Sammydee

I really want to hike the Grand Canyon. I visited there when I was 25, not a hiker, and injured … so we pretty much just looked over the edge of the canyon and then drove on. But on that trip I told myself that some day I would return and hike to the bottom of the canyon.

Now, 25+ years later, I actually am a hiker, and am in pretty good shape (for an old guy). And who knows how long that will last. So it seems like this is the year that I should do it.

But that’s easier said than done. The Grand Canyon, for obvious reasons, is a popular destination. Far more people want to descend into the canyon than can possibly fit into the campgrounds there. And there are only a couple of small windows each year – May and October – when weather conditions are at their best. So getting a Backcountry Permit for one of the peak times is quite challenging.

Suppose you want to descend into the Canyon on a backpacking trip in May. Here’s how it works.

On January 1 you fax in your application to the National Park Service. You can apply for any hike on any dates in May.

The NPS takes all the applications they receive on January 1 and process them IN RANDOM ORDER. This takes them at least three weeks (which will give you an idea of how many requests they receive). They will then send out permits (to the lucky ones) or rejection letters (to the rest).

If you don’t get a permit in January, then on February 1 you can apply in person at the Grand Canyon for a permit…in case anything is left available.

If planning ahead isn’t your style, you can also show up a couple of days before you’d like to hike and see what might be available. (Good luck with that.)

So given that’s the procedure, I tried to follow it. On January 1 (5 min after midnight!) I faxed in my application. I also planned a vacation specifically to DRIVE down to the Grand Canyon to apply in person on February 1. Extreme? Yeah, but I figured it would be an adventure.

While I was already in route to the Canyon on January 30 a letter arrived telling me that I didn’t get a permit, and suggesting a few dates when a few things might still be available.

So on January 31 I arrived at the Canyon and headed immediately to the Backcountry Office (before I even looked over the rim). The nice Ranger there told me that there were indeed a couple of days when some campgrounds had availability, and said to come back the next morning at 8am when they opened. She also noted that the team in Flagstaff that handles the faxes was still processing them … so things that were available on 1/31 might not still be available the next morning. She also gave me a piece of paper that guaranteed me spot #2 in line the next morning … so I didn’t have to camp out overnight on their doorstep.

The next morning – February 1 – I arrived at the Backcountry Office at 7:30. I didn’t know how big a crowd to expect, but having the #2 position locked up seemed like a good thing. At 8am there were three groups in line, the windows opened, and the “crowd” rushed forward.

#1 in line were a couple of folks from a private touring company. They came to see what permits they could snag, so they could then offer them to paying customers. You’re allowed to get up to three permits in person, and they started working with the Ranger to see what they could get.

While #1 was still being served, another ranger opened his window and started helping me. He showed me the screen he was working from, and we looked through the system extensively…but there was only ONE reservation available for ONE night at the bottom of the canyon. There wasn’t anything available for any night at Indian Garden or Cottonwood … spots halfway down the canyon. The spots that had been available the day before were taken. So instead of the 3 night relatively moderate adventure I had hoped for, the only choice I had was a one night version. Naturally I grabbed it – better to have something in hand than nothing!

While at the window I also turned in another written request for the 3 night itinerary I really wanted … but this time for June. June’s not as great as May – hotter in the Canyon – but 2 or 3 nights in the heat is better than a one night deathmarch in the cool, I suspect. We’ll see in a few weeks if I get anything.

Oh, person #3 in line. He had no idea how the system worked, and just wandered in thinking he could get a May permit. Uh, no. They helped him fill out a written request for June.

So … while I’m disappointed not to get the trip I wanted, I did get a permit, and can fulfill the goal I set for myself 25+ years ago. And of course I got to do a day hike at the Grand Canyon while I was there … so I’m obviously a winner!

But … by being there and working through the process in person I learned a few things which aren’t obvious from the NPS website … and which may help others in the future.

Reservation Size

(There are separate systems for groups of 6 and smaller and groups of 7 and larger. Everything I’m writing about relates to smaller groups.)

One of my big questions going into this process was “does group size matter”? If I request a permit for 6 people, am I less likely to get it than if I request a permit for 1 person?

As it turns out, it DOES matter, somewhat.

Grand Canyon campgrounds have a certain number of campsites for large groups and another number for small groups. For example, Indian Garden has 1 large and 15 small sites. Whether there are 1 person or 6 in your group, you’ll all share one campsite if you’re traveling on one permit. So in that sense it doesn’t matter if your group has 1 person or 6, you use the same space in the campground.

