Mary O made all the reservations and set it up for herself, her sister Kathy and I to hike down the S. Kaibab Trail on Sunday, March 4, spend 3 nights at Phantom Ranch, and hike back up the Bright Angel Trail on Wednesday, March 7. I am so lucky to have shared this adventure with two amazing women!
We had perfect weather every day but for the hike out - more on that later. Here we are about 9 a.m., preparing to head down. There was some snow/ice near the top of the trail and we strapped on our YakTrax. However, we didn't need them for long. As you can see in the shot below at Ooh Aah Point, the trail is clear and remained so for the rest of the trek to the bottom.
Mary, Kim, Kathy at the S. Kaibab Trailhead
At Ooh Aah Point
We continued on our way down, taking in the amazing views. It was more crowded than my first trip down in January of '09. The chilly rim weather soon turned mild and layers were shed. During a rest/bathroom stop at Cedar Ridge, I set my pack down under a tree. When I returned, there was a small group of people taking photos at that spot - of a squirrel trying to get into my pack! These varmints are quite bold (sadly, a result of people who feed them) and very adept at thievery. I snapped a couple of pics as well, but when he tried to bite through my water bottle, I chased him away.
Leaving Cedar Ridge, I assumed that Mary and Kathy were a good bit ahead of me down the trail. At one point, I waved to two people at O'Neill Butte, thinking it was my two hiking buddies. When I arrived at Phantom Ranch, I discovered that they had not yet checked in. How could that be? There isn't any way to pass someone on the trail without notice, and I was taking my own sweet time and savoring the adventure. I got our dorm assignment and went ahead to secure lower bunks for each of us. I did get a bit concerned after a while - but not to worry. My intrepid friends soon showed up and informed me that they were taking in the view on the west side of Cedar Ridge, and I headed down ahead of them!
Dorm, Sweet Dorm Number 15:
By the way, I took 671 pictures on this trip - a new record, even for me. The beauty of digital - I photograph everything, using multiple exposures and therefore manage to get a few good ones. I won't be including them all here, but if you really want to see them all, just ask. LOL!
We walked a lot around Phantom, finding that sitting down for more than a few minutes caused every muscle to stiffen up instantly. When the dinner bell rang at 6:30, we were more than ready for our beef stew - including salad, cornbread and chocolate cake for dessert! They do an amazing job with the food at Phantom Ranch - everything is fresh, hot and plentiful. We can thank the hardworking mules for hauling it all down! Meals are served "family style" at long tables, so it's a great chance to meet and chat with other hikers. Each night we were assigned a different table and people come and go from day to day - the faces change and there's always lots to share.
The Canteen - hub for meals, mail, souvenirs and socializing
Dinner!
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| Dessert! |
Kathy, Kim, Mary - at dinner
What a beautiful evening! After dinner, we headed down to the Boat Beach along the Colorado River. The moon was up and so bright that we did not need our flashlights. Even with the moonlight, we were able to see thousands of stars, including Big/Little Dippers, Cassiopeia, Pleiades, and several planets (not sure which).
True to my word to the Luney Ladies, while at the beach I howled at that almost full moon. Mary howled a bit, and Kathy claims to have "yipped" but I'm not sure I heard her. Perhaps I scared her? We wondered what the nearby campers might have thought...
A shower sure felt good, as did my lumpy bunk. Lights out.
Wow!!! Thanks for the fun tour -- neat to see what things look like there! You guys look great and VERY happy!
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