August 16,
The day starts early my phones alarm is going off at 5:00am. I'm in a tent six miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Kim's car, a Saturn, gave no trouble on the dirt road up to the camp site, even though it was disappearing into the forest. TJ and Kim still aren't stirring though, so I give a shout to wake them up at 5:15. No response, so I started the album Born In the USA on my iPod, and began picking. By the time I was done, they were barely up. They need to upgrade their dorm to a cabin tonight, which I see as a unless reason to wait past the cool morning hours to start hiking. I have only ever started before nine in the morning once, so I'm not to worried. It will be incredibly hot though.
We eventually get rolling at 6:30, and eventually make it to the trailhead at nine. The day already feels hot even though its early, and we are at 7000ft. After the first few switchbacks down it feels a little hotter. As we descend, we see at least eight rangers. They do wonders for my anxiety. One ranger.though, I know from parks and rec at NAU. He is doing a preventative rescue job, where he is stationery a thousand feet below the rim, at Cedar Point. He gets to ask everyone if they are all right.
Traveling down the heat increases, and I am traveling faster then TJ and.Kim, and eventually lose them for good In the Muav limestone, below the Redwall limestone, just above the Tonto platform, near the Tipoff I continue down happy for a breeze That's beginning to cool me down. I don't really want to slow down, the temperature is above one hundred now. The thought of relaxing in Bright Angel Creek is forcing me to leave my friends and just hustle down.
When I reach the campground I find a shady spot, then a nice one next to the creek, but its sunny. I choose the shady one, Then go down to the creek to cool down. Bright Angel Creek which runs along the campgrounds two paralel rows of campsite, is instant relief from the oppressive heat. I lay down in the cool water for about an hour before heading back to my campsite. TJ and Kim soon pass, heading to Phantom Ranch for lemonade instead of making the wise choice of hopping in the creek.
I head up to the ranch and convince them to hop in the creek. We head to a deep pool that is regularly maintained by the Phantom Ranch employees, for the employees. Actually its for anyone, as it is built on public land. This pool is several feet deep, and partially in the shade.
After swimming TJ and Kim go to the canteen for dinner, and I head to the campground where I cook dinner and relax by Bright Angel Creek. After dinner I lay down for an hour and a half, or so. I sleep a little, but mostly just watch the sun set reflecting on the cliffs high above me. About eight I head to the Canteen, a small shop and watering hole, where I get a few lemonade, and read a book on Grand Canyon ecology, written for someone who has never studied biology.
Every night I camp at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, I walk out to the Silver Bridge, a 500 foot long suspension bridge over the Colorado river. Here I spend about forty five minutes watching the moonlight illuminating the rocks of the inner Gorge, and the sheer face of Demoray point, four thousand feet above me yet still a thousand feet below the rim.
The Colorado is running as deep as I have ever seen it, there is even whitewater beneath the bridge. The river is thundering loud too, racing by with its extra volume of water. The additional flow is not only due to the monsoon rains which inundate Arizona this time every year, but also due to the increased flow from Glen Canyon dam, ninety six river miles away.
I head back to my camp site and fall to sleep quickly on the picnic table. The tables metal legs allegedly are unreliable by scorpions. The extra elevation probably allows for a better breeze too. Having a flat surface like the table, is much more preferred than the rocky ground in the campground.
August 17,
I wake at seven this morning to a mule train passing by me in an otherwise quiet campground, and fall back asleep. When I awaken, I find the campground to be empty except for one other site. It was only about two thirds full last night, but people were quiet leaving today without waking me.
I don't hustle this morning at all. I'm planning on meeting TJ and his girlfriend Kim to hike up Phantom Canyon today, but don't expect an early start. I dilly dally and eat a nice bowl of grandma, creamy with instant milk. I also move sites to a shadier one. My Droid can't come with on the hike we are planning to do today in a trail less canyon. So I pack this expensive mini computer in the ammo can, provided by the Park Service in each campsite. These cans are there to prevent animals from getting your food. I however wrap my Droid in my jacket then pack it in. Then I wrap the can in my sleeping pad and put it in the shade. I'm worried that the can will get so hot my phone will die.
TJ and Kim are walking to the campground when I start walking up, so we both meet and head back to Phantom Ranch for water. I also get boiling hot coffee to drink on the mile long walk to Phantom Canyon. The walk there is hot, but soon we are directly across Bright Angel Creek from the narrow mouth of the unobtrusive yet two thousand foot deep Phantom Canyon, with its nice warm stream coming out.
Phantom canyon is easy to miss. Most hikers cruise right by it without ever noticing this side canyon to Bright Angel canyon. At the mouth there is just a creek three feet wide emerging from a thicket of tamarisk. Soon though a use path develops, adjacent to Phantom creek. After a quarter of a mile the narrow canyon becomes choked with the debris of a.massive rock slide that deposited gigantic blocks of Vishnu Schist into a dam that formed a cascade of three waterfalls with pools at the base of each one. The lowest one has a waterfall plunging about fifteen feet into a pool created by a concerned recreationist who felt like stacking rocks across the canyon. I add a few more to places that were washed away by recent rains.
After wading a bit.and standing under the waterfall we find a trail through the screen field left by the slide, and climb around the waterfalls. We proceed through a valley that is sometimes choked with tamarisk, other times though we are on an ok trail. Half the time we just walk in the creek.