However, each campground ALSO has a limit on the number of people, total, it can hold per night. For example, at Indian Garden the limit is 55. Since 15 sites times 6 people per site = 90 … it follows that some “small groups” at Indian Garden can not have 6 people in them. And sure enough, the reservation system that the Rangers at the Backcountry Office use enforces this.

In my case, I was able to snag the very last permit for the month at Bright Angel…meaning that there was one unassigned campsite for that night. But I could only get 4 people on the reservation. If I asked for 6 they would have said “no”, since there were only 4 more spots on the quota for Bright Angel on that night.

So the answer is YES, the number of people on a permit DOES matter, and it IS somewhat easier to get reservations the fewer people are listed on the permit.

Buying a Permit

Permits aren’t free, so in one sense everyone has to buy their permit. There’s a fee to submit a request for a permit, and then a per-person-per-night fee for the permit itself. Both of these strike me as quite fair.

While I was at the Backcountry Office, I asked if I could submit a written permit request for February by handing it to him, or if I needed to really FAX it in. “Sure,” he said. “The other guys just submitted theirs.” The ranger then pointed to a stack of permit request forms that the #1 person in line – from the trip-leading business – had handed in.

The stack was an inch tall.

In retrospect this is completely obvious, but it struck me as astonishing at the time. Individual backpackers all over the country send in their permit requests, and are told by the NPS that requests are handled in random order, determined by computer, to guarantee fairness. (And I’m sure they are.)

But commercial hike leaders are turning in DOZENS if not HUNDREDS of requests, which go into that same lottery. So it’s your one single request vs. their hundreds in that lottery. Hmm.

This fact – which hadn’t occurred to me until my visit to the Canyon – has a couple of implications for folks trying for a permit.

Implication #1. The Permit Request form lets you specify up to 3 different itineraries that you’re interested in … you can list your first choice, second choice and third choice. When your request comes up in the lottery, they’ll see if they can give you any of the permits you asked for.

You’d be better off submitting three separate permit requests. It will triple your odds of getting a permit.

Of course this will cost you more … there’s that $10 per request fee. But you can pay $25 to be a member of the “Frequent Hiker Club”, which waives that fee, so that’s no big deal. There’s also the risk that you might actually GET 2 or 3 permits. That’s also no big deal … you can cancel any permits you don’t want and get a credit (minus a $10 fee).

Implication #2. For those few folks willing to drive more than a thousand miles roundtrip to get a permit … perhaps there’s a better approach.

Submit lots of written permit requests.

Let’s do the math. A 3 night, 4 person permit request costs $60 if you get the permit and nothing if you don’t. So if you submitted 10 requests instead of one, your maximum possible cost is $625. You’re more likely to get 2 or 3 at most, so your probable cost would be closer to $205.

Expensive … but compared to a physical trip to the Canyon to try for a permit? Cheap.

I’ve read the NPS website several times, and I can’t find anyplace where the number of requests you can submit is limited. Naturally if you try this and it backfires somehow, don’t blame me.

I’m happy I went to the Canyon; it was a great experience. And I have no complaints about the permitting system; I’m sure NPS is doing their best. But in retrospect, I might have been able to save myself a whole lot of expense and time. Can’t wait to go down into the Canyon this Spring!

Henry Coe State Park is the largest park in the Bay Area. It’s so large that all the big cities of Santa Clara County – from San Jose to Palo Alto – could fit inside it. It’s simply huge. And it only has three entrances. Two, really, as two of ‘em are only 2 miles apart.

But there’s a secret entrance.

Sort of.

After 20 years of planning, the Dowdy Visitor Center was finished in 2006. It would provide a much-needed link to the far eastern parts of the park … places which were only accessible by several days of backpacking.

But from the beginning there was trouble. Though the facility was completed in 2006, there were no funds to operate it, so it remained closed.

Finally, with much fanfare, it opened in 2007.

In 2008 Henry Coe State Park was one of the state parks slated to be completely closed due to the State’s budget woes. This plan was never implemented.

By early 2009 the Dowdy Entrance was open just a few days a week, a few months out of the year.

By late 2009 Dowdy was closed “until further notice”.

Some say Dowdy was never meant to stay open … that it was all a ruse, built to disguise a secret bunker operated by futuristic beings or perhaps a Google server farm buried 500 meters below ground.

