After the preliminary steps of reserving space at the campground, signing people up for the trip, making carpooling arrangements, deciding what to bring on the trip, etc., etc., etc., the next big hurtle is trying to stuff all of that camping gear into the vehicles.

On a backpacking trip, where you are toting everything on your back, you have to think carefully about every single item you put into that pack to minimize weight as much as possible. Ounces quickly add up to pounds, and those extra pounds in your pack can translate into discomfort and pain on the trail.

But on a car camping trip we don’t have to be nearly so cautious and adhere more to the motto “Better to have and not need than to need and not have.” As a result, we often take along everything but the kitchen sink, and sometimes even that in a portable form.

Chuck, Quy, Wendy, and Ajay, with photographer Wayne recording the scene, look over a map of the Grand Canyon area after arriving in Flagstaff. The latest weather forecast is calling for a 40% chance of thunderstorms over the weekend, and one look at the heavy, overcast skies leaves no doubt about that.

We eat a quick lunch at Roma’s Pizza (great pizza joint, with huge portions) and start heading north for the Grand Canyon, wondering how soon our windshield wipers will be called into action.

Quy looks on as Ajay, Bill, and Wendy begin putting up one of the nine tents we have scattered across three adjoining campsites at Mather Campground.

The planning for this trip started weeks earlier with two campers and two people staying in hotels and in the end wound up with eleven campers and four lodgers. Campers prevail!

Chuck, Ajay, and Quy attempt a tricky maneuver to install an oversized air mattress into her tent. It takes several minutes of finagling and fine-tuning, but we finally manage to coax the bulky mattress into place with little room to spare.

But for Quy it will mean not only two nights of blissful sleep, but freedom from counting campground sheep as well.

Rain showers pelted all of us a time or two on the long drive up Highway 180 to the canyon, and we were beginning to have serious concerns about the weather for this weekend. Skies are still gray and threatening when we finally arrive at Mather Campground on Friday afternoon.

Fortunately, Bill has brought along his large blue tarp for a rain shelter, which he quickly puts into place over one of the tables.

This will come in pretty handy, especially on Saturday afternoon. Good planning, Bill!

We rise in the early pre-dawn hours on Saturday morning to eat a quick breakfast and catch the park shuttle out to Yaki Point, one of the better view points on the South Rim to watch the first rays of the rising sun breach the rim and slowly begin to paint the canyon’s walls, terraces, cliffs, and temples in a fusion of soft pastel colors from pink to burning gold. Although we arrive at the point a bit late for the best pictures, we certainly aren’t disappointed with spectacular scenes like O’Neill Butte rising majestically out of the canyon and cliffs of stone ablaze with the early morning light.

We stay at the point for almost 45 minutes before the light show is over and then take the shuttle back to camp to rendezvous with the rest of our crew. From there, we shuttle back to the Visitor Center transfer point and then start the long seven-mile hike out to Hermits Rest, at the far west end of the West Rim Trail.

Large cumulus clouds are already gathering on the horizon, but for now it looks like good hiking weather with a starting temperature of about 70 degrees.

This part of the Grand Canyon around Plateau Point and Bright Angel Canyon, seen from the lodges and many points along the West Rim Trail, is probably one of the most photographed areas along the entire South Rim.

Plateau Point is reached via a 1.5-mile spur trail off the Bright Angel Trail out of Indian Garden.

At 3,740 feet above sea level, this is one of the few places in the canyon, accessible by hiking, that looks down directly onto the Colorado River, 1,300 feet below the point.

Bright Angel Canyon is a major tributary canyon, carved over eons of time by Bright Angel Creek running over 14 miles from the North Rim to the Colorado River.

Although the point looks like an easy hike from the rim, distances can be very deceiving in the Grand Canyon, a hard lesson that leads many inexperienced hikers to over extend themselves and get into trouble. Under any circumstances, it’s a tough 12-mile round-trip hike into the canyon and out to the river overlook. And don’t forget the 3,120 feet of elevation gain on the return hike to the rim.

To her credit, Quy is the only person in our group of hikers who somehow manages to hike all the way out to Hermits Rest. In the face of the approaching storm, the others wisely decide to take the shuttle out to the end and pose for this picture before the full brunt of the storm catches up with them and all hell breaks loose on the South Rim.

Threatening storm clouds have been gathering strength throughout the day, and by about 1:30 PM on Saturday afternoon we see heavy rain falling over the canyon. It’s very common for verga rain to fall in the canyon and never quite reach the canyon floor a mile below, but this rain seems heavy enough to be falling on the Colorado River and any hikers on the canyon trails below.

