caligirl56

BACKGROUND:
Itinerary: 4 nights in Grand Canyon National Park (including one night at Bright Angel Campground at the bottom) ; 1 night in Sedona

We had planned for all 5 nights of this trip to be at the Grand Canyon, but when we found out that Hermit’s Rest Road was partially closed, we decided that we didn’t really need the final night at the rim. We tacked on Sedona at the last minute and loved it there! Now we just have to go back when we can spend more time!

My husband and I are both in our early fifties. When we visit an area, we like to really explore it in depth. This usually involves lots of hiking! We consider ourselves to be in decent (but not amazing) shape. I had ACL surgery on my knee a few years ago, and have never gotten all the way back to the way I was before that. I had never seen the Grand Canyon before and my husband had seen it just once when he was 5 years old.

I also want to thank all of the people who answered my million questions over the last year. Your fantastic advice made our trip possible!

DAY 1 (SATURDAY, APRIL 26):

We flew from the Bay Area to Phoenix and then drove up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon (the drive took about 4 hours). We stopped at Mather Point for our first view of the canyon. I have to say—it was huge and of course beautiful, but my initial reaction was not the absolute awe that people have described. Maybe this was partly because the crowd was so huge—cars and people EVERYWHERE! Also it was extremely hazy—apparently just about the worst air quality they ever get (we later found out that a wildfire was burning nearby).

We checked into our room at El Tovar and went out on the balcony to relax. Almost immediately a huge condor soared into view. For the next hour, we watched (and photographed) several condors as they circled above and below the canyon rim. Some may think that they are not the most beautiful bird (with that red “vulture-like” head), but when they fly they are absolutely magnificent. There are only 200 of these condors left in the world—so it is even more amazing to watch them as they soar above the canyon. Then we wandered around and took some pictures of the sunset. The low angle of the light helped with the extreme haze, and the canyon really started to come alive for us. Following this, we had a late dinner at El Tovar. I have to say that they make a huge effort—the wait staff was delightful. The food is so-so (as others have said)—but the setting more than makes up for it!! Really!


DAY 2 (SUNDAY, APRIL 27):

I woke up and decided to walk along the rim at sunrise (approx. 5:30 a.m.). My husband always gets a slight touch of altitude sickness on his first day at a high altitude, so he decided to sleep in. There was still lots of haze (very poor visibility)—but I have to say this was when I “fell in love” with the Grand Canyon. As I wandered along the rim, stopping periodically, I was enthralled by the play of light in the canyon. And by how it all changed as the sun rose. A herd of 15 deer walked across the path right in front of me. I kept a bit out of their way, and we wandered along together for the next half mile. It was extremely peaceful—there were other people along the path, but everyone was sort of “communicating with the canyon” on their own. I felt as though I bonded with the canyon on that walk. What an amazing way to start the day!

After a nice breakfast at El Tovar we walked along the rim, visiting the Lookout Studio and Kolb Studio. These buildings were designed by Mary Jane Colter in the early 1900’s. She designed them to fit into the Grand Canyon landscape—and they do so beautifully. True “must sees”. There was a lot of condor activity around Lookout Studio. You could look over the edge and see four of them devouring something. And we saw another very young condor, just resting on a rock (his head still had feathers on it—apparently a sign of youth).

Since we would be hiking into the canyon the next day, there were a few details that we needed to take care of. First, we checked in at the Bright Angel Transportation Desk (we would be eating at Phantom Ranch the next night and we had to pick up our tickets). We also dropped off our duffels at the mule barn (since we had decided not to carry our tent/sleeping bags down into the canyon). Next we stopped at the General Store to buy some picnic food for the day, and some things to eat on our hike to the bottom on the next day.
--to be continued . . .

OO

Oh goodie!! One of my favorite hiking spots. We've had 3 trips...1st to the 1st rest stop. We knew nothing, sadly. 2nd to Indian Gardens. 3rd to Plateau Point. One day we'll have time and plan ahead enough to go to the bottom. Can't wait to read the rest of your report!!

caligirl56

oo--
If you made it to Plateau Point and out in one day, I would think that hiking to the bottom (and staying there) would be really easy for you.

