Grand Canyon
TRIP REPORT ‘24
Day 1 - the descent begins
Morning | Cowboy Camping & Supply Run
I roll over in my sleeping bag, eyes still heavy. We cowboy camped just outside the Grand Canyon last night—no tent, just stars. The desert air is crisp, and the sunrise paints the western cliffs in pastel golds and reds. I pack quickly, needing to make a last-minute supply run to town before our 9 AM meetup at a popular overlook.
To my surprise, I’m not the last to arrive—Dustin and Tommy pull in just behind me. Familiar faces ease the nerves. We sort out group gear, share a few laughs, and prepare for what lies ahead.
The Descent | 1.75 Miles, 2,500 Feet Down
Thanks to special NPS permission, we head off-trail. The hike to the caves is just 1.75 miles—but it drops over 2,500 vertical feet. And we’re carrying all the water we’ll need for the trip. This isn’t a stroll; it’s a gauntlet.
The terrain demands total focus. Slipping in the wrong spot would mean tumbling a thousand feet, ledge to ledge. At times, we shoulder our bags off to tackle short climbs, passing gear down by hand lines. After an hour, we reach a welcome reprieve—a sandstone ledge we follow until the next scree slope.
We pause to scan the cliffs below: another sandstone band, then the pale limestone layer we’re aiming for. It’s still far off.
Arrival | Fluffy Stuff Cave Camp
After nearly three hours, we arrive—sweaty, sun-blasted, and relieved—at “Fluffy Stuff,” our base camp cave. Just 100 feet inside and past a short crawl lies a patch of soft sand perfect for sleeping. The name fits.
We drop our packs, set up camp, and split into small teams. There’s daylight left, and the other caves are close by.
Exploration | Bloody Stuff Survey
Our group—Tommy, Dustin, Addie, and I—heads into a paralleling cave called “Bloody Stuff.” The name sticks with the “Stuff” theme and nods to a previous injury Jason sustained here. The caves in this canyon are mostly hypogene—formed by deep underground fluids—unlike the more common surface-draining epigene caves I’m used to.
It’s dry, dusty, and unlike anything I’ve explored. Narrow crawls give way to a small room laced with fragile gypsum formations—delicate “flowers” bloom from every surface. We even find a tiny pool, fed by a drip that falls once every five minutes. It’s not enough to drink from, but it’s something.
We wrap up our survey as daylight fades and return to Fluffy Stuff—the last group back.
Night | Campfire Talk & Exhaustion
Dinner is simple, but well-earned. Around our little camp kitchen, stories are swapped and notes compared. Everyone’s beat. Laying down in the warm sand, I feel equal parts wrecked and grateful.
Tomorrow, the real caving begins.
Day 2 - Ropes, bones, and close calls
Rat Sacks & Tyvek Alarms
Last night was… eventful. We brought rat sacks knowing we might have some furry visitors, and sure enough, I heard them scurrying all night trying to break in. My new sleeping tarp—a stiff sheet of Tyvek—doubled as an unintentional alarm system. Every move sounded like crinkling foil, which seemed to keep them at bay. The pitch-black cave helped balance out the chaos.
Morning came fast. Everyone was eager for the first real day of caving.
Going Vertical
I’d chosen to split from the main group and make use of the vertical gear I brought. My crew for the day: Stan and David—two seasoned cavers I trust. We made our way past Bloody Stuff and deeper toward the main canyon.
Our destination was a lead found on last year’s recon—only pushed a few hundred feet in. The entrance was perched on a cliff face, about 150 feet down a 600-foot drop. It was surreal stepping off the edge on rope with the Grand Canyon sprawling wide behind me.
Loose Rock, Giant Passages
At the bottom of the rope, we scrambled up into a steep entrance made of unstable breakdown. Boulders rained down occasionally from whoever was above. The air filled with dust as we cleared the climb, but what waited at the top made it all worth it—massive cave passages.
While setting up for survey, we noticed signs of an owl’s past feasts. The cave floor was scattered with over a thousand tiny bones. Stan handled sketch and inventory, David was on front sights, and I took back sights. We made good time through big, beautiful passage loaded with formations.
The Dig & The Boulder
Eventually, we crawled through a duck-under into a small room. A breakdown pile at the far end had air moving through it—a good sign. While the others sketched, I started digging.
A few minutes in, we opened a small window into another room. Encouraged, we pushed forward. The new area revealed dried pools with incredible features—pool fingers, a large raft column, and more.
Further in, we hit a declining passage that led to another breakdown pile, and again, the air was ripping through. David began clearing basketball-sized stones and soon spotted darkness beyond. We were all in.
That’s when we uncovered two propane-tank-sized boulders wedged in a 10-foot-tall tube. No way to move them from inside. Luckily, Stan had webbing. We wrapped each boulder, climbed down, and hauled them out one by one.
Then it was my turn to wrap the last one.
As I reached around the rock, it shifted toward me. The gap was already filled with debris—it was going to fall the second I let go. I yelled down to David to clear out and grab my legs. I took a breath, pushed the boulder back for half a second of time, then launched myself down the tube. The boulder rolled out behind me.
Double Stuff
With hearts pounding, we crawled back in and found the way on: a tight squeeze between the ceiling and another unmovable boulder. It took some hip finesse and shoulder work, but we all got through.
The cave continued for a few hundred feet before splitting into two passages. We took a break there and debated continuing.
The deciding factor?
I asked, “What’s the protocol for peeing?”
They looked at me and said, “You brought a pee bottle, right?”
…I had not.
