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Day I (Saturday 10/10):
Six Motorola Hiking Club members – Dawn Lavigne, Paul Chiavacci,
Machell Short, Bill Short, Russell Kuhn, and Chuck Parsons – arrived
at Mather Campground on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on a beautiful
Saturday afternoon for the start of a five-day adventure trip into
Arizona’s crown jewel and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World,
the magnificent Grand Canyon. After a bit of preliminary sight-seeing,
dinner, and for a couple of us a great preview of the Canyon via a
remarkable IMAX presentation at Tusayan just south of the Canyon, we were
all ready to settle in for a good night’s rest before the start of
tomorrow’s trek into the Canyon.
The temperature was dropping fast as Russ and I were trying to get some
shut-eye in the reclining bucket seats of his Nissan pick-up. Just as I
was about to nod off, a thunderous, window-rattling roar that sounded
vaguely like a cross between a mating Bull Moose and an enraged hippo
jolted me awake. Glancing around, I was somewhat relieved to find that we
were not under attack after all by some alien force – it was only
a certain un-named individual sawing logs big time. Giving up on any
thoughts of sleeping in the warm truck cab, I reluctantly dragged my
sleeping bag into the cold, quiet solitude of the open truck bed,
eventually drifting off beneath the fantastic night sky of the South Rim,
with its dazzling array of sparkling jewels lighting up the heavens above.
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Day II (Sunday 10/11):
Dawn broke cold and clear (+28° F) early Sunday morning, with a sharp
bite of Fall in the air as the six of us, comfortably cocooned in our vehicles
for the night, eagerly awaited the Sun’s warming rays to loosen
cold, stiff muscles and joints for the day’s hike that lay ahead.
After a quick breakfast and last minute gear check, we caught the shuttle
to Yaki Point to begin our descent into the Canyon. At precisely 8:50 AM
we started down the first of 7.3 long steep miles of twisting, tortuous,
knee-busting, muscle-tearing trail known as the South Kaibab.
Our destination was the mighty Colorado River and Bright Angel Campground,
almost a full vertical mile below us and unseen from the Rim in the infinite
vastness of this Canyon.
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Descending into the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab Trail.
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The River! Near Skeleton Point we caught our first glimpse of the Colorado
River, a slender silver thread coursing its way through the Canyon far below
us, yet close enough that one could just hear the muffled roar of its distant
rapids and realize that, despite man’s attempts to tame and dam it
at several places along its journey to the sea, this is still one powerful
river that demands – and receives – respect from all but the most
foolhardy.
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Colorado River and Bright Angel Campground beyond Skelton Point
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This would be only the first of many great views of this awesome
river, which would grow progressively larger as we made our way down the
South Kaibab to our ultimate destiny of meeting it head-on at the Canyon floor.
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At about 11:00 AM we limped into a convenient rest stop known as the Tipoff
for a well-deserved lunch break, where we shared lunch with a couple of young
women from England and Australia who just happened to be trekking their way
around the world, and encountered a couple of pesky squirrels who were bound
and determined to dine with us. One begins to wonder if this area is called
the Tipoff because at this point your body may just be tipping you off to
make a decision to continue on, or do the sane thing and turn back.
Apparently we were all insane, as we ignored our aches and pains and blisters
and proceeded onward and downward and downward and downward into the very
bowels of the Canyon, more accurately known as the Inner Gorge.
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Pack mule train coming up from the Tipoff
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Colorado River, Trail, and Suspension Bridge
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Bright Angel Campground
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By this time the sun was beating down pretty intensely, and it was getting
warmer and warmer as we dropped in elevation and got closer to the Canyon
floor – we had set our course and there was no turning back now.
Weak-kneed and wobbly and now sweating bullets, I was about a half-mile
short of the Colorado River crossing at the Kaibab Suspension Bridge when
I was shocked back into reality by the sound of Russ’s voice crackling
over the Motorola TalkAbout, announcing his arrival at the Bright Angel
campsite. How had I fallen so far behind the rest of the group – must
be the heat; yes I will blame it on this blasted heat and the nasty
blister on my right heel that I somehow managed to pick up back at
the Tipoff. Eventually I round a bend in the trail and see the black
steel suspension bridge crossing the long-awaited River. What a welcome
sight this is! A short walk through a cool, dark tunnel, and you are
walking across the bridge looking directly down on the cold, swirling
waters of the mighty Colorado – the River of Legends!
Navigating the Colorado was certainly never this easy in years past.
