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"

Life at the bottom...

Since MG and I ended our long march on a positive uptick, we spent the next day resting and letting our feet recuperate.  So, we spent the day soaking our feet in the lovely Bright Angel Creek and wandering around looking at all the natural beauty.  There is plenty of it - nevermind the squirrels - and you really can't help but practically fall over photo opportunities.

The perfect rock for a seat

Prickly pears with blooms

Random park bench view

Same bench

No polarizer

Ran out of color completely

So we also spent a good deal of time just walking about and taking pictures.  I had wanted a better camera than our little Canon, so I spent a good deal of time before the trip researching.  It had to have a mix of features, expandability and most importantly, lightness for this trip.  Besides Vasque hiking boots, I would offer a plug for Olympus cameras.  Here's the camera we took with us:

Ours is silver - couldn't find a pic of that one

It's an Olympus epl-2 and I have to say that I like it better than any camera I've ever owned.  Now, bear in mind that unlike MG, I've owned very few cameras, have never had a photography lesson, and really am not very good at taking anything other than snapshots.  I took a little more care here since we had the time and spent a little more time playing around with our new camera's settings.

Tactical Retreat

The return hike back down to Phantom Ranch was fraught with uncertainty.  Was MG too fatigued to make another 7 mile hike?  Would there be campground space?  Was it possible that the afternoon heat would be too much for both of us?

So, we paced ourselves and hoped for the best.  Unfortunately, for the first 3 miles or so, the July sun beat down on us relentlessly and we made very poor time, stopping at every bit of shade and cursing the trail designers for not placing those upper 3 miles of path closer to Bright Angel Creek like it is (by necessity) in the box canyon portion.

Bright Angel Creek in the box canyon

Phantom Canyon on the North Kaibab

But we started to catch a series of good breaks as we entered "the box".  The good thing about hiking in July is that the monsoon season is underway - which means clouds.  As it clouded up, our spirits (and pace) picked up.  We started to think that maybe we'd make it back to Phantom before dark.

AND WE DID!

Ah!  A cabin - so near, yet so far!

So we stumbled back in to Phantom Ranch with 14 miles on our feet for the day.  So we walked staggered up to the canteen window (it was closed for dinner prep when we arrived) and the conversation went like this:

ME:  "We planned to hike to the north rim today, but could only make Cottonwood Campground.  The other part of our group had the back country pass so...what are our options."

WONDERFUL Xanterra person: "Well, do you want beds?"

We made it!, but what now?

ME:  <stunned into silence>  "Uh, sure!  You mean with like showers and AC?"

WXP:  "There were lots of cancellations for the dorms today - pouring rain on the south rim.  We should have dorm space for both of you."

ME:  "Heck yes!"

WXP:  "What about dinner?"

ME:  "TWO of them?"

WXP:  "Yes?"

So that evening, we had everything we'd hoped for if we'd climbed out of the canyon.  We had beds, dinner, AC, showers, and we weren't dead.