Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument April 2009

[unwiredadventures]

One last photo that I recently picked up from Steve. Breakfast alfresco on the rim.

Beautiful place for breakfast.

I'm taking another trip to Parashant in late September or early October.

[mghattendorf]

I love Parashant and the AZ strip in general. I am planning on making a day trip there this weekend from Vegas. I will be bringing my Yamaha street legal dirtbike and want to do about 150 miles there. I have been to Toroweap lookout and numerous other spots. I really enjoyed the photos from your trip. It sounds like it was a ton a fun. Maybe next time I can join the group for a night or two!

[DaveK]

Matt:

Stay tuned. You are always welcome.

[wildhare]

I'm looking for some trail advice.

I plan to hit Twin Point and Kelly Point this coming May. However, space constraints with the vehicle are rearing their head: carrying 3-4 people plus gear in a 2005 4Runner = squeeze!

Would using a trailer hitch mount basket cause clearance and/or departure angle problems on the trail? I'm particularly concerned about the road to Kelly Point.

This is similar to what I have:


This is one of the threads that has convinced me to head to Parashint Monument/the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Thanks for helping inspire me! And thanks in advance for the advice!

-Dan

[DaveK]

Dan:

There are a few rough spots, but a lot depends on how much ground clearance you have to start with. If you have stock clearance and you are fully loaded, you might be doing a bit of dragging. The bigger challenge of the trail to Kelly Pt. is endless miles of rough rocky road and a very narrow trail. For the most part, it is just wide enough for an ATV.

If you make it to the end, the reward will be unparalleled solitude and stunning views. Well worth it! Good luck.

[unwiredadventures]

I'm looking for some trail advice.

I plan to hit Twin Point and Kelly Point this coming May. However, space constraints with the vehicle are rearing their head: carrying 3-4 people plus gear in a 2005 4Runner = squeeze!

Due to the remoteness of this location, I hope that you will be going with 2 vehicles.

[cruiserlarry]

I'm looking for some trail advice.

I plan to hit Twin Point and Kelly Point this coming May. However, space constraints with the vehicle are rearing their head: carrying 3-4 people plus gear in a 2005 4Runner = squeeze!

Due to the remoteness of this location, I hope that you will be going with 2 vehicles.

And that you are taking along some form of emergency communications - HF ham, Spot, EPIRB - as cell phones and standard UHF / VHF won't reach help if you need it....

[DaveK]

I'm looking for some trail advice.

I plan to hit Twin Point and Kelly Point this coming May. However, space constraints with the vehicle are rearing their head: carrying 3-4 people plus gear in a 2005 4Runner = squeeze!

Due to the remoteness of this location, I hope that you will be going with 2 vehicles.

And that you are taking along some form of emergency communications - HF ham, Spot, EPIRB - as cell phones and standard UHF / VHF won't reach help if you need it....

Excellent advice, Larry.

One note on the availability of VHF communications. We ran APRS for the entire trip and our tracks to the end of Kelly point were picked up by several repeaters, especially on the Point itself. Due to the elevation at the Point we were able to make several repeater contacts on VHF. Once we left the rim, the repeaters became a little less available, but still there. You are very correct however, that another means of communication would be most helpful in this remote region.

One of the unexpected communication discoveries on this trip was the availability of a cell phone signal, albeit very weak, at Kelly Point. As I recall, Tom was able to make a call from camp. The reason is that there was a Verizon cell phone tower across the Grand Canyon at the Indian Reservation. If memory serves, this was one of the VERY few times that we were able to get a cell phone signal during the trip.

[wildhare]

Due to the remoteness of this location, I hope that you will be going with 2 vehicles.

I'd like to. However, I don't know anybody who would like to go.

Needless to say, as I'm posting this in mid-September, I never made it in May. Work schedule interfered. Then a back injury kept me out of commission over the summer... Now, I'm finally getting back to where I feel comfortable loading and unloading all the equipment required.

[wildhare]

Due to the remoteness of this location, I hope that you will be going with 2 vehicles.

And that you are taking along some form of emergency communications - HF ham, Spot, EPIRB - as cell phones and standard UHF / VHF won't reach help if you need it....

Excellent advice, Larry.

One note on the availability of VHF communications... Due to the elevation at the Point we were able to make several repeater contacts on VHF. Once we left the rim, the repeaters became a little less available, but still there...

One of the unexpected communication discoveries on this trip was the availability of a cell phone signal, albeit very weak...

This is good advice, a point that has been in consideration since the early planning stages of the trip.

I had totally discounted the reliability of a cell phone in this region. There are no population centers or freeways to serve, so no reason to install coverage. Plus, the hilly nature of the terrain can easily put someone in a radio "shadow" even if a tower were nearby. In general, I won't count on cell phone coverage in an outdoor adventure situation.

I do own two CB radios: a Radio Shack Handheld Weather Alert CB Radio http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... RadioShack, which I use with a magnet mounted antenna on the roof of my vehicle. I also own a Cobra 29. The short range (5-6 miles typical in my experience in the desert outside of Vegas), and the dwindling use by the public lead me to assume that it will be unlikely this will be useful in an emergency situation.

I have purchased and registered a PLB. Specifically the ACR SarLink View http://www.acrelectronics.com/products/ ... w-406-gps/ . It will serve as my emergency backup communications, to be used only when threat of death or loss of limb is imminent, and no other communications or transport are available/adequate. I don't want to be stuck with a $30k helicopter bill! This was chosen over a SPOT for it's advertised ability to work in mountainous or otherwise radio-obscured terrain.

The original plan was to obtain a General class HAM license, and a Kenwood D710A, using one of the transmitters as an APRS broadcaster. However, I have yet to obtain a HAM license, and will not buy the radio until said license is in hand. My life situation is going to change in the mid term future, and buying $1000 in radio equipment to be used only a few times a year is beginning to seem a little extravagant. Is a HAM and/or APRS really necessary on a 2-3 day trip in this region?

Thanks again for the advice and guidance!