Now I envy you--we would have loved to see Plateau Point! Everyone says it is absolutely amazing!

caligirl56

DAY 2 CONTINUED . . .

We spent the next few hours driving east along the rim, looking at all of the viewpoints. The farthest stop was Desert View Point where we really enjoyed walking up the stairs to the top of the Desert View Watchtower (another Mary Jane Colter building). The views from here were amazing—including a very nice view of the Colorado River. Apparently on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Painted Desert.

We turned back, and stopped at Grandview Point, where we planned to have a picnic lunch. It had beautiful views, and maybe this was why it was crowded with several bus loads of tourists. But, the amazing thing was that we just carried our lunch down the trail one or two switchbacks (one of the trails into the canyon starts here)—and we were all alone—just us and the view (and a few ravens!).

Next we stopped at the Visitor Center. It’s lovely, and it looks to be brand new. We enjoyed looking around, but I had hoped to read an explanation of how the canyon was formed. We looked everywhere, but couldn’t find anything like that. That seemed a bit odd. However, the mystery ended when we went to Yavapai Point. Here there is a small museum (with an amazing view I might add). There were lots of exhibits which explained everything you’d ever want to know about the geology in the canyon. If you are interested in the Indian history of the canyon, you should stop at the Tusayan Museum along the rim drive (again, I don’t think they have much about the human history in the actual Visitor Center). The visitor center seems to be for more general information. Actually--I think this decentralized system is a good one. It sort of forces people to spread out across the park.

On returning to the El Tovar area, we stopped at the Hopi House (another lovely building by Mary Colter). It is full of high quality Indian crafts. We had fun looking at everything—and probably should have picked up a souvenir (our only souvenirs from the trip turned out to be our Phantom Ranch T-shirts!).

Sunset was to be at 7:15 pm., so at 5:30 I started out walking along the rim, toward the west (my husband decided to hang out at El Tovar—I think the altitude was still bothering him a bit). I wanted to walk to Trailview Point, and then take the Hermit’s Rest Shuttle to Hopi Point to watch the sunset (the road was closed due to construction beyond Hopi Point). I have to say, I thought the views from Trailview Point were spectacular. You could see lots of the Bright Angel Trail—with people still slowly trudging toward the top! After this, I walked out to the road and caught the shuttle (very convenient, I think they came almost every 10 minutes). I got to Hopi Point by about 6:15 p.m.—and there were already a number of people there. So I picked a spot along the railing and just sat down on the ground. This way I could take pictures as the sun slowly set—and nobody could push me out of the way! It was amazing, because by 6:45, there were people sitting everywhere—on all of the ledges—it looked like a stadium. There had to be 150 people there—I’m a bad judge of numbers, maybe it was double that!

I caught the shuttle back and we had dinner at the Bright Angel Restaurant. Lovely view of the rim (although, of course it was getting dark). You can’t make reservations here, but you are allowed to call ahead—this worked out well for us. We started with prickly pear margaritas and then I had some kind of steak-related dish, while I think my husband had the salmon. Very enjoyable dinner! Then back to our room to prepare for our big day tomorrow!

--next: Day 3, hiking into the canyon! . . .

caligirl56

DAY 3 (MONDAY, APRIL 28):

This was the day we’d been waiting for! Our hike into the canyon. We got up and hurried so we could eat breakfast at El Tovar when the restaurant opened (6:30 a.m.). We planned to catch the hikers’ shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead at 8:00 a.m. (this is the last hikers’ shuttle—after that you have to take the regular bus which winds all around and takes longer).

Somehow, taking the first step into the canyon was just amazing (for me anyway!). We started down the series of switchbacks (along with about 50 other people!). If you want to be totally alone, you might want to wait until everyone disperses.

