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PrologueWhat we are doing, and why we're doing it!Natural Bridges N.P. - 5/12/05 Petrified Forest N.P. - 4/30/05 |
5/01/05
We fulfilled a lifelong dream this week. We hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, spent the night in Bright Angel Campground, and walked out the next day. It was, however, not quite as imagined. It was better!
Carrying a backpack to the bottom and back is a noteworthy accomplishment. It's often said (and I agree) that it's on the scale of running a marathon. It was clearly harder than riding a Century (100 mile bike race which I did) or the triathlon that Barb completed.. The biggest difference between hiking the Canyon and a marathon is that it's a challenge that, once accepted, can't be abandoned. Once you've walked down, you have to walk back up under your own power. The Grand Canyon is one of the great personal motivators in the world. Standing a couple of miles from where you slept near the River, skin glistening with sweat, the sight of the Canyon rim many miles away, and many thousands of feet above will surely light a fire in your soul. The only way to the top is simply to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There is no alternative, no shuttle to the top, no spare mules to carry you up. You appreciate deeply that it's something that you have to do for yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that the effort involved was well spent. The Grand Canyon is amazing enough to draw millions of people each year to stand at the rim of the chasm. The spectacle at the rim gives only the slightest hint of the grandeur experienced most of the way down. Oddly enough, the very bottom wasn't the most awesome place to be, in our humble opinion. Most of the Canyon is simply not visible from the River. The area that lies most of the way to the bottom is where you sense Nature in all her true majesty. There are numerous trails into the Canyon. We chose the South Kaibab trail (7.0 miles) for our descent to escape the crowds, and the aroma left by numerous mule trains. We decided to return on the most popular trail, Bright Angel (9.6 miles), as it was the only trail with available water. As a backcountry permit is needed for any overnight stay below the rim, our adventure started with a visit to the Backcountry office. Permits are available in advance by mail, or on an in-person first come, first served system at 8AM each morning. Permits issued in person are always for at least two days in the future, so you need to have some flexibility with your time if you do it this way. We showed up in the morning and, as we were trying to time our adventure with the best weather (it was several days in advance), they were unable to accommodate us. However, they gave us the #1 spot for the next morning. First thing the next morning, Friday, we requested they check Monday's availability - no openings. But the ranger bent the rules and checked Tuesday for us. Fortunately, an opening was available in the campground. We were in!
The trip into the Canyon started with a shuttle ride to the South Kaibab trailhead. It was easy to spot the other hikers on the shuttle (big packs and bigger grins), and conversation about what to expect helped establish a sense of camaraderie. We had learned from our previous hikes that we would be seeing many of our fellow hikers again all along the route.
As we passed, and were passed, by several groups we struck up a conversation with a couple, Al and Jill from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We traded stories about adventures, both past and forthcoming, places we wanted to go back to visit and why, our jobs, lifestyles, etc. Chatting sure helps pass the time on a long, though beautiful hike. It also gave us extra people to "ooh and aah" with as we came around the next spectacular vision. The vibrant life of springtime was both a joy to see, and a prime topic for conversation with our newfound friends. We were immersed in the glory of Mother Earth. In our awe, we were treated to more than just springtime blooms, we were able to see the changes in the native flora as we descended to warmer elevations. It was a truly remarkable thing to see. As we worked our way downward we first saw early wildflowers and cactus buds waiting to flower. The further we descended, the wildflowers became more common, and cactus were in full bloom. As our 'home turf' is desert, we were able to share our knowledge of the flora and fauna with our new friends.
At some point during the constant parade of magnificent vistas, an appreciation of the enormity of the Grand Canyon began to settle into our minds. The huge expanse of the Canyon is, perhaps, simply too large to comprehend at the rim. From a perch deep in the Canyon where you can see both the rim looming above and the River deep below, the enormity of the Canyon permeates your consciousness. Perspective overwhelms the dizzying heights. It even overwhelms the beauty of the vibrantly colored cliffs. Only from the depths of the chasm can you understand how Grand this Canyon truly is. Far below the rim, we saw evidence of the Canyon's immense age. Laying along the trail were rocks covered with the fossilized burrows of marine worms. Thousands of feet below the rim, our footprints rested among the remnants of a sea floor hundreds of thousands years old. From one of the ranger talks we had learned that this whole area was one a shallow tropical sea similar to the Caribbean. To see actual evidence so far below the rim was cause for pause.
The gorge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is like a canyon within the Canyon. It's younger, it's sides are steeper, and it cuts through ancient Vishnu Schist volcanic rock that juts skyward instead of the sedimentary rock that makes up the rest of the Canyon.
The campground only has 31 camp sites, including group camp sites (therefore the need for permits). It stretches along the Bright Angel Creek, so we laid out sleeping bags out to the soothing sound of rushing water and slept beneath the stars. It did sprinkle off and one in the early evening and we spread out our 'space' blankets to keep our sleeping bags dry - we looked like we were sleeping under aluminum foil.
We rose early the next morning and set to repacking our loads. We took time to stretch our tired muscles - especially our calves and then re-assumed 'the position' beneath our packs. We walked back across the Colorado over a second suspension bridge (underneath it is the main water pipe that carries the water from the north rim to the south rim), and ate breakfast overlooking muddy rapids.
A lush area called Indian Gardens greeted us roughly half way up. By this time, the strain of the effort spent climbing had begun to take its toll. While not being exhausted, there was no doubt that we had been working hard. It was shortly after leaving Indian Gardens that the true rim of the Canyon first appeared. The sight of the rim was accompanied by the sobering realization that there was no other way to get there other than under our own power.
The break between weather fronts was closing rapidly; the last mile of the trail saw us trudging in brief showers with flurries of hail. We had perfect rain gear so this wasn't a problem. The storm filling the Canyon behind us created a dramatic view of buttes and spires between dark gray curtains of rain. About 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, we crested the rim after approximately 8 hours of hiking. The rain had stopped but we were greeted by a chill wind gusting up to 30 mph. We took one long last look into the Canyon, congratulated one another, then trudged back to the shuttle that would carry us back to our coach - our refuge with hot showers and cozy beds. We did it! Grand Canyon Photo Album |