Horseshoe Mesa after sunset
the butte as seen from the mesa
When hiking the Grandview Trail, it always appeared as though it would be relatively easy to get to the top of the butte on Horseshoe Mesa. At the end of October, Mike and I decided to give it a try – neither of us had ever achieved a Grand Canyon “summit.” Furthermore, I was soon to be leaving the Grand Canyon for the winter, so this would be my last hike at the canyon for the indefinite future.
Mike had never been to The Cave of the Domes, so naturally the first item on the agenda was to pay it a visit.
It’s easy to kick up the dust in there.
I exit the cave.
After leaving the cave and hiking back up to the mesa, it made sense to begin climbing the butte from its far western tip, so that’s just what we did.
We went up the western tip as far as we could, and then worked our way along the north side – until we were at the base of the topmost, most challenging tier. Once at the base of that tier, we contoured back around to the south side, searching for the best way to access the top of the butte that we had scouted out from below.
along the western tip
Not far from the west end, we stumbled upon a cairn at the base of a route that looked good. Here Mike left his large backpack, and transferred a few essentials into my daypack. Mike went up first, and I hoisted my pack up to him along the way. The climb wasn’t too difficult until the very final section, where the only suitable foothold was a long vertical crack between rocks. On the first few tries I couldn’t raise myself past this. It sapped all my confidence and I froze for a few minutes. “I don’t think I can do this,” I said. The hesitation wasn’t so much about going up as my thoughts drifted toward coming back down.
After a few moments of contemplating the view, I moved some bulky items from my right pocket to the left. I thought that this might help, because my right leg kept rubbing up against a rock that I needed for leverage. I gave it another try, and found myself on top of Horseshoe Mesa!
Mike tackles the final ascent.
I take my first steps on top of the butte.
the summit cairn
One of the very first times I looked into the Grand Canyon, I saw its endless cliffs rising toward those flat summits of its buttes and mesas, and wondered what it must be like to be on top of one of them. Now I know! The view was excellent, and I felt a sense of accomplishment such as I have felt before in the canyon – not even after hiking rim to rim. I knew I was standing where relatively few had stood before, despite the large cairn on the summit – I felt as though it could be hiding a secret treasure.
the view toward the east arm of the mesa
Check out the vulture soaring directly above Mike.
the view toward the west arm of the mesa
Don’t miss the next page (This day continued)
