My companions for this trip were Ben Mahlab and Rich Magill.  Our original plan was a loop, starting and ending at Kanab Point.  We wanted to hike down to the Esplanade, then over to Scotty's, down Scotty's, up Kanab Creek, then up Flipoff to the Esplanade, and finally back on the Esplanade to Kanab Point.  We had been watching the weather in the area for the previous 5-6 weeks.  There was very little rain (if any) during the previous 3 weeks.  I was very worried about water, while Ben was more optimistic.  We had always managed to find water on previous trips on the Esplanade.  And since we had our permit, we decided to go for it. 

As luck would have it, the expected temperatures were way above normal, 88-90 degrees in Fredonia, and the Esplanade, being a bit lower in elevation, would be a bit hotter.  But we planned for short days, hoping we could be done with hiking by noon.  And the temperatures were expected to drop toward the end of our trip.  Zero percent chance of rain was predicted for Fredonia.  Ben and I decided to leave our tents behind, figuring there would be plenty of overhangs available if needed.

I drove to Page from Taos on October 17 where I met Ben and Rich at the airport.  From there we drove to Kanab, had a great dinner at the Rocking V Restaurant, then to the grocery store for some last minute purchases, and finally to our motel.  The next morning, to avoid as much heat as possible, we left Kanab about an hour before sunrise, and we were at least 15 miles down the Mt. Trumbull Road (CR-109) before light.  But shortly after sunrise, we got a flat tire, the first flat I've gotten in many years.  We were now running without a spare (occasionally I bring two spares).  We finally turned off onto 1058 near mile marker 28.  After only a couple of confusing intersections, we reached Kanab Point around 9:30.