We were doing fine. The temperature was probably around 55 or 60 degrees. We were glad to have our hiking poles—as they help you to cushion your knees as you go down a steep hill. We took the obligatory pictures at Ooh-Ahh Point and continued on to Cedar Ridge. Here, we walked out to the point and sat to eat a snack. The views were magnificent. This highlights the reason to hike into the canyon. You get such a different perspective with all of the rock formations right around you. And finally—everything looked crystal clear. No haze. The visibility had still been very poor from above, but descending into the canyon had given us a whole new viewpoint. I can’t really find the words to express what it is like to travel down into the canyon and be surrounded by so many ancient rocks and buttes.

We continued on after Cedar Point—and discovered that many of the other hikers had fallen away. I think a number of them were day hikers who had planned to turn around at Cedar Point. As we hiked on down toward the Tonto Platform we passed a number of mule trains. We were traveling down through geologic time—each era designated by its own band of rock. In addition, we were descending through the various climatic zones. Near the rim, it was barely spring—the deciduous trees had not even leafed out yet. But as we descended we walked past century plants just about to bloom, and then more and more wildflowers. Toward the bottom, agave and yucca were blooming as well as some absolutely gorgeous yellow cactus (maybe prickly pear?). (I think it was already approaching summer, climatically-speaking, at the bottom of the canyon!).

Just before we reached the Tonto Platform we passed a couple traveling uphill that looked absolutely miserable. The man was carrying both packs—his partner’s pack on the front. It was about 1:00 p.m. and starting to get hot (probably near 90 degrees). Both looked very red in the face and were just staring straight ahead. We were worried about them, but there were so many people on the trail behind us, that we decided not to break their rhythm by stopping them to see how they were. I hope that was the right decision. We definitely would have stopped them if we didn’t think they were approaching a more populated area.

Soon we got to the first lookout where you can see the Colorado River. It looked so close. And it was a beautiful aquamarine bluish-green—not the muddy brown we’d expected!

I stopped to take care of my feet a bit. For the last few years I have really believed that I had finally found “magic hiking boots”, because no matter how difficult or long the hike, I have never gotten blisters with these particular boots. I almost didn’t bring any moleskin on this Grand Canyon trip because of that. Well—so much for the “magic boots”—I had blisters starting. Luckily I had thrown my blister kit in at the last minute—so I was able to take care of everything. I think maybe the heat makes your feet swell up a bit, and maybe since they get damp, that aggravates the “blister situation”.

My husband’s feet weren’t feeling great either. We had both tightened our boots with the extra knots at the ankle for downhill—to keep them from slipping forward. My toes didn’t bother me at all (except for blisters), but I think his hurt a bit. We had brought along “gel caps” to put over our big toes. He had used these from the beginning but still pounded his toes a bit. When we finally got home 4 days later, he noticed that one of his big toenails was starting to turn purple. I don’t think he had a full case of “canyon toe”—but maybe close to it!

Anyway, we were excited to finally be descending into the inner canyon. On down we went. I have to say, I was starting to get pretty tired of the wooden slat/steps that are all along the trail. Each one heralds another jarring step down. And I am told that later in the season these steps get even worse because human and mule traffic hollows them out!
I think we were lucky. The trail crews had done a wonderful job for us!
--DAY 3 TO BE CONTINUED . . .

enzian

Ah----so I can enjoy your report here too!


Yes, that first sight of the river is surprising---it can be anything from blue-green or turquoise to lime green, depending on the light. But it is a welcome sight.

And oh, those steps. On our first hike down, they had the hollows behind them---pits actually. You had to step from the depths of the pit up and over the wooden step, and then down---way down---into the next pit. At 5'2", I had a bit of trouble with that. The big guys who could step from one wooden step to the next had it easy, but I couldn't do that with my short little legs.

I'm glad you didn't have to deal with that.

I'll look forward to what you have to say about my favorite part of the trail---the long traverse on the slope below the Tipoff, and then the drop down to the River!

You write beautifully and really capture the spirit of the place.

sharondi

Great report. Looking forward to hearing the rest.