With the rest of the group safely at the campsite by now, I bravely march
on through the now intense heat, nearly blinded by the sweat dripping into
my eyes, when I see the strangest mirage ahead of me – Machell
and Bill Short, feet dangling in the cool, clear waters of Bright Angel
Creek, reeling in a fat trout! Must really be losing it now.
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Kaibab Suspension Bridge
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River rafts and kayaks await their riders.
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Heat exhaustion? Finally arrived at camp to be cheerfully greeted by
Dawn, Paul, and Russ with the news that Machell and Bill are down at the
creek catching trout by the bucket-full. Unbelievable!
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After a while,
Bill and Machell return from the creek with six nice fat trout and offer
to share them with the rest of us for dinner. Nah – think I’ll
just stick with my freeze-dried rice and chicken dinner in a bag.
Really, thanks to both of you; we all appreciate it. Nothing like
fresh-caught trout after a hard day’s hike, or anytime for that matter.
What a great campsite this is, with a sheer cliff on one side and the
swiftly flowing Bright Angel Creek on the other side, all surrounded by a
lush canopy of trees and shrubs providing much-welcomed shade.
Actually, we are situated so deeply in this Canyon, surrounded by sheer
walls stretching endlessly toward that amazing azure Arizona sky, that
the Sun never really seems to reach our campsite. After a great dinner and
then an interesting lecture by one of the park rangers on the topic
“Creatures of the Night”, we retire to our tents for the night to
enjoy pleasant dreams of deadly poisonous Bark Scorpions and blood-sucking
Vampire Bats.
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Machell and Bill with tonight’s dinner.
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Hey! – What was that scratching on my tent? |
Bright Angel Creek, up close and personal.
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Bright Angel Campground by Bright Angel Creek.
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Day III (Monday 10/12):
The Intrepid Six splits up with Dawn, Paul, Machell, and Bill (the
youngsters of the group) departing for a twelve-mile round trip jaunt to
Ribbon Falls (see following report), while Russ and I (the oldsters of
the group) settle for a more mellow and shorter River Walk and Phantom
Ranch Overlook hike. Apparently the South Kaibab to Hell trail just
wasn’t punishment enough for some people, because at this point leg
muscles are really behaving strangely. Hiking uphill is not too bad, but
downhill is another story altogether, with calf muscles begging for
mercy with each downhill step. Boulder hopping downhill is a definite
no-no, with muscles twitching spasmodically and threatening to put you
horizontal to the ground at any moment. The two-mile River Walk Trail
sits high atop a bluff at the river’s edge and provides spectacular
views along its full length.
I wave goodbye to Russ as he bravely makes his way up the final steep,
boulder filled approach to Phantom Ranch Overlook, which by now bears a
remarkably striking resemblance to the Matterhorn. I wait around
admiring the view, looking at my watch from time to time, wondering if
he is ever coming back. After about an hour passes, I begin to seriously
think about contacting one of the rangers at Phantom Ranch to send in a
search and rescue chopper to pull poor Russ off some cliff face, where
he is no doubt hanging over an abyss holding on for dear life. Just as
I am about to hobble to the ranch to report this ominous situation, I
catch sight of Russ gingerly picking his way down the hillside. I would
ordinarily have run up to shake his hand, but I could no longer run
anywhere and hobbling up just didn’t seem to fit the bill.
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Colorado River along the River Walk Trail.
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Mule riders on the River Walk Trail.
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We all report back to our creek-side campsite to share our adventures of
the day and rest up a bit before dinner. Bill and Machell had fished
along the creek on the way to Ribbon Falls but did not find any more
nice fat dinner trout. Apparently word had spread among the creek’s
trout population that six of their brethren were reported as
Missing-in-Action from yesterday. This will definitely put an end to
fishing for some time, as I can attest from personal experience.
At least it makes for an interesting excuse for coming up empty-handed.
Dawn and Paul did have two trout left from yesterday’s catch, which
they graciously shared with me for dinner. (Correction: Bill and Machell
did indeed catch four trout, but returned them to appease the creek’s
remaining population.)
After dinner we head out once again for the evening ranger presentation, this
time on a less nightmarish theme – “Geology of the Grand Canyon”.
A thumbnail Geology 101 version of the Canyon’s formation goes something
like this: The seas came in and the seas receded, leaving billions and
billions of tons of sediment behind. The land uplifted. The Rocky
Mountains were born, giving birth in turn to the Colorado River.
The land uplifted again and the river slowly started cutting its way down
through the Colorado Plateau to its present-day level. Time and erosion
did the rest, and the Grandest Canyon of all was formed.