At the same time, dark thunderheads are scuttling in fast from the south, and it looks like we could get hammered at any moment.

By now we are hopelessly scattered along the trail, and I am hiking completely alone. Light showers soon follow and I continue on, determined to make Hermits Rest at the far west end of the trail.

The showers intensify, and I am forced to stop and pull out my raingear. But before I can even get it completely secured around me, the showers rapidly transition to a driving downpour and the winds start howling straight across the canyon. Soon sheets of rain blow almost horizontally across the ground, slashing lightning followed by booming thunder moves in even closer, and then it begins to hail. Stinging hailstones the size of large peas penetrate through several layers of clothing. I take refuge under a large juniper tree to escape the rain and hail and wait out the storm, hoping it will eventually let up so I can continue on my way to trail’s end.

Rain is coming down so hard now the trail has turned into a muddy flowing creek bed, and I realize there is no longer any hope of continuing the hike. If I attempt to get back out on the trail after this, I’m concerned that the heavy winds and the slippery trail at the very edge of the canyon rim might put me on a quick one-way trip to the bottom of the canyon. So I reluctantly head back up to the road, trying to remember where the closest shuttle stop is located. Although I had heard several shuttle buses and passenger cars zipping along earlier, the road is now strangely quiet with no traffic at all. I decide to head back east and am soon soaked to the skin from head to toe, despite my raingear. The whipping winds and the driving rain are relentless, and then I suddenly realize that my hiking boots are fast filling up with water as I slosh along down the road. I turn my back to the wind and rain, but it doesn’t matter at this point anyway since I can’t get any wetter or colder than I already am.

About half a mile down the road, a sympathetic couple stops and offers me a ride. The driver is from Colorado and his beautiful young bride is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Before her marriage, she could have easily represented Argentina in the Miss Universe Contest and won hands down. But getting back to reality, they also have their year-old, cute-as-a-button baby boy with them, cooing softly with Mom on the back seat. I try to think about something interesting and witty to say about Argentina, but can’t seem to come up with anything. But getting back to reality again, I tell them to just drop me off at the nearest shuttle stop, and they insist on taking me all the way back to the campground. I can’t thank them enough when they deposit me at the Mather Campground entrance and resist a strong urge to kiss the lovely bride in eternal gratitude for their kindness and good deed for the day. Let’s see now – what was I saying about thunderstorms? I’m just looking forward to sweet dreams about Argentina tonight.

Meanwhile, back at the campground …

Please note that we will continue with our time-honored tradition and long- standing Arizona Trailblazers policy – “Whatever happens at the campground or on the trail and whatever is said at the campground or on the trail shall stay at the campground or on the trail. All violators of this policy will be severely reprimanded with 2 lashes from a large wet lasagna noodle.” (From Page 246, Article 45, Paragraph 23, Line 17 of our official Policy & Procedures document.)

Let’s be honest here, Bill. Have you ever had a better birthday in your entire life? I mean, how many people get to celebrate their birthday with such great people as this motley crew and at the Grand Canyon, of all places? Okay now, enough celebrating – let’s get down to serious business and eat some cake already!

Sunday morning dawns bright and clear at Mather Campground, with a temperature of 55 degrees, cool but not nearly as cool as we thought it would be this weekend. It’s going to be a perfect day for hiking the rim of the Grand Canyon (and it will be even more perfect if we can stay dry and beat the thunderstorms today). We sit down to a hearty campground breakfast of hot oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, Canadian bacon, bagels, yogurt, coffee, orange juice, and for a couple of adventurous souls, leftover chocolate birthday cake. You gotta be kidding me! Birthday cake for breakfast? Yessiree Bob – very first time for me also. After breakfast, we break down camp and pack away everything into our vehicles before heading out to the Visitor Center shuttle transfer point, where we will meet the rest of our group. We then take the shuttle out to South Kaibab Trailhead at the far east end of the East Rim Trail. From here, we will hike west back to the Visitor Center.

Debbie, Wendy, Ted, Ajay, and Laura gather at one of the numerous spectacular lookout points along the East Rim Trail.

The question begs to be answered: Is it possible or even practical to attempt to capture the size and the sheer magnitude of this seemingly infinite chasm carved over a mile deep into the Earth’s crust?

Many a writer, painter, poet, and photographer has attempted and failed to convey the full essence and meaning of this unique natural phenomenon we call the Grand Canyon. But that certainly doesn’t keep the rest of us from trying, and trying, and trying ...