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| Waiting to step off on South Kaibab Trail for the trip down |
Sometimes words are
inadequate and sometimes they just fail to describe an experience so let me
start out by saying that both things will be true of this post. The hardest
part of this post will not be the words, but choosing from among the 140 photos
I took during my three days in the canyon.
From the time I was
a young boy, I have been fascinated with The Grand Canyon. The first time my
parents took me there I was awed by the majesty of the place. Later when I went
there with a church group on the way to a Utah mission trip I was simply moved
by the beauty of the Canyon.
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| An early view |
Over the years we
have visited there with just Joan and I, with other relatives and the last time
I was there I left behind a good portion of my brother’s ashes in sight of the
Watchtower Gift Store, a place he loved and worked after his time in the US Air
Force.
To say that the
Grand Canyon has a hold on me, is to speak a severe understatement. So when a
friend in the Voyager hiking club asked me last March (2017) if I would like to
be part of a three day adventure to the bottom of Grand Canyon and a two night
stay at Phantom Ranch, I jumped at the chance.
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| Ooh Aah Point |
For more than a
year I had anticipated and trained for what I knew would be a significant and
difficult hike, but one that held the promise of eternal memories and an
overwhelming sense of accomplishment at its conclusion.
As we learned during
our stay of the 5 million annual visitors to the Grand Canyon, less than 1
percent make it to the bottom, which puts those who do in a very exclusive
club.
A group of 19
people from the Voyager signed on for the adventure and we left the resort on
Tuesday morning headed for Bright Angel Lodge. We had people from many
different states and Canada with us on this journey. I took five people,
including me, in my Tahoe. My group was Chuck, Gayle, Jean, Dave and me.
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| Taking a break at Cedar Ridge |
I was like a kid on
Christmas Eve, I could hardly stand the excitement and anticipation of what was
to come. I hiked three days a week, some long and grueling hikes to make sure I
was prepared for what was to be. A new Osprey back pack was purchased and a set
of boot chains in case the trail was icy, which it often is this time of year.
For two days I
packed and repacked my gear to make sure I had enough, but not too much for the
trip. Staying in the dormitories at Phantom Ranch and eating in the chow hall
there eliminated the need to take tents, sleeping bags and food, other than
trail snacks, but there is the ever present need for water and some food on any
hike. Water is usually the heaviest single component of any back pack, but also
the most important.
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| Section of trail |
Despite the careful
packing I re-thought things Wednesday morning in the room at the Bright Angel
Lodge that I shared with Chuck and off loaded a couple things (and one extra
bottle of water) in an attempt to have the perfect sized pack for the hike.
After breakfast
Wednesday (March 21) we caught the 8 a.m. Hiker’s Special bus to the South
Kaibab Trailhead and the start of a dream come true for me. I stepped off the
bus and smack dab in the middle of all my fears and doubts. “Could I really do
this?” “Was I ready for the challenge ahead?” and that worst of all fears
“Would I fail?”
In the face of
those screaming doubts I started down the trail accompanied by my three friends
(and car mates) Chuck, Gayle and Jean and began the steep plunge to the bottom
of the abyss known as the Grand Canyon. I should note here that my other car
passenger, Dave, had to return home on an emergency basis because his wife was
hospitalized with a difficult heart issue. We would miss Dave very much during
the next three days.
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| Angelic looking clouds |
We were not alone,
probably 40-50 people jumped off that bus and began the descent with us, but
soon the groups naturally spread out and we were alone. With every knee
wrenching step down the trail I came closer and closer to my goal of reaching
the bottom, but inside my head was the nagging thought that every step down
meant a grueling step up on Friday, but my goal overcame my doubts and we kept
plunging down the trail.
And what a
beautiful trail it is. At one spot (called Ooh Aah Point for good reason) I
started to cry, thinking of all the years that I had wanted to do this and
remembering that somewhere my brother’s remains were part of the scenery around
me. It was all very overwhelming.
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| Another outstanding view |
Around each corner
was a new and more beautiful view than the previous one and the only thing
busier than my aching feet was my camera. As I snapped each photo all I could
think was that I wasn’t taking enough pictures, but also realizing that any
photo I took would not capture the smells, the air and the emotions that I was
feeling at those moments.
The pictures would
be beautiful, I knew, but they would never capture completely what I was truly
seeing and feeling at that moment. Past Ooh Aah Point (very appropriately
named) we stopped for a rest at Cedar Ridge (1,120 feet below the rim), then
Skeleton Point (2,040 feet below the rim), then the Tipoff (3,280 feet down),
and then finally Phantom Ranch (4,700 feet under the rim).