And you thought Geology was tough!
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Day IV (Tuesday 10/13):
Silver Suspension Bridge across the Colorado.
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The Devil’s Corkscrew.
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After a leisurely breakfast, we break up camp and bid a fond farewell to
our home of the past two days and nights at Bright Angel Campground and
slowly begin our two-day journey back to the Rim via the Bright Angel Trail.
Our destination: Indian Garden – 4.7 miles and 1400 vertical feet
above us. Legs, muscles, joints, heart – all systems are reporting
‘good to go’. Let’s do it! Things go pretty smoothly until
we reach a devilish series of rather steep switchbacks appropriately named the
Devil’s Corkscrew. (Little did we know what lay in store for us tomorrow).
Finally coming out of the corkscrew, the trail eventually begins to thread
its way through the Tapeats Narrows alongside Garden Creek before finally
reaching the lush, green oasis known as Indian Garden.
Our campsite sits under a massive, looming canyon wall that seems to stretch
to infinity in all directions. After lunch and a well-deserved rest break,
we begin to plan our last hike of the day, an easy 1.5 mile trek to Plateau
Point with its great view of the Inner Gorge and the Colorado River, some
1400 feet below. Dawn and Paul head out to the point early to enjoy a cozy
dinner and sunset over the Gorge. The rest of us arrive later to share the
beautiful sunset over the Inner Gorge of the Canyon, no doubt one of the
greatest of all sunset locations.
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Sunset from Plateau Point
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Day V (Wednesday 10/14):
After a quick breakfast, we again break up camp (didn’t we just do this?)
and bid farewell to Indian Garden to start the final leg of our ascent back
to the Rim – 4.6 miles, but this time with an elevation gain of 3100 feet.
This is going to be a challenging climb to say the least.
As we slowly
struggle (at least some of us anyway) back to the top, mastering one series
of switchbacks after another, we discover a startling new law of physics.
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Mule riders, dead ahead!
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As actual pack weight decreases, due to prior consumption of most foods and
a gradual depletion of water reserves, phantom pack weight actually
increases as the journey wears on (more so if it is uphill), to the point
where a 50 pound pack becomes a 100 pound pack near the top. Absolutely amazing!
Just when you think you have seen the worst that Bright Angel can possibly
throw your way, a horribly fiendish torture device called Jacob’s Ladder looms
ahead in the distance, a steep, tight series of switchbacks that goes on
forever and ever. Were it not for the fact that we were obviously ascending,
one would swear this must be the Pathway to Hell.
Three and one-half hours into this final leg of our five-day journey, Bill
and Machell cheerfully announce to the rest of us still-struggling poor
souls that they have reached the summit. Behold – they have seen the light!
Dawn’s voice comes over the TalkAbout and it sounds something like “I
hate you!”, although I’m not really too sure of anything at this point.
But it isn’t too long before she, Paul, and Russ are all standing on top
of the Rim wondering “What in the world is taking Chuck so long, is
he taking the rest of the day to get up here?”
I continue to struggle on, cursing Jacob and his blasted Ladder all the
way – just who in the world came up with this idea anyway? Whatever
you do, don’t look up to the Rim under any circumstances.
The more you stare at it, and the closer you think you must be getting to
it, the further it recedes into the distance! It’s almost as if we
are on some kind of strange backward-running escalator – one step
forward takes you two steps back. Or it may also be that I am just
hallucinating at this point. Finally, by High Noon I too am standing on
top of the Rim, looking smugly down on the rest of the poor shmucks
struggling up Jacob’s Ladder – that is, after I finally catch
my breath and my heart settles back into its normal place, having jumped
ship earlier somewhere along the trail.
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Last view of the Grand Canyon and Plateau Point.
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Somewhere along Jacob’s Ladder you may swear that you never want to see
this Canyon again – at least you never want to even think about hiking
it again.
But when it’s all over, and you regain your composure and
realize the magnitude of what you have just accomplished – what a hike,
what an absolutely incredible experience this has been!
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To backpack into the Grand Canyon all the way down to the Colorado River
and back up to the Rim is without question one of the most rewarding and
gratifying experiences in the world of hiking and backpacking.
This up-close-and-personal type of exposure to the full scope and grandeur,
to the sheer size and breath-taking beauty, to everything this Canyon has
to offer – what mere words and pictures cannot even begin to adequately
describe – is surely for most of us an almost religious experience
if nothing else. We are all the wiser for this experience, all the richer
for this opportunity. If you have never taken on this challenge before,
give it some careful consideration and make sure that you are physically
and mentally up to the task, for this really is one of the greatest
experiences that this life has to offer – and it’s all right
here in this very special little corner of the world called Arizona.
