Grand Canyon

The first REAL entry. After finally getting out of Sacramento, we made it all the way to Santa Nella before calling it a day (not especially impressive). Our first week was spent tracking the coast of California visiting relatives we wouldn't be seeing for the duration of our trip. We decided that since neither of us had ever seen it, we would detour to the Grand Canyon on our way to Mexico. We were told that "you just have to see it". Having seen numerous pictures of the canyon, our expectations weren't particularly high.

another hiker

We arrived on the thirteenth and made our way down a trail to the south rim. Here's the thing, you REALLY do have to see it! Both humbling and amazing, any pictures you've seen (including ours) don't do it justice. We inquired about hiking to the bottom of the Canyon and spending the night at Phantom Ranch. Normally reservations for this are made over a year in advance. Some last minute cancellations provided two beds in the bunkhouse dormitories for the night of the 14th. In preparation for our canyon descent, we decided to attend a park presentation the night before our hike. Here's the thing, it was really COLD at the top of the canyon so I (Paul) wasn't too excited about walking in the dark to an auditorium to listen to a park ranger give a dry presentation. I hoped for pictures, a fabulous historic slide show, and tips to get the most out of our hike. Jokingly, I said; "it will probably be some ranger standing on stage just talking for an hour." Laura assured me it wouldn't. It was.

black bridge

Ranger Bob ("Rangerbob") talked for an hour. His visual aids were a baseball glove, and Spongebob Squarepants (?). Rangerbob is undoubtedly an expert on the canyon and its history. During the course of his presentation, we learned that his was the worst player on his little league team, has no kids, turned sixty a week ago, and has had glaucoma for eight years. There were no pictures and no fabulous slide show. Think about how you felt in church as a kid during the sermon and you'll have some idea of how we felt during the lecture. Occasionally, Rangerbob would jump up and down and shout which prompted uncontrollable laughter from us. To his credit, we can now explain the formation of the Grand Canyon. We returned to the bus for a night in the 23 degree weather.

bright angel canyon

We set out on the Bright Angel trail canyon descent and the 10 mile hike to Phantom Ranch the following morning. For those of you Brady Bunch fans, we did yell out "Bobby....Cindy!" a few times - as required. I tried to create a chronological picture show of the descent. I've now learned that the photos post alphabetically so they aren't in order. I don't think we could have timed our trip any better. No crowds of tourists, and the fall colors in the canyon are at their peak. Phantom Ranch is a great spot. If you're planning a trip there, make reservations. We stayed in the bunkhouses, which are gender specific. For the men's bunkhouse, think eight people sleeping in a small bedroom sized cabin that smells like whiskey and feet and you're right on target. The women's was far more civilized. Phantom Ranch has amazing little cabins too. I recommend the cabins for your stay. The next morning we planned to hike back up the Kaibab (not sure I'm spelling that right) Trail as it's three miles shorter than Bright Angel and we were both a little sore from the descent. Most people do the descent on Kaibab and the ascent on Bright Angel. We liked our way better as Bright Angel has the better scenery and we enjoyed walking downhill that we would have climbing. Kaibab is steep...really steep. If you wouldn't take the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building I don't suggest you try this. Needless to say, we were hurting by the top!

bright angel descent

We are 95% sure though that we crossed paths with the Globe Trekker crew filming close to the top. For those of you who are fans of the show, Ian was the traveler. Neither of us had the energy to make conversation so hence the 5% doubt. Exhausted ,smelly and not wishing to camp in 16 degree weather, we opted for a hotel room for the night at Maswek Lodge.

We spent some time in Sedona before visiting with family in Phoenix. We are finally about to set off for the border. We hope to hit Monterey, Mexico by the 21st. It seems a little strange to be leaving the U.S. right before Thanksgiving. Maybe we'll find some turkey tacos next week!

bus

canyon floor

canyon rim residents

canyon view 1

distant hiker

further descent

inner canyon resident

inside the canyon

last view from the top

Phantom Ranch

where you've been climbing out