Dreamland:
The alarm rang at 3:15 AM. I woke up and did not need to hit the snooze. I barely slept actually. I switched of the TV at about 9:30 the night before and slept. I was awake at about 11:30 though and couldn't go to sleep. I was far too excited about the next day. At some point, I dozed off. I dreamed that I was boarding the bus to the canyon along with the team. I knew it was a dream when I saw captain Jerry since I knew he didn't make it to GC. It was 2:15 and I went back to sleep rather quickly. The last hour was when I slept best.
I was ready pretty quick. I called David to make sure he was up and then headed down to the cafe shortly after 3:30. Judy and Ashley wished me luck and went back to sleep (at least Judy did). I wished Judy a happy Birthday before I left.
We collected our lunch sandwich and got a continental breakfast. We also got to meet our guides, Travis and Brian. Travis is actually from Marietta, GA and was very familiar with the places we had hiked as part of our training. He now lives in Flagstaff. Brian is a Ph.D. in Geology and teaches at ASU. He gave us a lot of info about the canyon. So much so, we named him "Doc Rock".
Sunrise:
We trudged out to the bus at about 4:30 AM. We had expected the temperature to be low and I was wearing a light jacket. There was another group also on the bus with us. They were going to hike the South Kaibab trail. I was seated next to Dave and as we were riding the bus, he was trying to get some last minute fund-raising emails sent using his Treo. Unfortunately, there was no cell-service inside the park and he couldn't get that done. We could already see the skies lightening up and it was a 11 mile ride to the Grandview point. There were a few points where we drove right by the canyon and I was able to take my first glimpses of the Grand Canyon. The enormity of the canyon suddenly dawned on me.
We got to the parking lot in time to see the sun come out. It was truly spectacular. The team spent quite some time taking pictures. We saw the Colorado river far in the distance. Superlatives such as "spectacular", "awesome" and "beautiful" were being liberally thrown around. We watched the sun come up over the North Rim and we could see the canyon change with the increasing light.
After some last minute instructions from the guides, it was off to Horseshoe Mesa. It was not at all cold and so the jacket was packed into the backpack and I started the hike with just a tee-shirt.
Horseshoe Mesa:
The hike down was at a relaxed pace affording plenty of opportunities for photographs. Brian kept giving us lessons on the Kaibab layer, Coconino Sandstone, etc. I enjoyed this aspect of the hike. I guess it is not very often that you have a Ph.D. in Geology take you on a tour of a geologic marvel such as the Grand Canyon. I have since found some pretty informative sites online about the geology of the canyon. Check it out.
On the way down, we stopped at Coconino Saddle for snacks and bio-breaks. Past the saddle, we saw several century plants(agave) in bloom. We also saw abandoned copper mines and mining equipment. The hike was at a very relaxed pace and we took another break at the old cookhouse when we reached the Horseshoe Mesa. There was supposedly a "toilet" here, but according to some of the hikers, it was best not visited - if you know what I mean.
After a short break, we continued along the western rim of the mesa. We had a brief part of the trail where the trail got real narrow with drop-offs on both sides. halfway through the section, Doc Rock turns around and says, "I guess I should have asked if anyone is afraid of heights". sense of humor indeed. Well, we did make it past and got to the very end of the horseshoe mesa with a good view of the valley below. We saw the Colorado river and it was a lot closer than when we had seen from the Grandview point, but it was still pretty far away. It was about 10:00 AM and we broke out the sandwiches.
On Horseshoe mesa, we saw two different types of cactii and they were all blooming. There were a lot of bugs and many intent on taking up residence in my ear. dealing with them was the toughest part of the hike yet.
The descent was steep and rugged at times but it didn't seem to be as hard as the Coosa backcountry trail that we negotiated twice as part of our training.
Exploring Caves:
Brian told us about these caves on the sides of horseshoe mesa that we could visit since we were doing okay on time. Getting to the cave involved going off the trail and descending about 75 feet along a very narrow trail on the side of the mesa. Brian had a few flashlights and about half of us went into the cave first.
Apparently these caves were under water and were formed about 300 Million years ago. They run for hundreds of miles and are a constant 76 degrees year round. We really cooled off in there. We kept going deeper into the cave and there were a couple of places where we had to be on hands and knees going from one room to the other.
There was one place where we had to descend about 15 feet from one room to another. We got to this place where visitors from the past had left their signatures. There was P.D. Berry from 1897, Miles Brothers from 1906 and many more. Brian apparently left a record of our visit as well although he wouldn't tell us of the name he used or where in the cave he left it. Oh well. We got to one room and had to do what every cave explorer apparently does - turn off all our lights and see how far into the distance we could see. I could not see my fingers when they were an inch from my eyes. No amount of time was helping our eyes get used to the lack of light. freaky.
By this time, the fine dust on the floor was all over and we were breathing in liberal quantities of it. It was time to head out and let the second group smell the dust.
The sun comes out:
The second group was in there for about a half-hour or so and we headed out at about 12:30PM. The sun broke out of the clouds and we could feel the temperature going up. Doc Rock stopped us just after we got off Horseshoe mesa to point out the parts of the canyon where the stratification was along inclined lines rather than along horizontal lines. He mentioned these this was due to a fold in the crust caused by Tectonic action over the millenia and that that particular fold extends all the way into Utah. He pointed out a particularly large butte that was inclined and this particular formation was called the "Sinking Battleship" for it's shape and the angle at which it lay.
