down and up the grand canyon

After a huge breakfast with Kelley, I got on the road. First stop was the Pine Country Restaurant for homemade pie. The pie case is HUGE and there are at least twenty choices which even for me is a few too many. I was too full from breakfast so I got my dutch apple cream cheese slice to go.

I arrived at the Grand Canyon and sat in the car looking over the rim and ate my pie. I strapped on my yaktrax (metal things so that I don’t slip on ice and snow) I walked to the visitor’s center to get the low down on trail conditions and then went to reconfirm my reservation at Phantom Ranch. The guy at that desk told me the trails were not good and that I should take Bright Angel up and down. I thought that was strange. I hiked the rim trail from the lodge back to the visitor’s center and went to ask the rangers again. The rangers then told me that they hadn’t actually hiked the trails and they had no idea what the conditions were, but the mule guys go everyday so they would have a better idea. The best bet was to go hike part of the trail and see for myself.

So I did. I hiked thirty minutes down and thirty minutes up. Waist deep snow – my butt. Well it was waist deep in places, but I was walking on a well-tramped path – just the snow on the margins was waist deep. I passed a ranger who was running down to make it to the bottom before sundown. I also saw a soaring condor. At first I thought it was a raven, but it was white on the underside and it swooped kind of close and I could see it’s pink head.

I spent the night couchsurfing with Deb and Rob and set out early in the morning to catch the hikers’ shuttle. This shuttle allows you to park your car where you will come up – so you can get in your car faster. I was there on time, but I really wasn’t ready. I had to fill my water bladder in the sink because my gallon jug in my car was frozen through. I had to run back to my car to get a belt for my pants. I repacked my bag on the bus and got myself all situated so that when I arrived at the trailhead I was actually ready. There was a large group taking photos and a couple also getting situated so I was the first one heading down out of the group. Plus I had already seen the first part of the trail so I didn’t dawdle. It was very cold and windy and I was chilly in my four shirts and two pants. Eventually the wind stopped and it was much more comfortable. I dropped two shirts and eventually my leggings too.

You are descending 3500 feet over the course of a couple of miles, but the trail was not as steep or as narrow as I expected. Never did I feel like I was about to fall to my death. The ranger I had seen running down the day before, today was running up – for a meeting, but he’d be back down later. Geez. He must be in really great shape. I did not see him later though which was too bad bc he was cute.

Eventually I was hiking with part of the large group because we were hiking the same pace and because they were hilarious. In Gold Canyon (near phoenix) there is a retirement community where these folks live and go hiking 12-13 miles every Thursday. The large group was the Thursday-hike group and three of their adult children. Some of them had hiked the canyon before.

They invited me to hike with them and really wouldn’t take no for an answer. This was fine with me because it was much more fun to hike with them than to keep hiking by myself, and did I mention they were hilarious? If they ask you if you want a trail apple, say NO. Their whole goal was to get to Phantom Ranch at the bottom before four so the canteen would be open and they could have celebratory beer. They even treated me to one that I drank with my turkey sandwich Kelley had made for me. We then were very adult and made a beer pyramid with the empty cans.

After that we split and went on short hikes just to have something to do until dinner. We went and hiked a ridge to overlook the ranch and part of the canyon. It didn’t take very long so it was still a long wait until dinner. The group insisted that I eat dinner with them – the table only sits twelve so we had to add a seat to the table for me to fit. So I ate dinner with Mike, Mike, Amy, Charlie, Caryn, Clem, Carl, Lynn, Dee, Mike, Roy, and Mike (I think that is right. It is not easy to learn them that quickly – when in doubt, guess Mike). Dinner was all-you-can eat beef stew with fresh salad, cornbread, and chocolate cake. I am sure the food is great even if you haven’t just hiked all day. After dinner, we played a dice game and golf (which I unofficially kicked butt at) and were in bed by 830.

Wake up was at five for five-thirty breakfast (bacon, eggs, pancakes, oj, coffee). I was going to wait until sunrise to leave, but that was at 730 and I was impatient to so I started my hike in the dark. The Thursday-group was staying an extra night to do a 12 mile mostly-flat hike to Ribbon Falls, and I would have stayed but I was meeting Kelley in Phoenix on Friday and had no way to reach her if I changed my plans and I certainly did not need a $4000 helicopter coming after me in a non-emergency situation. So I set off on my hike alone in the dark. I only needed my flashlight for half an hour before it was light enough to see.

On the way up I made excellent timing to Indian Gardens – the halfway point, the only water stop, and the first bathroom stop. I decided that I did need to add on another 3 miles to visit the end of Plateau Point and the views were rewarding. After that the trail was steeper and covered in snow. It was cool, but going up is much more exertion so I was warm in two shirts and two pants. I was my own cheerleader promising myself pie in Williams if I made it up by two because that gave me time to drive back to Prescott while it was light. It was hard going. I feel like the Bright Angel Trail was less packed so it was more slippery even with yaktrax and I was hiking by myself. The few people I passed were not interesting enough to chat with or walk with. I didn’t make it up by 2, but I was in my car by 220. I reached the top of the trail and knew the lodge was the left and that my car was to the right of the lodge, so I started walking towards the lodge. I came to a clearing full of snow and across it was my car. I didn’t care. I waded through knee deep snow to get to my car, popped the trunk, took of my shoes and put on my flip flops, and ate some pumpkin bread Kelley had made for me.

I checked in with Deb and returned her hiking pole and told her about my hike. She was shocked to see me bc the last people that had stayed with her didn’t make it out until 8pm and they looked way more in shape than me (HAHAHA). Kelley hadn’t called me back by the time I made it to the Pine Country restaurant in Williams so I picked an assortment of pies – double butterscotch, chocolate banana, Hawaiian, and key lime, and went to Prescott.

I AM SORE. But I can walk (at least I think I can – I haven’t tried any stairs or hills yet). I made the South Kaibab trail (7.1miles) down in four hours (9-2). It took me eight hours to hike the Bright Angel Trail (9.6mi) up (620-220), but I did add three miles for the Plateau Point. I loved the hike. I would do it again- or rather I would go rim to rim, but you have to wait til May for the North Rim to open to attempt that. I didn’t mind hiking up by myself, but it was defiantly more fun to go with others and I am sad that I couldn’t hike up with the Thursday-group. They are coming up today and I wish them luck and hopefully I will see them on Thursday since I sort of invited myself to go hike with them and they want me to come. :)