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A Walk in the Park--The Descent

3/24/2015

1 Comment

 
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I spent the night in Williams, AZ, which is situated on Route 66.  My first visit, kind of a neat town with lots of restaurants and run down hotels, only an hour from there to the Canyon. Driving to the Canyon, I am always struck by how barren is the landscape and nothing to suggest I am nearing something that is on the "7 Natural Wonders of the World" list.  Not like a mountain that you can see from a great distance.
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Gaining some elevation and even within 1/2 a mile of the rim, nothing suggests what you are about to see.  I remember my first visit, driving around a corner, glancing to the north and boom, my jaw just dropped.
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Things have changed a bit as there is now a large visitor center with ample parking about where I got my first look at the canyon.  I used to be able to drive directly to South Kaibab trail head, pull off to the side of the road and hop out but in its place is a convenient shuttle system.  It was cold (about 40) and the wind was blowing hard (25mph) as I waited at 7:45 for the shuttle bus to arrive.  Not wanting to carry clothes that I would soon shed, I just shivered and darted through the inviting doors when the bus came to a stop.  Lots of people think it would be colder at the bottom of the Canyon but you start the hike on top of a mountain (about 8000') and the temp is 25-30 degrees warmer at the bottom.
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I started the hike at 8:10am, hustling down the trail, soon reaching "Ahh Haa Point" a place with expansive views up and down canyon.  The wind was blasting at this point and a gust came from behind, blowing off my hat, never to be seen again.  A park ranger later told me there are more hats lost there then any place else.  Not good, spending 6 hours or so walking in the sun with no head protection. 
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At Cedar Ridge, a stop for the mule trains that transport people and sundries up and down the South Kaibab trail, I talked to a young couple, mentioning my hat predicament. They thought to offer me sunscreen so I applied some to the top of my head, probably now looking like a dork wearing a white beanie. Oh well, better that then scratching dead skin from sunburn for the next week.  I hoped at the bottom, at Phantom Ranch, there would be a hat available.
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The trail continues its knee buckling descent, reaching the ridge above which offers the first view of the Colorado River, still quite distant.
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No route finding needed to stay on this trail and those views!
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I think this is at "Skeleton Point" where the mules rest.  It would be unusual to walk the 6+ miles to the bottom without passing at least one mule train. 
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Closer, with knees and joints aching a bit from the pounding, I can see the "Silver Bridge", which I will be crossing as I head up the Bright Angel trail to exit the Canyon.  The South Kaibab is a "spine" or "ridge" type trail with lots of exposure to the sun and wind, no water but great views of the Canyon. 
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Entering a curved tunnel, I reach the "Black Bridge" and cross the river, as it roars beneath me.
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I stand aside as a mule train heads out.
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Reaching the bridge at a little over 6 miles, in exactly 2 hours so I wasn't running, just hiking and absorbing the down hill punishment.  I had snacked and kept drinking so I was in good shape but longed to walk on a flat surface or even to be going up hill.  From the bridge, it is a little over a mile of walking, much of it along Bright Angel Creek, to reach....
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Phantom Ranch.  Inside, I did the usual, bought a half ice tea, half lemonade drink with ice.  It tastes so good.  The small supply store had sold out of burnt orange baseball caps so I had to buy a pink one, now looking like a dork wearing a pink hat.  Not bright pink but by no means a masculine color. I filled in a post card and addressed it to my wife, which will be transported out by a mule and arrive in Ohio in about a week.  The snack choices are limited so I bought a pack of peanuts and also a "Snickers" bar, my first bad food item I have consumed since being out here.  I lounged for about 20 minutes and then walked out, a confident hiker wearing a pink hat.  The ascent, coming soon.

1 Comment
Visitor
3/24/2015 05:12:37 am

Wow, good images and report.

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    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

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