As we continued on the hike up, I started to get tired rather quickly and was dragging my feet. I had been eating my Clif bars and drinking my protein drink regularly. I also had an electrolyte drink called HEED of which I had consumed almost all of the 20 ounces that I carried. I had also been snacking on pretzels for the salt. So I was a bit confused when I felt the sharp twinge in my right heel at about 1:30 PM. I tried to continue on but the twinges kept coming and I took a big step above this one particular rock and my right calf and left wrist were now cramping. I could not grip my hiking poles.
I took a seat on a rock and popped an Endurolytes capsule. Rita Grayson also gave me a Crystal Light powder of which I took two packets, mixed in about 16 ounces of water and drank that in almost a single gulp. Sandy suggested I take one more Endurolytes capsule and stick to a dosage of two every hour. She also had me do a few stretches. They all worked and I was starting to feel much better very soon and started the hike back. We had just started on the part of the trail with the switchbacks and so I took it pretty slow since I wasn't sure how well I had recovered.
We reached the Coconino Saddle at about 2:30 PM. I checked my water reserves and I had slightly less than a quarter of my Camelbak left. Several others had already run out of the 120 Ounces and others were close to running out. Luckily for us, Sandy carried a ton of extra water and Travis had been walking around with a 2.5 liter bottle of water in his pack for just such an eventuality. After a 15 minute break, We headed back up.
Hey, there's a rattlesnake:
At 3 PM, I popped two more Endurolytes and continued up. At this point, I felt well enough to get back to trying to take pictures. I realized that the fine dust from the cave had settled on all the glass surfaces of the camera and had gotten caked and I couldn't seem to just wipe it off. All the pictures since the cave appear softened because of this problem and I didn't take too many pictures.
I did have to take one picture of the rattlesnake though. Doc Rock had to call mission control to have a bus sent for us and so he decided to go off trail so he could make a clearer call using his Satellite phone. he promised great views and a few hikers followed him. Scott Powell followed the hikers but chose to wait in the shade under a tree. He pointed casually to the rock over which him and all the others stepped over and said - "hey, there's a rattlesnake".
There was indeed a pink rattlesnake all coiled with his head under his body. We made enough of a commotion that he peeked out but seemed to go right back to sleep. Scot made his way back over the boulder and waited for the others to return so he could photograph them as they made their way back around the snake. The picture he took of Sandy was priceless. Well everyone made it back without incident. We also learned that the bus was already waiting for us at the parking lot.
Ice Cold Water:
As we hiked up, we started seeing tourists who were just taking the view from under the rim and getting a taste of the trail. Someone in our group said "Civilians.... that must mean we are close to the end.." We were indeed very close to the trailhead and completed the hike shortly before 4 PM. I took two more Endurolyte capsules and just stood gazing out at the canyon. I noticed Horseshoe mesa down below and even the cave we explored.
The place was teeming with tourists and one of them asked me how long it took for us to get to the river and back. "I don't know ..." I said, "we never got to the river ". In any case, we took some group pictures and headed to the bus. Our driver was handing out cold water bottles from a cooler. Oh, how sweet that water tasted. I sat in the very first row of the bus not wanting to walk anymore than I really had to.
Celebration:
We were going to meet at a bar at the bright Angel lodge for drinks, but it was almost 5PM when we reached the lodge. Judy and Ashley were waiting along with the Markert family - Dorothy, Dana and Delaney. They had seen the IMAX movie at the visitor center earlier in the day and walked 3 miles along the rim and then waited for us to show up. It was Judy's birthday and she even got a free admission to the IMAX.
We boarded a park shuttle to where Dorothy had parked the car. On the way, we saw two huge elk that were sporting massive sets of antlers. We got back to the hotel and had just enough time for all of us to get a shower and head down to Dinner.
Dinner was a south-western affair, with tacos, ground beef, fish, chicken, etc. I loaded up on coffee, proteins and cheesecake. After dinner, it was time to dance and Ashley had fun doing the Chicken Dance and the Macarena among others. Some of the hikers from other teams seemed to be having fun and provided plenty of entertainment for us. We did not stay long. Most everyone headed back around 8:30PM. It had been a long long day, but one that I will definitely remember for a while.
Encore:
We made plans to go out to Grandview point the following morning so Judy, Ashley and the Markert family could see the sunrise. The plan was to meet at the Lobby at 4:30AM. I woke up at 4 and found a note under our door from Dave saying they won't be making it. They were going to sleep in so they could go back later in the day and hike a bit. I met Katie, Sarah and Scot in the lobby waiting for their 5AM departure to Phoenix.
Judy, Ashley and I reached Grandview point at about 5:30PM. It was a bit chilly and Ashley was wearing my huge yellow jacket. We watched the sun come up and I showed them Horseshoe mesa, the cave and the approximate route of the trail. We also got to take a few steps into the trail before they headed back to the warmth of the car. I stayed a little longer, went a little further and reflected on the previous day.
We headed back to Tusayan after stopping at the park entrance for pictures at the National Park sign. We got a good breakfast at McDonald's and I crashed for a couple of hours since I knew I would be driving most of the way to Las Vegas.
I think, we all had a great time at the Grand Canyon. It was every bit as advertised and is an experience not to be missed.
Photos:
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