That settled it—we called it a day and began the climb out. As we exited, we cleared loose rocks from the slope, making the route safer. The rope ascent felt better than the rappel, probably just mental—couldn’t see the drop anymore, and the stars above were unreal.
Camp Vibes & Ancient Finds
Back at Fluffy Stuff, spirits were high. The other group had made a major discovery: an ancient goat skeleton—likely over 10,000 years old—tucked in the back of the cave. We took a peek, then headed back to camp.
Caked in dust, I gave myself a baby wipe “shower” and crawled into my bag. Another unforgettable day in the Grand Canyon—and we weren’t done yet.
Day 3 – Gypsum Gardens and the Aragonightmare
Rested and Ready
Last night, I slept like a rock. It was our final full day of caving, and we woke early with one thing in mind: finishing strong. After breakfast, we split into groups. I teamed up with Dustin, Addie, and Robin for another push into Bloody Stuff.
The plan was to revisit a promising breakout from yesterday—full of wild formations like aragonite crystals, massive gypsum flowers, and hairs unlike anything I’d ever seen.
Crunching Through Crystals
At the top of a walking canyon was a 2- to 3-foot tube. I crawled backward into it while on point, and Addie followed for the survey. After about 30 feet, it got too tight for me to continue. Disappointed but not done, we worked our way back to the “aragonite exit room” and eyed the downclimb that lay ahead.
Dustin and I dropped in to check if it went. It did. So, we resumed surveying—through a quick squeeze and into a low tube covered in gypsum flowers and angel hair. We crawled for several hundred feet before entering a wide, flat area covered in dried calcite rafts. Each step made a crisp, satisfying crunch.
Dustbowl Descent
Another team was heading into the same entrance for survey cleanup in a different section, so eight of us crammed into the initial crawl. It turned into a full-blown dustbowl. Eyes burned. Coughs echoed. Eventually, we reached the fork where our paths split, wished them luck, and moved on.
Dustin briefed me on what lay ahead: a passage he nicknamed the Aragonightmare. It was a 2-foot-wide squeeze at its widest, lined with sharp, mesmerizing aragonite crystals. The crawl lived up to the name—equal parts agony and awe.
Passages and Pushes
We made it through the nightmare, took a right, passed a few more splits, and arrived at the last known survey station. A breeze was pushing through the passage, so we followed it. Eventually, we reached a tricky climb—upward into a passage that spanned a 30–40 foot canyon. Robin opted not to continue, which was totally understandable. Addie and I explored about 100 feet further, but decided the risk and time weren’t worth pushing today.
We regrouped and checked a lower lead where air was still moving. After crawling through a tight section, we emerged into a room packed with aragonite formations—and a canyon above that might be the continuation. We took notes and returned to an earlier split.
The Final Climb
We passed another crawl and emerged into a large chamber. The only way on was up. I made the call to climb while the others spotted me. It was about 20 feet high and steep—but once I topped out, I was staring at another going lead.
The floor was made of hardened “iron foam,” which cracked and crunched under me. Pockets of spar glittered along the walls. I pushed forward about 100 feet and found a three-way split.
It was a lead worth coming back for.
Canyon Echoes and Campfire Vibes
With daylight waning, we headed back. The hike out took just over an hour. As we emerged from the cave, we heard whoops echoing across the canyon—and whooped back. The sound carried through the vastness like laughter between cliffs.
On the way to camp, I snapped one of my favorite photos from the trip—Jason standing in the entrance to Fluffy Stuff,glowing in the last light.
Camp was alive. Smiles all around. Every group had something to report, and everyone was exhausted in the best way.
We took a group photo inside Fluffy Stuff, said our goodnights, and turned in early. Just before lights-out, a rat ran across a ceiling crack above us. One last cameo from the local wildlife.
Goodnight, homies.
Day 4 - the climb out
Early Wake-Up & Rough Night
5 a.m. came fast. None of us slept well—Addie had fallen ill overnight and spent much of it coughing. Still, she was determined to hike out without needing a helicopter evac. We had packed the essentials the night before, so all that was left was to grab sleeping gear and begin the long, steep ascent back to the rim.
Addie was weak, so Dustin, Jason, and I split her pack weight between us. After four days underground, our own bags were lighter—most of the food and water gone—so it was doable.
We stashed any excess gear we didn’t need, shouldered the weight, and set off.
The Exit Begins
Our group took the original descent route, while another opted for a much shorter—but far more technical—climb out. I tracked our exit with Gaia GPS, curious to compare the climb time with the hike in.
Dustin and I led the way until we reached the first major climb. We were responsible for resetting webbing to aid the group and haul bags up the sketchier sections. Soon, Tommy and Robin joined our pace.
The route felt way more manageable this time—lighter packs, better footing, and the advantage of using all four limbs to claw our way uphill. It’s funny how going up felt safer than going down.
A Near Miss
About halfway up, we had a close call—a loose rock dislodged and tumbled just feet from the group. Luckily, no one was hurt. After that, we spaced out more deliberately, took our time, and pressed on.
3 Hours and 45 Minutes Later…
We reached the rim.
There was no triumphant summit or mountain peak—just flat, dusty desert, and the massive canyon yawning silently behind us. But to climb out of the Grand Canyon, off-trail, after days of hauling gear, crawling through crystals, and battling exhaustion?
It hit different.
Goodbyes & Gratitude
Everyone made it out safely. We snapped a group photo at the top—dirty, tired, smiling. Back at the cars, we sorted gear, said our goodbyes, and let it all soak in.
It was a successful trip. A phenomenal experience.
Huge thanks to Jason Ballensky for having me out. I can’t wait to return.