Last winter I did a dayhike with some friends to Rock Springs Peak from the Hunting Hollow entrance. It was a deathmarch … 13 miles. It surprised me to notice that Rock Springs Peak is closer to Dowdy than to Hunting Hollow. That got me thinking … could I hike to Dowdy?

I became somewhat obsessed with it … hiking out to Dowdy, taking pictures of the brand new and yet abandoned buildings. Pitching a tent in the parking lot. An odd goal, but geocachers can’t make fun of what other folks do for hobbies, so why not.

But as with any hike in Coe, there are issues to deal with.

• Miles. Even the most direct route would be over 20 miles.
• Feet. No trail in Coe is flat. The vertical climb involved would be significant.
• Too Much Water. In the winter and spring, there is too much water at Coe. Stream crossings can be dangerous.
• Too Little Water. In the summer and fall, there is too little water at Coe. Even with a filter, drinking water is available at only a few spots. How much water would one need to carry to make it to Dowdy?

Since I was going in November there was another issue … daylight. With only 10 hours of sun it became a critical factor.

After staring at the map for months, I was lucky enough to be able to get away for 3 days to give it a try. Since I was going alone, I stayed to main roads and trails as much as possible. Since I was going in the Fall, I worried about water. Three different Coe volunteers told me there was drinking water available at Dowdy … but all had just enough uncertainty in their voices to make me worry.

So the plan, day by day:

1. Hunting Hollow to Willson Camp. Refill my water there. Keep going until 4pm, then find the first available campsite for the night…wherever I was.
2. Breakfast, then zip over to Dowdy as a day hike – leaving my tent and related stuff behind. If I returned to camp before 2:30 break camp and head back towards Willson Camp; again making camp at 4pm.
3. Break camp and make a fairly short return to the car. Drive immediately to nearest burger joint.

The out and back route was pretty simple … Hunting Hollow to Lyman Willson Ridge Trail to Willson Camp to Wagon Road to Center Flats Road to Dowdy. The only other possible route was 4 miles shorter, but had an extra 2000 feet of vertical climb. No, thanks.

The hike itself was pretty uneventful. I’ve hiked up to Willson Camp and beyond several times, and knew what to expect. The climb up Lyman Willson Ridge is pretty brutal … 1300 feet in 2 miles.

But once that first big climb was done, that was basically it. Lots of small ups and downs, but no more huge climbs. There were, however, apparently huge ants. Or something.

I got a later start than I intended, so the day went quickly. And sure enough, at 4pm the sun was about to disappear below the hills. I had just turned onto Center Flats Road, so I started looking for a suitable campsite. The nearest flat spot a few feet off trail would do nicely, thanks.

By 5 it was dark and cold. By 6 it was really dark and really cold. By 6:30 it was so dark I could see the Milky Way … and more stars than I’ve ever seen before in Santa Clara County. The fog rolled in at 7, the stars went away, and the shivering began. So into the sleeping bag at 7 … not sleepy at all, and with 12 hours to kill until sunrise.

It’s incredible how warm the sun is. A tent will go from a freezing deathtrap to quite comfortable after just a few minutes of sun. I unzipped the tent flap and stuck the camera out to snap a few first pics.

After breakfast it was time to head to Dowdy, which was now just 5 miles away. No problem, I’d be there before lunchtime. And Center Flat Road is Flat, right? Riiiight.

Dowdy

Finally, I made it to Dowdy. I’ve been there before … rather I drove by the entrance along Kaiser Aetna Road during Backcountry Weekend … the one weekend during the year that you can actually drive into Coe. But I had never turned down the driveway to see it. Now I was walking in … no car, and perhaps no other human for 10 miles in any direction.

The buildings still look brand new. It’s eerie … ready to go, in great shape…but abandoned for years.

A few things have broken…

…and faded. Or was this always the Pink Panther?

The picnic areas and campsites looked great. And the water, thankfully, was indeed still connected. I took the opportunity to fill up – 5 full liters.

So after a quick lunch at one of the picnic tables, I headed back the way I came.

Sure enough, I made it back to the previous night’s camp at about 2:30. So I broke down camp and headed out. I made it back to Rodeo Pond when the sunlight ran out.