My first hike to the bottom was in 1980 - my first trip out west with a friend. Decided at the last minute to hike to the bottom and slept overnight in a tent. This was right before they built real bathrooms (and sewage treatment facility at the bottom). Our hike out the next day was torturous; very hot and long and slow. I was glad that we did it, but I clearly remember saying that I'd never want to do it again.

Of course, two years later I was studying geology in college and embarked on a 6 week geology/ecology field trip that took us to all sorts of amazing places throughout Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, AZ and, yes, we would hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and spend the night. At least this time we'd have the opportunity to study the canyon on the way down, layer by layer and plant by plant. It was awesome having our college professors right there to answer all our questions.
But once again, the hike out was brutal.

I look back on both trips very fondly and I am so glad that I did it. On a trip to the South Rim a few years ago with friends who had never been, we were all standing at the rim lamenting the fact that we didn't have time to hike down a ways. I was secretly chuckling to myself though, thinking "yeah right, I'm so disappointed".....

It is such an amazing experience but the hike out is something to be prepared for physically. Just thinking about it makes me tired....

caligirl56

enzian: I loved the part after the Tipoff too. We felt that it was reinvigorating because it was so incredibly beautiful. We just couldn't believe that we were actually so near the bottom of the canyon. Inspiring!

sharondi: I think that if it had been hotter I would have really disliked the hike out. My very worst part was the part between the Devil's Corkscrew and Indian Gardens--and I think this was because of the heat. It's ironic, because technically, it's probably one of the easier parts of the climb but I was literally having to remind myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Funny how things work out!

caligirl56

DAY 3 CONTINUED . . .

We loved this part of the hike. The trail beneath the Tipoff was full of wildflowers and offered expansive views of the inner canyon and river. The trail in front of us looked like a brilliant red ribbon. I think that this part of the trail actually went by too quickly for us. When you’re in constant awe of everything around you, it makes you forget how tired you are! We started switch-backing down to the river, and before we knew it we were at the tunnel leading to the black suspension bridge. We got a great photo looking the full length of the bridge from here. As we crossed, we enjoyed watching the rafts float beneath us. Several of them landed on the sandy beach below. Just beautiful. I had no idea that there actually were sandy beaches along the Colorado River. What a lovely surprise!

We walked along the river to the Bright Angel Campground and picked a site right next to Bright Angel Creek. We chose one of the last sites that we came to, which turned out to be a good thing: we needed to walk back and forth from Phantom Ranch, and this put us a bit closer! I think that the campsites across from the creek (rather than next to it) are generally a bit bigger—and maybe better for groups. And to be honest—both are so close to the creek that it really makes no difference. If you like to go to sleep listening to the water gurgling by, either will do. By the way—Bright Angel Creek is especially beautiful. Lots of white water sparkling in the afternoon light. And all overhung by the shiny green leaves of the cottonwood trees. Everyone knows about the Colorado, but Bright Angel Creek is truly special (and bigger than you might think!).

We hung our packs on the poles provided and headed over to Phantom Ranch to pick up our duffels. Since it was before 4:00 p.m. we were able to go into the canteen, have a lemonade (my husband had a beer), and relax in the air conditioning for a while. I wrote a few postcards (everyone loved to receive them—because they are stamped: “Delivered by Mule Train”). Then we picked up our duffels and headed back to the campsite to put up our tent. I soaked my feet in the Bright Angel Creek while my husband relaxed for a while. Be sure to keep your tent zipped—while we didn’t see any scorpions in our campsite, I’m sure there were some around. Also—apparently the scorpions can climb the poles—so keep your boots in your tent with you at night, or shake them out really well before you put them on! And zip your pack while it hangs on the pole!

We were enchanted by the bottom of the canyon. It is truly an oasis, filled with lots of vegetation and shady green trees. And as I’ve said before—wildflowers and cacti blooming everywhere! It is the perfect place to just relax in the heat—cooling your toes in the river. We felt so privileged to be there!

