Photo: Richard Fite Mystery of the Rainbow, Navajo Nation and Arizona Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 08052A Price: $ 825 Deposit: $100 Capacity: 12 Rating: MS Leader:
The Trip  Photo: Richard Fite “On her haunches and behind her, toward the north, is where the girdling slopes jag off into one enormous oblong; an olympian commingling of terrifying sheer drops and distorted upheavals and all manner of cavernous holes and corridors--perhaps the roughest, wildest, most disordered conglomeration in a territory which nowhere and never is what you would exactly call docile." Irvin S. Cobb, Arizona Highways magazine, 1940 Early in the 20th century, John Wetherill, a well-known southwestern desert guide, led various adventurers including author Zane Grey, clothing manufacturer Charles Bernheimer and former president Teddy Roosevelt through Cobb’s “disordered conglomeration” on the way to Rainbow Bridge. Zane Grey later described the route as having the most dangerous slopes he had ever seen. Roosevelt described tilted masses of sheet-rock ending in cliffs, and difficult for both horses and men, and Bernheimer, describing the route as “fiendish”, wrote to his wife that there was nothing like it anywhere else.  Photo: Richard Fite We, too, will hike to Rainbow Bridge, but we won’t follow John Wetherill’s route. That route, known as the Rainbow Trail, is today traveled by possibly a hundred hikers every year. Our route is followed by no one. In comparison, it will make Wetherill’s look like Kansas. The trip will begin in Rainbow City on the east flank of Navajo Mountain with a lunch of Navajo tacos prepared by Navajo friends and a safe-journey prayer from a revered medicine man. After following Wetherill’s now well-worn route, we will, by the end of the day, leave that route as we turn into the maze of cracks and slot canyons identified on early maps as Mystery Canyon. From this point on, our route is cross-country through a tortuous landscape that to this day has known very few non-native visitors. Mystery Canyon is well protected from casual hikers. Its Colorado River terminus is a long blank wall. At its upper end, the canyon’s three branches embrace a nearly 2000 foot high sandstone battlement of which history contains no record of ever having been climbed or crossed. All three branches are narrow, vertical slots with no easy, or easily found, routes in or out.  Photo: Richard Fite Our hike will take us into all three branches. All are relatively short and were it not for the pour-offs, plunge pools, ledges, cliffs and, in some places, nearly impenetrable vegetation, a motivated hiker could walk the length of each branch in a day. But the obstacles make this impossible without technical canyoneering skills and very nearly impossible even with them. We will backpack across the three branches of the canyon and day-hike in each of the branches where we can safely do so. We will see Anasazi ruins, moqui steps, pictographs, petroglyphs, a cave, a dinosaur, miles of slickrock and more vertical landscape per square yard than perhaps anywhere in the southwest. Our last day begins with a short hike to Echo Camp -- now just a few rusting bed frames and disintegrating wood shacks but graced with a lovely spring and a shallow pool surrounded by maidenhair fern. Soon thereafter, we reach Rainbow Bridge, the destination for John Wetherill’s trips and the highest and longest natural stone bridge on the planet. The trip ends with a leisurely boat ride across Lake Powell back to Page.
This eight-day hike will begin in Rainbow City at the home of Navajo friends. They will provide transport (not part of the Sierra Club trip) from Page, Arizona to their home and, after lunch, from their home to our trailhead. The leader will provide detailed information regarding the meeting location and time and the Navajo transport. The transport cost is approximately $60. Because the transport is not part of the Sierra Club trip, the cost is not included in the trip fee.  Photo: Richard Fite Day 1: We will backpack about five miles, crossing Bald Rock and Cha canyons, and camping in a large alcove with evidence of ancient habitation. Day 2: We descend a canyon named for the Paiute Indian who originally guided John Wetherill to Rainbow Bridge. After an optional day-hike through a slot with deep water, we climb steeply out of the canyon, crossing to the upper end of Mystery Canyon where we will spend the night. Although our campsite is only about one-half mile from the previous night’s campsite, we will need nearly the entire day to get there. Days 3, 4: We backpack to the other two branches of Mystery Canyon, camping and dayhiking in the canyon. Day 5, 6: We backpack out of Mystery Canyon to Oak Canyon, and take a side trip to an overlook. We will dayhike on the sixth day to a high butte with 200-mile views if the weather is clear; we may also find dinosaur fossils, and explore a cave with pictographs. Day 7, 8: We rejoin Wetherill’s route, backpacking about half the seventh day to the upper end of Bridge Canyon. On the eighth day, we hike down Bridge Canyon to Echo camp and Rainbow Bridge, then we return on the tourist boat to Page.  Photo: Richard Fite Except for the brief visit to Rainbow Bridge, this trip is entirely on land within the Navajo Nation. We will enjoy the area as guests of the local Navajo, and the Sierra Club will make a donation to the Navajo Mountain chapter house or school to express our appreciation. Those wishing to hike in this area on their own should contact the Navajo Department of Tribal Parks and Recreation in Window Rock or the Navajo Mountain chapter house for a permit. Wetherill’s route -- the Rainbow Trail -- is an excellent excursion for independent, experienced hikers. Our route is not. The rugged nature of the landscape makes this trip more than an introduction to hiking the Colorado Plateau. Rather, it is a mini-expedition through a rarely visited desert wilderness and once we leave the Rainbow Trail, participants are committed to the entire trip. Other than by helicopter, leaving early is impossible, and even by helicopter it would be difficult. Getting There Participants are expected to arrive in Page, AZ no later than the evening of before day one. The leader will provide information on air service and driving options.
