The fact that this hike ever got off the ground was because the universe was on our side. First of all, I had to convince Jacqueline that we could all handle this. Second, I had to have a really good friend that actually worked down at Phantom Ranch. Third, he had to actually be working given that the government was shut down for many days prior to this. Lastly, the weather had to work out. I was checking it for days before and it was looking good. I was even able to see the Bright Angel Trailhead from the webcam available on the NPS website and everything was looking good. The trail looked clear and free from debris. We had been staying with Jacqueline's aunt Kris in Cornville, Arizona just outside of Sedona.
We flew out to Arizona earlier that week and we rented a car. After a rainy day in Sedona which we made the best of by finding a trail to get some running in, we were headed north to the Grand Canyon. The drive was uneventful, but the wait at the entrance gate nearly drove me crazy. Knowing that we only had so much time before the hike started, it was quite infuriating to have to stay in a line of cars a mile long just to get to the trailhead. When we got to the front of the line, the Park Service worker seemed very happy to let us on through without having to pay. We drove out to the Pipe Creek Overlook area where we found a parking spot. Then we were throwing on the overnight packs and were off for a trip down into the Grand Canyon.
The beginning of the trip was unexciting because we were hiking with our full packs on the rim trail which was paved for bicycles. It was great being back in a place where I was familiar. I love the Grand Canyon and living back here would be great. It was at one point where I was reminiscing about the mule corral at Yaki Point when I walked right into the branches of a pine tree which gave me a nice big cut right across my forehead. It bled a little bit and was somewhat painful, mainly when I started to sweat. It just kind felt like a sunburn. We did make it to the start of the trail where we topped off our waters and used the restroom before beginning the descent into the Grand Canyon.
Then it was down the trail. Now, Jacqueline was concerned about the drop offs, but she was pretty happy to see that the trail was very wide. The biggest issue for us was the throngs of people. It was a very busy place with lots of humans to pass both uphill and downhill. I made a few of them uncomfortable with how close that I got behind them, but some people seemed totally unconcerned that we were carrying heavier packs and were headed much farther than them. It kind of remained like this until we got to Ooh-Ah Point. This gave the people a place where they could say that they hiked into the Grand Canyon. This was sufficient to many people, but we kept going. Soon we were encountering many mules.
There were some that were hauling stuff and there were others that were hauling people. There were even some that were doing trail work. No matter what, we had to get out of their way so that the trail was clear. After that it got much quieter. The trail at times seemed to be a place where we had it to ourselves. As we continued down through all the layers, past O'Neil Saddle and going down the Redwall, the views were fantastic. For the most part we were all hiking together with Jacqueline often bringing up the rear when she was taking pictures. Everybody was doing great and I was happy that everything was going so well with the clear blue sky and the warmer than normal November temperatures.
Down, down, down we went and as we were going down the Redwall, we ran into the halfway sign. This is what makes the Grand Canyon feel so massive is that it already felt like we had climbed down a long way and here we were only halfway. The trail continued around until we were pulling into Tipoff. Here I got to relive some stories with the kids and the wife about days on trail crew. A lot of this was like reminiscing to a life that I had lived long ago. I spent my high school years at the Grand Canyon and worked for the Park Service in my teens and early 20s. It was an amazing place to be a young person and it helped formed me into what I am today. Still, there were a lot of stories I am not so proud to tell my truly amazing kids.
As we continued on past Tipoff, we got our first views of the mighty Colorado River. This one large river had helped to carve this massive hole. I noticed that the South Kaibab looked so beat up and I realized this was because the mules had been using this trail rather than the Bright Angel. Personally, I preferred the Bright Angel with its greener surroundings, but the South Kaibab was nice too. The only issue was that there were huge divots all over the trails from the mule traffic. It really could use some work, but I guess we are not paying Park Service people like we used to. The trail continued down and down until the Black Bridge came into view. This would be our crossing point.
I was really proud of how well everyone was doing as the sun was starting to go down in the Canyon. We had spent the whole afternoon hiking down and would be arriving just in time for our friend Tim to get off of work. Tim was a ranger and worked down at the bottom of the canyon. It was the perfect job for him because he was super comfortable with very difficult medical situations and this was sure the place for very difficult medical situations. During the summer, there could be multiple heat related incidents going on here. This time of year, though, it was probably a pretty nice quiet place to have a job. We crossed the black bridge over the river and I filled the kids in about the time I rode a cable car over the Colorado. It was probably one of the scariest experiences in my life.