At one pool were we stop and lean back into water sliding fast, sluice like, along rock, TJ notices worm like larvae attached to his legs. Kim and I have some attached to us too. It seems that they are attached to rock surfaces.where the current is swiftness. We pick off the ones we find, the rest will soon face the harsh reality of the desert. Speaking of which, it is over one hundred degrees in Phantom Canyon. There are spots of decent shade though, this canyon constantly turning. It's meandering path trapped in stone. The high walls frequently provide stretches of shade as it turns.
We stop at many pools and immerse ourselves to stay cool. Some are five or six feet deep at the end where a cascade plummets into them. All are the perfect temperature though and completely refreshing during our midday hike up Phantom Canyon. The size of the walls is amazing. This is just one tiny part of the canyon, yet it is still overwhelming to be a part of. Looking across from the south rim to this little canyon, is difficult, it is barely noticeable, a small part of a truly grand whole.
We spend four hours in Phantom Canyon before returning back to Bright Angel Creek. Truly to short of a time to be there. We head down passing by the "closed for reveg" sign that marks a pool built by Phantom Ranch employees. TJ and Kim go back to their cabin and I head to the campground to cool down and relax in a large pool built by previous campers, of rock, in the Bright Angel Creek in front of my campsite.
A couple of guys from France and I hang out for a bit who are camped adjacent to me, then we go separate ways and I enjoy a pot of Beef Ramen with dehydrated curry until soup, and instant mash potatoes to take up the water. I get really full of this big pot of food. I don't skimp on dinner tonight. Tomorrow I am hiking out, I'm not sure if I am going up to the North rim, or the south. I just know that I want to carry as little as possible for the hike out.
After dinner the sky starts to look ominous. Dark clouds fill the sky and I here thunder. Lightening flashes and I think back to this morning when TJ and I were joking about an old friend of mine who always told the.mule.riders that it looked like rain, even if the weather was clear. My friend said this to degrade the experience of the rider's since they degrade hikers experience by making the trail super dusty, and covered in mule shit. Well now I think it looks like rain. I don't believe that it actually will rain, but I set up my tent anyway.
Afterwards I go meet up with TJ at his cabin, to discuss plans for tomorrow. I am still undecided about going to the north rim or not for a few days. I want to bring Kristin back here, but am worried that she won't want to hike. I destroyed her feet four days ago on a twenty one mile hike.
I am still undecided on weather to hike north or to go south with TJ then grab Kristin, so I tell TJ just to come wake me up in the morning at four when he plans on hiking out. I decide to go to the canteen and do some blogging, then head back to camp early. Tonight is the first night ever that I don't go out to the 500 foot long Silver Bridge before sleep, and I toss and turn for an hour before passing out.
August 18,
Put on a shirt! Richard put on a shirt. Huh? Bright lights. What? Oh yeah, hey TJ. Thanks for waking me up. What time is it? 4:20 No seriously, what time is it? It’s actually 4:20. Really? Yeah. Ok thanks for waking me up. I’ll head up the Bright Angel today. See you in a few hours.
The campground is a live with activity this morning. Everyone is packing up trying to beat the heat. I decide to wake up for good now too, and start packing my things in the dark. I’m hiking by 5:20, and happily get to watch sunrise from the inner canyon while hiking. It really is pleasent down here before sunrise. Soon the heat will force every living creature into it’s den though to wait out the oppressive heat.
Now though it is just quite lovely. I hike strong in the cool, sub ninety degree morning. And catch up to TJ and Kim in the Tapeats sandstone. I was going to take the old route of the Bright Angel Trail up and play a joke on them. Passing them and meeting them at Indian Garden. I saw them just ahead when I came to what I thought was the junction. I was off though, and followed another smaller trail, an animal path which soon fizzeled out into an eroding cliff. So I continued up the real trail. TJ and Kim are moving at a steady pace. Not fast, but just a normal pace for everyone else. TJ is still recovering from last years motorcycle wreck which laid him up in the Mayo Clinic for months. Luckily his helmet saved his life when he went off the road at 85mph.
The day starts getting hot above Indian Garden, the half way point for the climb out. At the Garden, squirrels and ravens team up to tear into any backpacks left unattended for a second. They want our food, bad. We don’t let them though.
Soon the sun is shining on the trail, but occasionally canyon walls provide shade. Even with the heat, it is really easy to completely love this place. I’m looking forward to coming back in a day or too with Kristin. I called her from Indian Garden, and she wants to head back with me. I know she’s gonna like it.
We make it out at one in the afternoon. The highest reaches of the trail are filled with tourists just venturing into the canyon for half mile hikes. Most will have a very difficult time on the climb back out.
We head to the Backcountry office, and I am able to get six nights worth of permits for Kristin and I. Our trip will include two nights at the bottom, Bright Angel Campground, then head north on the North Kaibab seven miles to Cottonwood Campground. After that we will hike another 7.4 miles to the North Rim, where we will stay two nights. After a cool two nights on the North Rim we will hike 14.4 down to Bright Angel Campground again, then hike to the south rim the next day.
We are doing a rim to rim to rim hike. This is one of the iconoclastic hikes of the world, something that people dream of doing. Thanks to the poor state of the world economy, we are able to actually get permits for it. Amazingly, I just walked into the office and got them. Usually you need to make reservations months in advance.
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