Grand Canyon Hikers Symposium

The Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association, with support from the Grand Canyon Field Institute, will be conducting the first ever Grand Canyon Hikers Symposium. It will be held 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, April 8, 2006 at the Shrine of the Ages on the South Rim, Grand Canyon Village. Lunch, on your own, will be approximately Noon to 1:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

The purpose of this symposium is to share hiking and backpacking exploits and explorations in the Grand Canyon, as defined by the geographical region from Lee's Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs, rim to rim.

Each of the presentations includes a climb, day hike or overnight backpack on the corridor trails and surrounding area, historical trails such as the North and South Bass, Tanner, Grand View, and any number of canyon routes.

The symposium program handout is available as a pdf. A poster for the event is here. Please feel free to post on the web or other places.

 The presentations were taped and a DVD is available for sale.

The presentations are as follows:

Mike Anderson

Scott Baxter

Elias Butler

Arizona native Elias Butler took his first backpack trip in Grand Canyon at the age of 10, and his first river trip at the age of 12. Now a photographer and writer, he enjoys getting out whenever possible to explore off trail. One of his more memorable treks was retracing a Paiute trading route down Kanab Creek, across to Matkatamiba and out Havasu. Lately he's been finishing work on a biography of Harvey Butchart with co-author Tom Myers.

Gene Fowler

Gene has been an active Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association member since May 2000 participating in several service projects. His Canyon experience is approximately 350 days and nights below the rim mostly on non-corridor trails. Gene’s main claim to fame is hiking to the rim on several GCHBA service projects to provide ice cream for the participants. He is currently GCHBA vice president and webmaster.

David Ganci

David’s first Grand Canyon climbing escapade was a 1958 first ascent of Zoroaster Temple with Rick Tidrick - in August - complete with home made angle irons, C-Rations and too little water -highlighted by dehydration, starvation, heat fatigue and nighttime hallucinations. In later years, he made first ascents of two of the Angel Gate spires with Chuck Graf, a solo ascent of the east face of Brahma Temple and the first ascent of the Southwest Face of Zoroaster Temple with John Annerino and Georg Bain. He plans to climb Isis Temple this year to celebrate his 69th birthday.

Laurent “Maverick” Gaudreau

Maverick was born May 8, 1926, in Ludlow Massachusetts. Maverick has been hiking and backpacking since the 1950’s in Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Maverick notes the Grand Canyon is, of course, his favorite place to hike. Maverick has hiked most of the trails in and out of the Canyon, but most of the locals know him for his obsession with hiking the corridor trails. This obsession started about seven years ago, and since then Maverick tries to increase his previous years rim-to-rim number. Maverick did forty five rim-to-rim’s last year.

Kirstin Heins

Kirstin Heins has lived and worked in Grand Canyon National Park for seven years, primarily in the park's Backcountry Information Center. Although her job has provided her with a unique opportunity to explore the park's trails, it's a personal and growing love for the canyon that's taken her off the trails and into some of the park's less traveled corners.

Dana Kaleta

Dana Kaleta's first Grand Canyon experience was a Rim-to-Rim 12 years ago.  She has backpacked all established trails between Little Colorado and Elves with multiple trips to Havasu Canyon.  Judy Krause joined Dana on a Rim-to-Rim several years ago.  Since then, they have returned annually to spend several nights below the Rim.  Last Spring, the two completed a 31 day trek connecting Tanner, Beamer, Escalante, East Tonto, the corridor, West Tonto, South Bass, Royal Arch Loop, Elves, and back out South Bass trail.  Clearly addicted, future trip plans include a similar trek of North Rim routes.

Tom Martin

Tom started hiking and rafting the Canyon in 1967. Since then Tom has climbed over 70 of the Park’s named buttes, including three ascents of Vishnu Temple. Tom participated in the first known ascent of Clay Tanks Castle. Tom’s passion for hiking is matched by his passion for park advocacy, as he co-founded the Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association and River Runners For Wilderness. Tom has written the Guide To The Colorado River In Grand Canyon - Lee’s Ferry To South Cove, and Day Hikes From The River. Tom is a physical therapist working at the Grand Canyon Clinic.

Mike Mahanay

Mike did his first hike in the Grand Canyon down the Bright Angel Trail when he was 17 years old, and could not stop coming back. Mike lived on the South Rim in the eighties, and has never stopped hiking, preferring the less traveled routes.  Mike has completed a continuous route in the Grand Canyon on the north side of the Colorado River from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs, and on the south side of the Colorado River he only needs the section from 205 Mile to Supai. Mike is President of the Washington Alpine Club, formed in 1916.

David Mortenson

At the age of 13 Dave Mortenson made his first hike in the Grand Canyon off the end of the Great Thumb to be one of the first hikers to visit Keyhole Bridge.  A year later he traveled down the Colorado before Glen Canyon Dam changed the river.  In the 55 Canyon trips Dave has focused on the remote western half of the Canyon.  Only once has he hiked a Corridor trail and that was to join a river trip. His passion is exploring and photographing the places nobody sees.  Dave lives near Seattle and will start another backpack after the symposium.

Doug Nering

Doug's first visit to Grand Canyon was to north rim at age 3, and his first hike to the bottom was at age 12. His first river trip was at 18, and Doug led his first backcountry trip at age 20. Since then Doug has hiked over 200 days below the rim and rafted Grand Canyon 5 times. Doug hiked with George Steck and Gary Ladd around Powell Plateau in 1990, which included the Stina flash flood incident described in Grand Canyon Loop Hikes. Doug's special interest is re-discovering historic trails and old routes, and is president of the GCHBA.

Bob Packard

Bob started hiking in Grand Canyon in 1968, where several early hikes were with Harvey Butchart. Harvey and Bob were colleagues in the Northern Arizona Math Department. Bob has hiked approximately 550 days in GC and 5500 miles of the Canyon.  Bob has summated approximately 165 interior buttes counting unnamed ones.  Bob’s hikes collectively form a continuous line full length from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry between rim and river on both sides of the river. Bob has explored approximately 100 side canyons and has hiked over 100 Canyon hikes with Ken Walters. Bob averages 100 miles/month hiking and 1000 feet elevation gain/day. Bob turns 70 this coming July.

Glenn Rink

Glenn discovered the thrill of exploring Grand Canyon on foot as a teenager. Glenn was turned onto lesser-traveled routes by George Bain over twenty five years ago.  Glenn and George climbed Isis Temple up through the pioneer route on the southeast Redwall buttress. Glenn has put his own twist on Grand Canyon route finding, studying routes when he worked as a Grand Canyon river guide.  Accessing remote climbing and hiking routes by boat has been key to many of his adventures.  Glenn continues to seek unusual plant records in far-out places in the Canyon, and lives in Flagstaff Arizona.

Tyler Williams

Tyler Williams is a writer, photographer, and most of all a dedicated funhog from Flagstaff, AZ. Tyler has authored three adventure books including Canyoneering Arizona, which includes the upper Shinumo Creek route he will be presenting today. Tyler is also the author of Grand Canyon River Hikes, and Whitewater Classics-Fifty North American Rivers Picked by the Continent's Leading Paddlers. He regularly writes and photographs for several magazines including Paddler, Canoe & Kayak, and Backpacker. Having grown up in Prescott, Arizona, he has been adventuring in Grand Canyon for most of his life by hiking, boating, and most recently, canyoneering.