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Paul Chiavacci wrote:
One of the things that I remember fondly, was catching and eating trout
fresh out of Bright Angel Creek. They were delicious and most memorable.
I have never camped and eaten what one could catch or hunt. Most memorable.
On the hike to Ribbon Falls, right after the first set (2) of bridges,
there was a canyon off to the left – south of Bright Angel – that
I would like to explore the next time I am in the Canyon. It would be an
interesting place to bushwhack. One never knows what one may find.
You might add it to your interesting places to explore while in the Canyon.
Russell Kuhn wrote:
Had a really great time on this trip. Enjoyed the hike, the scenery, the
Canyon, and the company, although at this point I’m not sure when I will
be hiking the Grand Canyon again. I think I would like to hike on fairly
level terrain for awhile before tackling the Canyon again.
RIBBON FALLS REPORT (according to Dawn Lavigne)
Having “visited” the Bright Angel Campground twice already and both
times deciding NOT to take the 13 mile round trip hike to Ribbon Falls on
our “rest” day there (I had lots of excuses ... all valid ... i.e.
sore feet, sore legs, sore back, tired, need a break, want to relax,
don’t have enough ibuprofen, need a beer, etc., etc.), I had made up my
mind that this time I was going ... for sure! And I did. I even dragged
Paul along, and later he dragged me back. While Paul and I hiked, Machelle
and her hubby, Bill fished their way to Ribbon Falls. Unfortunately for us,
they didn’t want to carry all those beautiful trout there and back.
Wonder why?
The hike there was superb. We traveled for a long time through box canyons
and over four separate bridges over the Bright Angel Creek. I was surprised
to feel that I was traveling uphill the whole time. All together we did climb
about 1,600 feet over the six plus miles to the falls. There were some wet
sections of the trail, where rock hopping was in order, tall grassy sections
(even taller than Paul) to push through and then it was across the creek to
the falls. We were lucky with weather and shade. On the way there, the box
canyon protected us from the hot sun, yet the sun was out and bright for the
last mile and during our one hour at the falls. Then, for our return journey
we had some light cloud cover, which kept us out of the hot afternoon sun.
Machelle and Bill left before we did, fishing rods slung over their shoulders.
Paul and I had hiked a few miles before we saw them at the creek’s edge.
They reported on their fishing skills and then we continued on. The trail
is well marked and easy to follow and we meet up with some people along the
way who were more than happy to tell us that the falls were just around the
next bend ... RIGHT! We reached the beautiful Ribbon Falls at around noon.
First, we took off our boots and got our feet wet. Then we settled on a piece
of shade and ate lunch. I climbed up the side of the falls and Paul took the
shot that you see here in the report. It was slippery up there. Yes, I was
being foolish being there.
Apparently there is an Upper Ribbon Falls and an Upper, Upper Ribbon Falls
(that is if you are up to the climbing), we weren’t at that time.
Although the bit of Ribbon Falls we saw was spectacular, it concluded on
rocks and formed a shallow creek, hardly somewhere one could bathe.
But, I’m told, there is pool at the first Upper Ribbon Falls, which
is perfect for bathing. Also, we were told about the mostly undisturbed
Anasazi ruins that one can investigate in the upper falls area.
Personally, we were content to rest our weary feet and bodies, catch a
little sun, eat a little food and generally watch the scenery!
Machelle and Bill arrived just as Paul and I were putting our boots back on
to head out. We soaked our clothes and hats to protect us from the hot sun,
said good-bye to Machelle and Bill and our new friends from Norway and headed
out. The hike back was all downhill and felt shorter than the hike to the falls.
We arrived back at the campground and found our comrades asleep in their tents.
It seems that we weren’t the only ones to get more than our fair share of
exercise that day.
The question of whether this hike was too much for the “rest day” has
come up. My response to that is that the Ribbon Falls hike was a challenging day
hike on its own. We survived, but there are many nice hikes
close to the campground which I have equally enjoyed. Also, we found a side
canyon that has a creek, which feeds into the Bright Angel Creek, which
definitely needs investigating (but, bring the radios ... because you’ll
be bushwhacking). Whatever anyone decides to do, my only advice is to do
it within your personal limitations, whether those are physical
(“Hey, I’m a jock” sorts) or mental (“I’d rather
have a beer at Phantom Ranch” sorts). The object is to enjoy the Grand
Canyon and have your personal “moment”, whatever that may be.
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