Grand Canyon Part III
Trip Start
Nov 22, 2007
1
25
55
Trip End
Dec 01, 2008
Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona,
United States
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
We spent a (full!) day hiking the South Kaibab trail to Skeleton Point. This is the trail that the mules take back from Phantom Ranch, and it lies to the east of Mather Point. S. Kaibab is a pretty intense hiking experience. Like most hikes into the canyon, you are literally on the edge of a precipice and the descent (and hence the return ascent!) is very steep. Add to that temperatures in the 80's or better, along with a backpack laden with about a gallon of water per person plus lunch and a few other items, and you are ready to burn some calories.
One of more memorable sights on the way down was the runner that flew past us in nothing but shorts and running shoes. We saw him again later, still running, this time passing us on his way up as we continued our descent. The guy looked like nothing but sweat and bones! I don't know how some people do that. Meanwhile, we kept up our steady (slower) pace. At times the trail looks like it just ends and if you take one more step you will find nothing but air (see pics)! The halfway point down is Cedar Ridge, also a stop for the mules on their way back from Phantom Ranch and a good place to eat a handful of trail mix. After a short break, we continued on and managed to get all the way to Skeleton Point-the furthest point recommended for day hikes. Here we had lunch. Sitting at the edge of the point, you can see Phantom Ranch and the Colorado far below, your perspective accentuated by the topside view of the occasional large black crow flying into your field of vision. Our commune with nature was interrupted by the bleating of the cell phone-of all places to get service! It was a reminder of the distance between the days of yore-when getting away from it all was possible-and our century of connectedness. Both are appealing for different reasons. In this case it was Maureen and Ralph, our friends from Palm Coast, Florida. Shout out to Mo and Ralph-It was nice you could be with us at Skeleton Point!!
On the way back from Skeleton Point, Bob made friends with a squirrel on the path. You are not supposed to feed or entice the animals, but this little guy actually climbed up Bob's leg to get a bit of trail mix that Bob was munching on. It is too late for this squirrel; it clearly has already overcome its fear of humans. We didn't see much other wildlife-these trails are well-traveled and the animals probably steer clear.
After a good 6-7 hours, we made it back to the starting point of the trail. We were hot and sweaty and dusty by the end of that day, but we felt good knowing we had conquered one of the more strenuous of the Grand Canyon's trails! Check out the pictures for views from the trail including Bob's new squirrelly friend.