(A warning for foolish photographers: Apparently some of us will do anything to get a good picture. Along the trail to Phantom Ranch, there was a gigantic cactus absolutely covered with yellow blooms. It was one of the cacti that is spread out over a large area. I got bored waiting for my husband to get his stuff together, and so I decided to venture into the middle of the sprawling plant to take close-ups of the flowers. Well, I could have sworn that I didn’t touch any of the cactus spines at all. But, as I walked away, I started noticing pricking feelings all over my legs. I think that just my pants had brushed the cactus, and that the little spines had sort jumped from there into my legs. Luckily this has a happy ending!!-- It turned out that the spines were easy to remove—and once they were out, everything was fine. Still—be careful, it could have made for a very uncomfortable evening. My husband couldn’t believe I’d actually gotten into trouble just standing there waiting for him!)

Next we decided to walk back to the Colorado River to spend some time there before dinner (the Colorado is about ½ mile away from the campground). I probably shouldn’t admit this—because it’s sort of ridiculous—but since we were having our stuff carried down by mule, we actually had brought 2 small camping chairs with us. My husband took his—walked out into the very still shallows of the river, and just sat there relaxing. It looked like the “Corona” commercial (you know the one!) —except he had a water bottle in his hand instead of a beer. It was really beautiful—the rocks were bathed in golden light from the sunset, and this was reflected onto the river. And for anyone who is considering bringing chairs—you really don’t need them; there is a lovely sandy beach (who knew?)!! I had always pictured a really uncomfortable rocky shore.

Anyway, we walked back to our campsite and then on to Phantom Ranch for stew dinner (the 6:30 dinner is always stew—and I think the 5:30 dinner is steak). I wasn’t expecting much—but the stew was really good. Apparently people ask for the recipe all the time. The meal consisted of stew, cornbread, salad, and a nice piece of chocolate cake. We also each had a glass of wine—and LOTS of water. The man sitting across from us was actually staying at Phantom Ranch. I asked him to describe how great it must have felt when he took his shower. I was sort of trying to live vicariously through him—a shower would have felt really great at that point in time!

After dinner, we stayed for the ranger talk. At the end he pulled out a black light. He somehow found a scorpion on a rock—and when he shined the light, it glowed fluorescent green. We watched it sting a moth with its tail and start eating it. Apparently the scorpions hide under rocks during the day, but at night they come out to sit on top of the rocks because the rocks hold the heat. There is some chemical in the scorpion’s exo-skeleton that reacts with the black light to make them glow. Pretty interesting!

We went back to our campsite, drank lots more water, and settled down to sleep. We had left the tent fly off because there was no chance of rain. So, we fell asleep listening to the creek and looking at the stars through the screen in our tent ceiling. And when I woke up at about 3:00 a.m., I could see the moon way above the rim of the canyon. We both felt that we had one of the best nights of sleep that we had ever had while camping! (Maybe it’s because we didn’t have any kids with us!!).

Here’s another thing, though. I had consciously been drinking lots and lots of water all day long. I had thought I’d done a good job of it because I never felt thirsty. Just hot. But, I obviously failed. When I got up the next morning I had no need to go use the restroom (unusual)—I went in anyway—and I’m not sure how to say this nicely, but my “output” was extremely low—almost nothing. This might be an argument for using a camelbak. I had my water bottles easily accessible while walking—but I think I would have drunk even more if I could just take constant sips. Luckily—I never really seemed to have any symptoms of dehydration—no headaches, etc.

. . . NEXT: DAY 4--HIKING OUT . . .

OO

Ladies you are making me so jealous with your descriptions of the trails I haven't been on, and the views I haven't seen!!!! I have to do it. It's on my list. We will one day when there are no more time constraints. We go with our "adult children" at Thanksgiving, and trying to schedule leave for the 5 who are working, as well as lodging at Phantom Ranch, has proved impossible. And now 3 babies have been added to the mix, so I'm afraid we'll be doing it on our own. Our hikes there have created some of our all time favorite shared memories, and I'd love to do that one with them as well.

caligirl you do write beautifully. Your descriptions of the hike down capture the almost indescribable feeling of being in the canyon. I could almost feel the water of the creek as your husband sat in it...his feet free of those hiking boots! I just can't emphasize enough how important it is for everyone who can, to take a stab at hiking, even if just a short distance down. One's entire Grand Canyon experience becomes vastly different. It's hard to put in words, but you did it well, caligirl.