All meals are included in the trip cost. We will create simple but scrumptious gourmet meals from dried and freeze-dried ingredients using recipes tested on previous Sierra Club trips. We will have no food cache or resupply, so we must carry our entire food requirement for the eight days. Although a vegetarian diet is not an objective and limited meat treats will be provided, participants who wish to avoid beef and pork will have no trouble doing so. Hard-core vegans will have difficulty with the menu. Participants with unusual nutritional requirements should contact the leader. Participants will share cooking and clean-up activities with guidance as necessary from the trip staff. The first meal is lunch on April 5, and the last is lunch on April 12. Because personal preferences in hot drinks and trail snacks vary so widely, these are not included in the trip commissary. Accommodations in Page are not included in the trip. Page has numerous motels; the leader will provide information and recommendations.
This trip is not recommended for inexperienced or acrophobic backpackers. Although the total backpacking distance (about 30 miles) perhaps would merit only a moderate difficulty rating, the rugged nature of the terrain makes this a more difficult trip for which participants must be in good physical condition. Stamina will be less important than a high level of confidence on steeply sloped slickrock. The trip has no prolonged ascents or descents and no technical climbing. We will, however, set up a handline in places to provide extra support and bolster confidence. In places, we will traverse on steep slickrock with moderate exposure, perhaps 30-100 feet. Participants must be agile, nimble, experienced with walking on steeply inclined slickrock, comfortable with bouldering and with scrambling in steep joint cracks with loose rock, and not distracted by heights. Some days will include dayhikes in shallow water and bushwhacking through dense vegetation and willow thicket. Participants must be able to carry all their personal equipment plus a share of the commissary -- perhaps as much as 45-50 pounds total backpack weight at the beginning of the trip. The rewards of the trip, in scenery and solitude, will be commensurate with the trip difficulty. Group Dynamics Mystery Canyon is truly a labyrinthine maze. This topographical complexity and the fact that we are not following an established trail impose several behavioral constraints on participants. Most importantly, because individuals who become separated from the group are likely to become seriously lost, we must hike in a reasonably closely spaced group. This does not mean a rigid, military-style formation -- the leader could not tolerate that. But participants who, for whatever reason, like to hike far ahead of the group or lag considerably behind should choose another trip. To avoid becoming lost, solo exploration of the Plateau will be discouraged. Those who feel they must do so, even if only briefly, must discuss their intentions with the leader. The leader enjoys playing flute and recorder and may bring a lightweight instrument
on the trip. Other participants are invited to do so if they wish. Leader Approval Leader approval is required. After registering for the trip, send the following information to the leader. • Age, height, weight; Realism and candor in assessing your ability will make the trip leader's task easier. Participants that overextend put themselves at risk of serious injury, will not enjoy the trip, and will diminish the experience for everyone else. The leader can only evaluate a participant’s suitability for the trip by the information provided. If you have doubts about your ability, contact the leader. The leader will inform registrants about their acceptance for the trip shortly after receiving their leader approval information. Approved participants will receive detailed trip information in early February.
Much of our hiking will be on smooth sandstone or on sand for which light weight fabric and leather hiking boots are ideal. We will not encounter long scree slopes with sharp jagged rocks as are common in many mountainous areas, and heavy mountaineering boots are excessive. Although we will not backpack in deep water, we will dayhike in shallow water and appropriate footwear for this is desirable. Springtime weather on the Rainbow Plateau is usually sunny, comfortable and pleasant but it is also highly variable and participants should come prepared for extremes of hot and cold. In early April, pleasantly cool nights and warm days are likely, but uncomfortably cold or hot weather is possible. Nighttime lows in the 30s are likely and even in the 20s are possible, as are snow and rain. Daytime temperatures in the 60s or 70s are likely but may range anywhere from 40 to 85. Conservation Discussion of conservation issues will focus on conservation of public lands in Arizona and southern Utah.
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.
Leader:
General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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Certified as a Wilderness First Responder, Richard has over 20 years of backpacking experience and has climbed most of the high mountains in his home state of New Hampshire. He has also hiked extensively in many western states and has explored nearly every corner of the Rainbow Plateau, while leading numerous backpack trips for the Sierra Club and other organizations. Richard is employed as a risk analyst for the United States Department of Agriculture.
David Van Winkle has led numerous backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada, the North Cascades, the Rocky Mountains and on the Colorado Plateau in Utah and Arizona. David was previously the Dallas group Outings Chair and is currently the Quality Coordinator for the Southwest Subcommittee of the National Outings Program. He hikes frequently in the mountains and desert near his home in Santa Fe. In addition to backpacking, David's interests include canoeing, astronomy, photography, ornithology, geology and green residential building. David is a Wilderness First Responder.