We walked past the Indian ruins and the boat beach. Then we went past my Dad's old house. He used to work down here running the water and wastewater treatment plant. It was under construction and his house seemed a bit worse for the wear. 28 years earlier, I had spent many great days there. There is nothing like being a high school kid without any other cares in the world to truly appreciate how much this place could shape someone. It had propelled me into a future of loving the outdoors and I longed to spend many more days enjoying this place. We continued on and I was surprised at how quickly Phantom Ranch was upon us. In my memories there was this separation between the Ranch and my Dad's former house, but the campground was right there.
We saw a Park Service employee across the Bright Angel Creek talking to some campers and we waved. We thought it could be Tim, but it was hard to tell from here. We continued on past the bunkhouse and over to the Ranger Station. We took our packs off and sat down at the front porch after determining that Tim was not there. Soon, some other Park Service people came up and we talked with them for a little bit until Tim came by. I was excited to see him. Tim and I worked together at Zion National Park and he had spent many nights staying at our house in St. George. He was very welcoming and gave us the choice of where we wanted to sleep. The Ranger Station was not quite as I remembered it, but it was still in good shape. We stayed where the Interpretive Ranger typically stayed in a room of our own while the kids had bunk beds in another room. After a little bit, we decided to take a walk through the Ranch. I was amazed once again how close everything was. There was the amphitheater and the cabins. There was the dining hall where people could make reservations for dinner. We looked inside, but continued on our way enjoying the creek as we walked the pathway as far as the trail let us go. The North Kaibab was closed at the Clear Creek trail junction, so we had to turn around there. Still, it made me long for more time and more days in the Grand Canyon.
We hiked on back to the Ranger Station where we all enjoyed a freeze dried dinner. Not too exciting considering there was a full kitchen, but I figured it made sense because it was easy to carry and prepare. Tim played games with us and shared stories of all his medical exploits here in the Canyon. He is a great guy and we all get along with him really well. We stayed up slightly later than normal, but not too bad as we were all pretty beat from the workout that we had that afternoon without thinking about the difficulty the morning would bring. The bed was pretty comfortable and I think we all slept rather well at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
We all got up early and tried to get off to an early start. We had dinner reservations in Phoenix that night and I was to make sure that we made that with time to spare. Tim was hiking out on this day also, but he would get a more leisurely start with other things to take care of down at the Ranch. Still, we ate breakfast and snapped a photo making sure to let him know just how thankful we were for his hospitality. Then it was time to go up. The beginning started easily enough walking through the Ranch where we were surprised to run into a deer just hanging out right by the trail as if it was no big deal. We said hi to it and then were on our way out to the black bridge to commence crossing it again.
This was truly a work of engineering genius and for us it was our last respite until the climb. Uphill we would go. Now Zyla, Conrad, and I were all runners and Jacqueline even dabbles in that also. So, this was just another day in the park for us. We really just kept a pretty steady pace stopping every once in a while to get some food in our system and some water to balance out the lost sweat. The whole way up it was mainly Zyla, Conrad, and I hiking together with Jacqueline just a minute or two behind us. We would stop at certain points, wait for her, but it wasn't long before she showed up. In fact, we were doing pretty great getting out of the canyon. It was a crisp morning, but all and all, the weather had been fantastic.
We hauled ourselves up to Tipoff, then we hauled ourselves up the Redwall. Everyone was in good spirits and I think the kids were starting to realize that they were going to do it. It was a real accomplishment for them. Both Jacqueline and I had been down the Grand Canyon before. She had been there on a river trip a couple of times while I had been numerous times, but for the kids this was a first experience and a confidence builder to realize that there were many things that they would be able to do. They were handling it like pros with Conrad right on my tail and Zyla just right behind him the whole time. We passed some mules and many humans, but this part of the trail was actually quite quiet with people every so often, but not too busy.
Even as we got closer to the top, it still was not nearly as busy as it was the day before. As we approached the top, the mules slowed us down just a little bit, but we were able to make it out in under 4 hours which was pretty good. I don't think there was a single group that passed us on the way up, which was always a goal of mine when I hiked out in high school. I was so happy for the kids that we got to make this trip and it was pretty emotional for me to be able to share this with the people I love. This was a special place for me and I was glad that I got to experience it again in a different way with my family. I would have to come back in the future, though, as the Grand Canyon will still be there for further adventures.
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