If you read my Life List on 1/3/07 you may recall that #32 was “Hike the Grand Canyon”. I can now report that I have accomplished that goal! On Monday 2/19 we drove to the Canyon – the temp was in the low 20s with a viscious wind chill and almost blizzard snow conditions – not exactly conducive to thinking about a hike the next day! We checked into our room which had a view of the canyon – IF you could see through the snowstorm! Treated ourselves to a fabulous meal at the El Tovar Hotel dining room – limit of one glass of red wine thanks to the impending hike.
Tuesday morning dawned and our view of the canyon was now a diminished snowstorm and clouds filling the canyon – but it was only 6:30 and the shuttle to our trailhead wasn’t until 9:00 so hope sprung eternal. By time we departed the shuttle and started down South Kaibab Trailhead at 9:30 the snow had stopped, the temp was upper 20s and the clouds were thinking about breaking up. We were well-layered and had on our ice cleats which fortunately we didn’t need for long – nor did we need our top layer of clothing within the first 90 minutes. We descended into the canyon rapidly and kept gasping in awe at the magnificent scenery. Naturally each stop meant a photo op! South Kaibab is “only” 7.5 miles long but is very steep and by about mile 4 Burl’s knees were screeming “stop it right now!” – but of course we had to keep going which we did. We made sure we stayed well hydrated and took frequent snack stops and at Skeleton Point about halfway down the trail we got our first glimpse of the muddy Colorado River and Phanton Ranch which was to be our home for 2 nights. By 3:30 we were registered at Phantom and in our rustic cabin which we scored at the last minute instead of staying in the 10-person male or female dorms. Instead we got 2 bund beds, a cold water sink, a true water closet, one table, one chair and a couple of small lamps – but hey, I only had to deal with one snoring body instead of 9 others.
First order of business for Burl was a nap on the picnic table outside our cabin – I quickly got into shorts and t-shirt and settled on the bench next to Bright Angel Creek and started recording the events of the day. The temp at Phantom stays about 20 degrees higher than at the top so we were treated to upper 60s during the day and low 40s at night. No internet service at Phantom Ranch to update my blog. After hot showers we ate a delicious meal of beef stew, salad, cornbread and chocolate cake served family style in the canteen. Needless to say we hit the hay early.
Wednesday we had the late breakfast at 7:00 and found out we had again gotten a cabin for Wednesday night thanks to a last-minute cancellation so we celebrated by taking off on a hike. We went up part of Bright Angel Trail since we knew it would be dawn when we saw it on Thursday and then took the River Trail which met up with South Kaibab and returned us to the ranch. Had a picnic lunch along the way – then when we got back to our cabin, took off for part of the North Kaibab Trail. We’ve already decided that IF we ever do this trip again we will definitely stay 3 nights at Phantom as there are so many trails to explore.
Wednesday dinner was steak for Burl and lentil loaf for me – accompanied by baked potatoes, fresh salad, peas and carrots, cornbread, chocolate cake and a glass of red wine. All meals are served family-style and the food is good and plentiful although expensive when you consider all food is delivered via mule train and all trash and garbage taken out by mules. Later when the canteen opened after dinner we returned for another glass of wine and played Mexican Train dominoes with a family from Albuquerque. Part of the fun of this trip was meeting so many neat people – the couple from England who were in the states for 3 weeks and were camping, the couple from Colorado who were on their 15th visit to Phantom, the 16 in an Elderhostel Tour – such a unique assortment.
Thursday morning we were up at 5:15 in order to make 5:30 breakfast – then we packed up our duffel bag, handed it off to the mules to carry to the top for us, Burl strapped on his new LL Bean headlamp (thanks Ralph and Blair) and we headed out in the dark a little after 6:30 – destination: the South Rim of the Grand Canyon by way of Bright Angel Trail. We hit the 2 mile mark in a little less than an hour and were at Indian Gardens (5 miles) in about 3:40 – had our lunch there and took off for the 3-mile resthouse and as the trail got steeper and we got more tired, our time started slowing to an average of about a mile or less per hour. We made sure we took frequent breaks, drank lots of electrolyte-infused water, ate snacks and about a mile from the top, Burl suggested I go on and get the rental car and pick up our duffel so he could finish slowly. I won’t say I sprinted to the top but I made great time (until I had to stop and put on the ice cleats again) and emerged at about 3:00 onto the top of the canyon. I fully expected a band to play, people to cheer and to go through a finish line banner but alas, none of that happened. So I settled for a great feeling of accomplishment – kind of the way I felt after I did my first century (100-mile) bike ride in 1993 on a VERY hilly route.
I got the car, picked up the duffel and Burl wasn’t far behind me. By this time we were both in kind of a daze – not quite sure how our bodies felt or even if we were hungry. I just wanted to hit the nearest McDonald’s for a large diet Coke and I knew there was one right outside the entrance to the park. We drove back to Phoenix (about 200 miles) stopping for dinner and getting “home” to Mike and Annie’s in time to share our experiences with them. A hot shower quickly removed all the canyon dirt we had accumulated and left me feeling like a new person. And surprisingly, I don’t really hurt anywhere today although I wouldn’t want to do a 10-mile climb again quite so soon.
We’ve had breakfast today at Mimi’s (our favorite eatery) with Len and now are thinking about a matinee with Michael. Just one more day in paradise before I head home tomorrow and back to the real world on Monday.