Scorpions give me the willies. I'd just as soon not see them before I got into my tent! Heck...we get them in our house here occasionally, and I'm sure if I took a black light into the back yard, there they'd be. I don't want to look. They can climb anything but slippery bathtub sides, by the way...the voice of experience!! So...I don't think camping and I would get along.

I've loved your report caligirl and am looking forward to your hike out. Isn't it a fun feeling to emerge from the canyon after the hike up and see the looks from those who aren't/haven't thought of, going down? Gosh...the entire trip is such a high and we haven't even made it to the bottom yet!

caligirl56

00:

I'm not fond of scorpions either. I was a girl scout leader when my daughter was young, and once when I was unpacking from a campout a HUGE one (5-6 inches) turned up in the bottom of a cardboard box. I hadn't even realized that we had them in the Bay Area. It was quite an unpleasant surprise!

I really didn't worry about them at the Grand Canyon though--as long as you zip your tent, you're fine!!

I hope you make it to the bottom with at least part of your extended family some day. I'd strongly recommend the campground if there's no room at Phantom Ranch (of course it takes a bit of effort to get camping reservations, too!). It would be a really fun multi-generational outing!

caligirl56

DAY 4 (TUESDAY, APRIL 29):

We got up at 5:00 a.m. because we needed to take down our tent, pack our duffels and be at Phantom Ranch for breakfast by 6:30 p.m. Just about everybody in the campsite was up and about. I think I saw only one guy still sleeping—clearly the day had begun! Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, canned pears, orange juice and coffee. A good way to fuel up for our trek back out. I drank huge amounts of water at breakfast, since I had decided I was dehydrated. I think that probably helped me during the rest of the day.

We picked up our lunches (which we had preordered)—looked through them, and took out some of the things that we didn’t think we’d eat (we had brought our own trail mix, so we took out the peanuts and raisins, etc.—also the oreos). No use carrying any extra weight!

We filled our water bottles and headed onto the Bright Angel trail at about 7:30 a.m. The trail took us along the Colorado River and across the silver suspension bridge. This bridge has a steel grid to walk on, so you can look through and see the river rushing below. Apparently the mules don’t like this—so they can only use the black suspension bridge which has a solid “floor”.

The scenery through here was spectacular. I kept stopping to take pictures of the morning sun on the river—the agaves—the sand “dunes”. Lots of large lizards were out sunning themselves—some of them looked like they were doing “push ups”—I’m not sure what was up with that. Anyway, my husband warned me that I needed to get serious about walking because it was getting hot, and we’d regret it later. Well—maybe we did, but only a little. I really enjoyed being by the river. And it was sort of a bittersweet feeling to finally head up out of the canyon. We definitely should have planned to stay a second night at the bottom. Our time there was much too short.

Anyway, on we went up the Devil’s Corkscrew, and then through a lush valley toward Indian Gardens. For some reason, this was the hardest part of the hike for me. We just never seemed to get to Indian Gardens—and when we finally approached, at around 10:30 a.m., it was already 88 degrees. I worried about how the rest of the day would go—I usually don’t tire so quickly. Maybe it was the dehydration after all; maybe it was the heat; but the good news was that things actually got easier after Indian Gardens.

We had to completely fill our water bottles at Indian Gardens, because the water up the trail had been turned off for repairs on the pipe (apparently this is common at this time of year—so always check before you continue hiking—don’t assume that the water is working further up the trail). This added a bit of weight to our packs since we both carried about 3 quarts of water. But we’re glad we did. I didn’t quite finish my water—but my husband finished all of his. We also mixed up some of the water with the electrolyte packets that we received in our lunches from Phantom Ranch. I think this probably helped too.