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| Leaving my shadow behind |
There I was at the
foot of the canyon and at the dream of a lifetime all at once. As I walked over
Black Bridge over the Colorado River I had to nearly pinch myself to believe I
was there. But there I was.
Once in camp we did
the mundane chores of picking a bunk in the 10-man dormitory (I got a lower
one) and then took a quick shower, which was a huge relief because there had
been reports on the rim that the water had been shut off at the ranch due to a
malfunction in the system. Not having a shower would have put a slight damper
on the enjoyment of the rest of the day.
I put my hiking
boots under the bed and put on the socks and crocks I had carried down to give
my feet a little rest. Some of our group was already at the ranch when we
arrived and others would arrive later. All of us were tired and pain relievers and
liquids were the order of the day.
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| A mule train has right of way |
For the rest of the
day some of us drank ice tea and others celebrated with a beer, but all of us were
happy that the descent was behind us. Never far out of my mind was the fact
that now that we were at the bottom the only way out was up, and up, and more
up, but that was more than 24 hours away so I tried putting that away for
awhile so I could enjoy my time at the ranch.
Our group had
dinner at 6:30 p.m. and we inhaled several helpings of home made beef stew,
salad, corn bread and chocolate cake at the family style seating in the chow
hall.
The interpretation
ranger, his name was Radan, gave two talks a day, one at 4 p.m. and one at 7:30
p.m. and on the first day he talked about the human history of the canyon and
the night talk was on the re-establishment of the California Condor to the
region. More on that later.
After the talk I
fell into my bunk about 8:30 p.m. and the next thing I remember is a woman
knocking and then flinging our door open and yelling “It’s 5 a.m., breakfast is
at 5:30, don’t be late.” Fortunately for me my breakfast time on that first day
was 7 a.m. so while I didn’t have to get up, I was now awake for the day.
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| Getting closer to the bottom |
The accommodations
at the ranch are spartan, but clean and adequate. The presence of running water (hot water too!)
and a flush toilet in the dorm was a big bonus.
On Wednesday,
Gayle, Jean and I opted out of a 16-mile hike to Ribbon Falls and instead chose
a 5-mile easy hike along the Colorado River. We spotted a female big horn sheep
who was very cooperative with our photo taking.
Back at camp, we
sucked down some unsweetened ice tea and talked to a young brother and sister who had been brought to the
camp by their parents. The girl, who was 10, was reading a book she found in
the ranch lending library called “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.”
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| Crossing over the Colorado River |
We talked with her
and told her how lucky she was to have parents who would share such a great
adventure with them.
After another
shower, we headed to the 4 p.m. ranger talk and learned about the geology of
the canyon and specifically about the 2-billion-year-old rock walls that
surrounded the ranch. It was a fascinating and enlightening talk. You can’t
help but wonder about your place in the universe when you realized what a very
small part of it you are. But in another sense you feel very connected to the
creator and in awe of the majesty of it all.
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| My home for two nights in the canyon |
At 6:30 p.m. we
lined up again for another meal of beef stew, salad, corn bread, but this time
a slice of chocolate brownie instead of cake. It tasted like a five-star meal.
At 7:30 p.m. we
listened to our final ranger talk, this one called “Ask the Ranger.” He answered questions on how he commutes to
work (he walks the trail back and forth like the rest of us), he works 8 days
straight and then he is off for four days. He talked about mountain lions, more
geology and the influence of Native American people on the canyon, among other
topics.
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| Ranger talk on the bottom |
As soon as it was
done I headed back to the bunk house and fell blissfully asleep before 9 p.m.
But this time I was startled awake about 10 p.m. by someone pounding on the
door. Apparently someone had locked the bunkhouse door (not too many burglars
are prepared to hike 9 miles down a trail to steal someone’s sweaty hiking
clothing) but someone had been locked out.
After that the next
thing I heard was the same female voice opening our door and announcing the
time (5 a.m.) and “breakfast is at 5:30, don’t be late” but this time I had to
get up and get to breakfast as this was our seating time.
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| Our dormitory |
After a full
breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fruit it was time to
don our packs and begin the uphill journey to the top of the South Rim. I’ll
admit I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about the task ahead. And it
wasn’t going to be easier considering that it had rained hard during the night
which meant trails would be wet and muddy, but at least it wasn’t raining now.
That would change.
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| Female big horn sheep |
We took a final
photo of our group before heading out of the ranch at 6:20 a.m. and once across
the Colorado River it started to rain, which necessitated a stop to don rain
gear and back pack covers. Nothing like adding the weight of rainwater to an
already full pack.
Fortunately, the
rain only lasted about 25 minutes and within a short time we began to sweat
under rain gear so we stopped and stripped off the rain gear.