As a choice of campsite this turned out to be an error. Though quite flat and near a lovely toilet, it was in a valley … and since cold air sinks, it was even colder and wetter than the previous night. My fantastic tent kept me dry – no condensation – but gosh it was cold. No looking at the stars … I even skipped dinner. By 5:15 I was buried in my sleeping bag, and didn’t emerge until first light at 7 the next morning. It was the coldest I’ve ever been while camping.

But after a few minutes in direct sun the next morning all was forgotten, and there was nothing to do but pack up and head back to the car.

Willson Camp

Plants

It’s late Fall, so there aren’t many flowers out there. There are a few small yellow and purple ones on Lyman Willson Ridge Trail, and I did see one small patch of California Fuscia left – but this time of year the park is two toned … grey and bright green. Everything left from last year is dead and degrading … no longer “golden” or even “yellow”, by now it’s just grey.

But already next year’s green has emerged and is growing. In some places it’s as tall as the crumbling grey from last year, making an appearance. In other places it’s still hidden. But by next Spring this will be an incredible emerald green wonderland.

Wildlife

Wildlife out in the, uh, wild is more afraid of humans than in parks near our cities. The deer in Santa Teresa County Park are happy to come into neighboring yards to graze. I never saw a deer in 2 1/2 days of travels. Nor a rabbit, or turkey, or any other large animal of any kind. The one exception was a bobcat … which was sensibly walking down the trail when I crested a nearby hill. At the first sign of me it disappeared.

But though I didn’t see many animals, I heard them. Especially at night. A flocks of birds makes an incredible whoosh as they zoom in to a lake to land for the evening. And yipping coyotes are loud!

Oh, which brings me to ticks.

Coe has ‘em. Even in November. I found them crawling on me. I found one trying to make a home in my eyelashes. I found one crawling around inside my tent. Luckily no bites…but never assume, as I did, that you don’t need to use DEET since it’s not Tick Season.

At Coe it’s Always Tick Season. Thank heavens they aren’t as big as those ants.

Human Life

In 48 hours I saw three people.

Near Willson Camp at the beginning of my hike I passed two mountain bikers. They told me that all the springs were running strong … good news, as I was a little worried about availability of water on the hike.

In the last 45 minutes of the adventure I hiked out with another fellow … a nice man from Oakland who had never been to Coe before, and decided to do a 3 day backpacking trip too. He seemed to have had a great time.

But in between … for 46 hours … I didn’t see a single person. Once I turned on to Center Flats Road there was no sign of recent humans … no tire tracks, no foot prints, nothing. (Kaiser Aetna Road near Dowdy had very recent tire tracks – a truck had been through quite recently.)

Damage

In general, I felt pretty good at the end of the trip. One small blister on my heel, but other than that no trouble.

However, I did re-learn a valuable lesson right at the end of the trip.

Heading down Lyman Willson Ridge I was going at a quick pace…it’s very steep. At one point I looked at my GPS to see how far I had left to go. I thought, “looking at the GPS while you hike this fast isn’t safe…you could trip”.

Two seconds later, I tripped.

Thankfully no major damage. Road rash on one knee; twisted the other ankle. But I was able to keep going, and made it to the car a little slower and a little humbled. I had just passed another hiker … the first person I’d seen in 2 days … who stopped to make sure I was OK and hike out with me. I appreciate his concern and his patience.

The End

Coe is an amazing place. Hiking there, for a few hours hours or a few days, is a blessing.

Coe is an unforgiving place. It’s steeper and bigger than you think. Take plenty of water and give it plenty of respect.

And don’t look at your GPS while you walk.

Statistics

• Total track length: 25.44 miles
• Total Elevation Gain: 4831 feet

Links

Full resolution photos: here.

SammyTrail map of route and geotagged photos: here.

I’m not an expert hiker. I’ve hiked quite a bit, especially in the last 2 years, but still have a lot to learn. But one thing that even I have figured out is that some destinations are better during some seasons than others.

Can we put together a list of the best times to do local hikes?

Naturally this depends on Mother Nature. There’s no way to tell for sure when the best wildflower time will be. While 2010 was an incredible year for wildflowers, 2011 was just “meh”. Some years a particular flower might peak in April, while other years it might be in June. What will 2012 bring? Who knows.

But we can certainly figure out some general trends and some fun things to go look for. Let’s see…

January

Places To Go:

• Uvas Canyon County Park … Waterfalls!
• Cataract Falls in Marin County: More waterfalls!

Things to Look For:

• Waterfalls!