Bright, Bright Angel, pt 1

After a night of ...did we mention earthquakes?  Yes, I think we did.  But AFTER the earthquake and then a night of rest, Team Bridger moved out from Phantom Ranch at 6:30am with the goal of...

MAKING IT OUT ALIVE!!!!11!1!!!!!

Actually, we were pretty sure we wouldn't die, but it was a 9 mile hike with about 1 mile of elevation gain.  Here's why it is recommended that you prepare:

Let's see...What does that say after  "STOP"?  Avoid uphill hiking between 10am-4pm May through September?  Total fail on that one.  OK, so reading the rest of it, we actually did exactly what they recommend for the rest of the warning sign.  Bear in mind that the sign seen here was at the south rim, not the bottom, so we really didn't know any of that until later.  Well, we actually did know we needed to be prepared thanks to John and also the Park Service website (we are librarians after all).


Back to the story.  So we set out at 6:30am and crossed the Silver Bridge:

And promptly encountered more of that pesky beautiful scenery.  I took a few more pictures on this leg simply because there was so much to gawk at, you just had to stop!  Once across the bridge, the trail runs along the Colorado River for a couple of miles.  During that time we passed through several types of terrain.

The mighty Colorado - its hard to get a feel for how gigantic it is.

Box canyon along the trail

Sand Dunes!

This is the stage where we learned that the worst type of terrain to hike through while carrying a full pack is...loose sand.  It was pretty though, and Donna got the beach vacation she had been wanting!  After the stretch along the sand you get to the landing area where rafting tours meet the Bright Angel.  I was finally able to get a picture that provided a little perspective as we rounded a bend approaching the landing.

8-man rafts

Like a cork

We arrived at the stop on the trail that marked the start of the ascent to the South Rim.

Preparing for the ascent

Hidden rest stop by the brook

From this point, there is nothing in the way of rest areas or water until you arrive at Indian Garden.  In between is a place called "the Devil's Corkscrew".  Nice.

And...she's off!

Off the frickin' "rugged" charts

So, apparently I didn't actually get any pictures of the Devil's Corkscrew and that's probably for the best.  Lends a little mystery, don't you think?

The scenery along this stretch went from one amazing scene to another.  As you approach Indian Garden, the familiar Grand Canyon views change to this...this...set from a sci-fi movie:

Wha???

The trail to the Garden

After a tour through what could only be described as a Hollywood set for a Clint Eastwood movie, you come to a place called Indian Garden.  Hallalujah!

Hooray!  Water and rest!

Thanks, Park Service!

Of course, our respite was not without trial.  If one thinks that the squirrels of Phantom Ranch are a challenge one has underestimated the cunning nature of the Kaibab squirrel...

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to this story in the upcoming cleverly titled episode, "Bright, bright Angel, pt. 2"