The first part of
the Bright Angel Trail (the trail we took up the cliff) is fairly flat, but at
the River Rest House it begins the long road up. Switchback, after switchback
leads you through this Garden of Eden, complete with flowing steams and
waterfalls.
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| Phantom Ranch |
Our goal at this
point was to get to Indian Gardens, the halfway in miles point of the hike up,
but most of the “up” is still ahead of you there.
Indian Gardens is
also the last place you can get drinking water so we refilled our water
containers, spent about ½-hour resting and using the two-story pit toilets (or
“big drops” as the Canadians call them) before heading back on the trail up the
canyon. We decided to make our goals short, first we would get to 3-mile house
and then after we stopped there we set our goal of 1 ½-mile house where we had
lunch and then we set our obvious last goal for the finish line at the Bright
Angel Trailhead at the top of the South Rim.
About halfway up
Chuck was keeping watch on the sky above us after the admonition of the ranger
two nights before that we might see a California Condor soaring high above us
in the canyon. As we were ascending, Chuck spotted one of the rare birds (only
about 400 remain, but are improving in numbers due to conservation efforts)
soaring above us. The bird is huge with a wing span of many, many feet. They
stand about 4-feet high. The tell tale markings described to us by the ranger
were all there and we were excited to see the bird.
During our three day canyon visit we also had close
encounters with big horn sheep, elk, deer and many variety of birds.
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| Departing from the bottom for the top |
It was a long and
tough, knee crunching slog up the side of the cliff and 2 billion years of
earth’s geological history. Each step represented hundreds of thousands or more
years of history. The only scary moment was one punctuated with the sudden
sound of a scream from a woman walking right behind us as a large boulder
(about ½ the size of a small car) that was tumbling down the hill just behind
us. The boulder bounced on the trail just feet behind the woman and continued
down the mountain from there. It would have killed anyone it hit and I couldn’t
help but think that if we had left our last stop 20 seconds later it could have
been a real problem. Or, we could have been the newest entry in the book “Over
the Edge: Death at the Grand Canyon.”
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| My Garden of Eden |
But on we slogged,
onward and upward until at last we reached the top of the trail to the sounds
of applause and cheers to a number of people gathered there watching folks come
up from the bottom. One Japanese lady ran over and asked to pose with us for
pictures like we were some explorers. We obliged and smiled and are probably
now an entry on a Facebook post for some friends of hers in Japan.
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| Indian Gardens - the half way point to the top |
We felt for a
moment like real “rock” stars.
We then headed to
the car (which was parked and left nearby the end of the trail when we arrived
on Wednesday) for our over night stay at the Miswak Lodge Friday night. After a
quick shower we walked (yes, we walked) back to the Visitor Center for some
souvenir shopping. What did I buy? A copy of “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand
Canyon.”
But I also joined
the Grand Canyon Association. It is clear that the federal government is not
fully supporting the park system anymore and without donations and fees our
precious parks would fall into more disrepair than they already are.
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| Climbing out of the canyon |
More than any other
hike I have ever done, this one has changed me, hopefully for the better. There
is something magical, spiritual and eternal about the Grand Canyon that has
always held a fascination for me. Now, after visiting its source, the very
river that carved it, I feel more connected to it than ever. I think it would
be impossible to do this hike and not be moved in some major way.
Would I do the hike
again? In a heartbeat. Perhaps someday I can take some of my children and
grandchildren on the adventure of a lifetime with me. Another dream yet to come
true.
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| Our lunch stop |
At the end of the
hike the only thing in my pack that I didn’t need was a set of boot ice chains
that I purchased in case we ran into icy trails. There was some ice, but not
enough to require the use of my boot chains. Everything else in my pack, the
rain poncho, the backpack rain cover, all my snacks and clothing were used
during the trip. I did have one ½-liter of water remaining when I arrived at
the top which meant I planned the ascent almost perfectly.
The dedicated and experienced hikers at the Voyager are the best. Over the years they have taught me many things and I appreciate them for be willing to share tips and for the encouragement they give so many people. I would not have achieved this wonderful goal without them. Thank you Voyager hikers!
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| About 1 mile to go |
I should mention
that all of this came to pass because of my wonderful wife Joan, who allowed me
the time and money to make this all happen. She stayed behind, landlocked in
our trailer without a vehicle to take her anywhere so I could do this.
She did have my
blessings for a date with the pastor of the park who used my Wednesday night
concert ticket to see the Everly Brothers Tribute group. She said it was a very
good concert.
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| End of the hike up |
We now head into
our last week here at the Voyager. There are lots of things yet to do, but we
also have to start the packing and off loading of perishable food that needs to
be done before our Friday (March 30) departure. We are looking forward to
seeing family and friends in California on our way home.
