry. Thus, the North Rim offers greater opportunities for solitude. The North Rim is higher than the South Rim by about 1,000 feet. We will be in the general area where California Condors (almost extinct) are being introduced in hopes they will establish themselves. Three deserts converge here: the Great Basin, Sonoran, and Mohave. This meeting of different ecological niches makes the area rich in unparalleled natural history.

The Project

Our work project will entail 4 to 4 1/2 days of maintaining the existing trail and constructing a new trail near the North Rim. We'll be clearing brush and making trails so this area of the North Rim will be accessible to hikers and mountain bikers. We will be working with the North Kaibab Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest.

We'll meet early morning on day one (Sunday, June 10) at the North Kaibab Ranger Station in Fredonia, AZ. If people can arrive Saturday afternoon, June 9, we'll hold a trip orientation meeting late that afternoon to meet one another and go over trip details.

Sunday morning we will travel to the campsite and set up camp. After a tool safety presentation we'll visit our worksite and do a few hours of trail work that afternoon. Monday through Thursday we'll work on maintaining the Rainbow Trail or other trails for the Forest Service and have the opportunity to enjoy the vistas to the west overlooking Tapeats Amphitheater. Friday will be our free-time day: you can relax around our camp, hike along the Rainbow Trail, or carpool over to the Grand Canyon above Nankoweap Basin and hike around the rim. Our trip will end Saturday morning after breakfast.

Getting There

Because of the remote location of our project, the leader will help to coordinate a meeting in Fredonia, Arizona, on Saturday, June 9th. There is one motel in Fredonia and many in Kanab, Utah just north of Fredonia across the border. We can also camp at the Forest Service work area near the ranger station. The leader will send a map and additional information about where we can camp.

Transportation to/from the trip is each participant's responsibility, but the leader will help to facilitate carpooling by sharing in advance participants' names and contact information. The best trip access airport -- meaning the closest and usually least expensive -- is Las Vegas, NV. Alternative airports: Flagstaff, AZ and Salt Lake City, UT.

Accommodations and Food

This service projects takes place in the backcountry, and we'll be car camping (not backpacking). Our ranger suggests high clearance (but not necessarily four-wheel drive) vehicles and we can camp in tents or your vehicle.

Please join our trip with an open mind about our food choices, which are based on past successes over the years with a variety of participants on many different trips. Our delicious, nutritious, energy-renewing meals are planned to satisfy your appetite, and the meal-hour itself is a time to socialize after a day of work or leisure activities. If you have food allergies or other food restrictions, please contact the leader or cook before applying for the trip to determine if accommodations are possible within the limitations of a group kitchen organized for the project and outdoor location.

As part of our overall group effort, each participant will help in the preparation and clean-up of a set of meals, assisting the cook. 

Our first meal will be dinner on Sunday, June 10th and the last meal will be breakfast the day we break camp, Saturday, June 16th. You will need to plan to eat breakfast and pack a lunch for Sunday.

Trip Difficulty

This will be a moderately strenuous trip: we'll be at altitude (around 8,000'-9,000') and the trail construction work will be challenging, although no one is ever pressured to work harder than he or she prefers. It is helpful to be in strong, good physical condition and feel comfortable with hiking and camping. Early summer temperatures should be moderate, but also could be cool or chilly depending on weather patterns. Usually we can expect warm days (70s-80s) and cool evenings (40s-50s) that are dry, although it is important to plan for all kinds of weather.

Equipment and Clothing

The leader will provide a detailed equipment list to registered participants. In general, you will need a large day pack in which you will store lunch, water, first aid kit, and other essential away-from-camp items. You will want to bring layers of comfortable attire to accommodate the temperature changes and our various activities. (Layering prepares you for quick adjustments based on changing temperature or conditions.) Sturdy work clothes are recommended, along with comfortable, well-broken-in boots, and work gloves. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the leader for advice.

References

Maps:

The leader will send you the names of the USGS maps for the areas where we'll be working and backpacking if you want to get these beforehand.

You don't need to purchase these because the leader will have a copy of these topographical maps as well as the North Kaibab Forest Service map.

Books:

• Powell, John Wesley, Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons.
• Fletcher, Colin, The Man Who Walked Through Time.
• Buchart, Harvey, Grand Canyon Treks series.
• Steck, George, Grand Canyon Loop Hikes (1 and 2).

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, and we encourage grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy, and participation in the goals of the Club.

With contribution from the Forest Service, we will discuss grazing allotments, noise from scenic airplane over flights, wilderness designation of the Grand Canyon, the controversy over the release of California condors, and visitor use fees. We will teach and follow Leave No Trace minimum-impact ethics on this trip.

In addition to addressing current environment and land-use issues in the Canyon, we'll also have a participatory environmental/conservation session during our trip, when we will share environmental issues (both challenges and successes) in our hometowns/regions. Participants will be encouraged to identify issues they feel passionately about and join regional environmental organizations (similar to the Grand Canyon Trust and SUWA) that are addressing these issues.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Paul LaQuatra has led or participated in many hiking excursions around the North and South Rims and into the Canyon. He has either assisted or led Sierra Club trips in New England and California. Since the early 1970s, he has hiked and backpacked in the Pacific Northwest, mid-Atlantic Region, Southwest, Hawaii, and Alaska. He is a volunteer/board member with his local Nature Conservancy chapter. Paul teaches high school and is married and father of two lovely daughters.

E-mail: plaquatra@comcast.net

Cook:

Michal Phillips loves the outdoors and loves to cook for hungry service trip participants. She is a Cooking Channel aficionado, who first learned to cook in a vegetarian restaurant in Berkeley in the 1970s. She has a wide range of international, healthful, and delicious specialties. She is an avid SCUBA Diver, cyclist and runner.

E-mail: ten.forward.is@gmail.com

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners