This map (above) shows our overall route.

Click on photos to see larger image.

This was my third attempt to complete this section of the Tuckup Trail.  We were turned around on our first attempt because of concerns about water availability.  On the second attempt a year ago, I was woefully out of shape.  When Ben suggested trying again, I began a regimen of weight loss and exercise.  I lost a lot of weight and greatly improved my stamina.  But you can only do so much when 73 years old. 

To make the trip as easy as possible, we opted to take our time and allot 11 days to complete.  By connecting known and likely water sources along the way, we planned a trip that would take 9 days.   But a couple of those days were longer than we really wanted to do, and some were very short.   We hoped we could split up a couple of those long days. 

The other major issue was water.  We anxiously checked the weather for a couple of months prior to our start, hoping for adequate rain.  Everything seemed to be aligning in our favor until close to the start, when we then began getting concerned about too much rain and impassible roads.  The weather was dry for more than a week before this trip, so we thought we had a good chance of getting to the trailheads. 

The coordinates for many of the large potholes on this section of Esplanade were given to me by Rich Rudow.

Our original plan was to start at 150-Mile Trailhead and end at Tuckup Trailhead.  But this would require a rather long shuttle.  So we opted to end the hike by exiting Tuckup to the rim via the long, northern arm of Tuckup Canyon.  This would reduce our shuttle miles to about 9.  I brought my e-bike to do the shuttle.

I met Ben Mahlab and Rich Magill at Page airport around 1 PM on April 6, then drove to Kanab where we had hotel reservations. 

There were a couple of other people who wanted to join us, but we didn't ask them for two reasons.  First, Rich and I are both so slow that we weren't sure we would make it, even in 11 days.  Most Grand Canyon hikers would have a hard time tolerating such a slow pace.  And second, Ben much prefers hiking with a very small group of people that he knows.