Arizona Strip

Hack Canyon

We rolled out of Kanab at about 8 o’clock on Saturday morning. Driving my 87
Chevy that I wasn’t a 100% sure would get us there and back. The sky was cloudy but not looking like it should give us much trouble. We hit the Toraweap road and drove on for about 30 miles and then turned off heading East down Hack Canyon. A winding , rocky , bumpy son of a bitch that after a good five miles I was ready to get out and light the truck on fire. We made it into the bottom of the canyon without incident. That didn’t last long though. Driving along still in two wheel drive I hit sand that I have never seen the likes of. The stuff was pure powder and before I could do anything about it the truck was buried up to the axels. After evaluating the situation and freaking out accordingly we proceeded to dig out with our hands for lack of a more useful tool . After a good hour of hauling rocks and brush and jacking the truck up as much as possible we were able to get out and head on down the road. We drove on for only another 20 minutes before coming to the fence that was the boundry of the Kanab Creek Wilderness area. Having killed a lot of valuable hiking time playing in the sand we shouldered our packs and headed out. The hike starts off in in the bottom of Hack where the canyon is very wide. Before long it narrowed up enough to push us in the dry river bed. After about 45 minutes of walking we came to willow spring. From reading a few old accounts of trips down Hack this spring use to be a good place to fill up but today it was a cow and horse pond. It did have two coyotes at it that we chased off before they were ready am sure. From this point the canyon starts getting a lot narrower and gradually turns to red rock that is about 150 feet high on either side. Beautiful area witch I could have stayed for weeks. The idea was to turn south and head down Kanab and eventually hit the Grand Canyon. But only having a looked at topo briefly before the trip I had no idea that we wouldn’t be able to leave the bottom and get on top where we would have been able to head in the right direction. Did not help that my guess at the distance from Hack to Kanab was no where in the ballpark. We ended up hiking the rest of day thinking that any second we would hit Kanab and turn. Never happened. Ignoring my partners pleads to make camp we trudged on. After walking at least a couple more miles down river and not having much left in us we started looking for places to camp. At this point another canyon ran into Hack from the North. I should have realized this was Kanab but because there was not a trace of water and the canyon was solid red rock and not nearly as massive as other parts I had seen before I didn’t even consider it. Here I dropped my pack and headed further up still convinced that the confluence had to be right ahead. Of course I found nothing and seeing that there was not a way up on either side where I could climb on top and get my bearings I headed back. We found a little spot that had not been completely covered in cactus and made camp. The night was perfect temp and uneventful. Early the next morning before the sun rise it started raining. Not being able to sleep anymore I climbed out of the tent and watched the sun com up over the canyon wall sitting under an overhang sheltered from the rain. Not a bad way to start the morning. Restless and with friend still sleeping I started off up canyon to see if I could figure something out. Anything . I made it a couple miles further than I had the day before and it didn’t take long, well actually a lot longer than it should have, before I realized that I was following a canyon up stream and not down like we had been the entire day before. So for the first time I realized I had crossed in to another canyon. No worries though. This was as remote and beautiful of canyon as I have ever been. I found a place where I could jam myself up the side of the cliff eventually and get to the top. The view blew my mind. Solid sand stone mesa on both sides of this little canyon. I could see from here that the canyon we had come to was actually Kanab. Not wanting to leave but with rain picking up and morning dissolving rapidly , not to mention a long ass hike back to the truck I quickly headed back to camp. We packed up , took a long look around and started the hike back. Didn’t make it to the Colorado. Didn’t matter. I will be back.