We had read somewhere that with each step you take as you climb out of the Grand Canyon, you are traveling through 100,000 years of geologic time. I kept reminding myself of that. It made each step seem so impressive! From now on our rest stops came at 1 ½ mile intervals. First the 3 mile rest stop, then the 1 ½ mile rest stop and finally the top. It made it seem easier to have goals like this along the way. We ate a different part of our lunch at each stop and took maybe a 15 minute rest. At one of the stops, we were told that a squirrel had chewed through someone’s backpack in 2 minutes—apparently trying to get some food inside.

The trail was nicely graded through here, the wooden slats more spread out—although every so often there would be a HUGE step up at one of the switchbacks. We have a picture of me walking up an 18 inch step. Yay for the hiking poles!!!

The best thing was that the higher we climbed up the trail, the more the temperature kept dropping. And then most of the last part was in shade (mid-late afternoon). As we got closer to the top, the trail got more and more crowded. One woman told us that she’d never seen people hike with “ski poles” before. We didn’t bother to tell her that they weren’t actually ski poles. We played “leap frog” with a group of 20-somethings during the whole last mile. I think they were day hikers—but one of the girls seemed to be having a lot of trouble. I asked how she was doing—she said that she was o.k.—but I wasn’t so sure. Anyway, at around 4:00 p.m. we reached the top! Not the fastest hike up—but we took our time and enjoyed some wonderful views and took some beautiful pictures along the way.

To celebrate, we enjoyed a beer on our balcony, showered and soaked in our final sunset at the Grand Canyon. After a nice dinner at El Tovar, we went to bed a bit on the early side.
. . . TO BE CONTINUED . . .

LindainOhio

Great report! We had a group of 10 visit the Grand Canyon last year--the last week of March. Seven camped at Phantom Ranch and 3 of us enjoyed hiking around the top--we all had a great time.

We're heading up to the Canadian Rockies this year. Can't wait.

caligirl56

Linda,
The Canadian Rockies are on my list too--but maybe a bit farther in the future. It should be beautiful!

caligirl56

A BIT OF ADVICE (from a first-timer) FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING HIKING INTO THE GRAND CANYON:

1. First of all, just do it! The hike down to Cedar Ridge would be a wonderful day hike. You’d really get a good feel for the canyon. But, I have to say that I found it beyond amazing to actually be at the very bottom, right next the Colorado River. The whole experience was incomparable to anything I’d ever done.

2. A camelbak might be a good recommendation for hydration. I know people have had trouble with them leaking. Maybe an alternative would be filling the camelback halfway and carrying the second half of the water in a bottle. That way if there was a leak you wouldn’t lose everything. I made a conscious effort to drink before I got thirsty, and apparently I got dehydrated anyway. I think a camelbak might have helped.

3. Morning temperatures rise very quickly. We hiked at the end of April when rim temperatures were rather cool (highs in the 60’s, lows in the high 30’s).

I think that the temperature was in the low 60’s when we started hiking out of the bottom of the canyon at 7:30 a.m. Therefore, I was amazed that the temperature at 10:30 in the morning (at Indian Gardens) was already 88 degrees!! This had happened in just 3 hours. Be sure to hike out of the canyon as early as possible. Seriously! I can see why people start walking at 4:00 a.m. in the summer!

4. Be sure to carry a bandana. If you’re hot (along the Bright Angel Trail, anyway), you can dip it in the stream and then wrap it on your neck, put it on your head—whatever.

5. Realize that the heat may give you problems with your feet, even if you normally don’t have problems. Bring moleskin, gels for canyon toe, etc.

6. I have a bad knee, and happily I had no problem with it. I really took care to use my hiking poles to their fullest, and I think this helped. I also tried to resist the urge to hurry downhill. (I did bring a knee brace along, just in case I had trouble—but I never needed it).

7. Even if it is your first trip into the canyon, plan to spend at least 2 nights at the bottom. We had decided to spend just one night. But, upon arriving we realized that we would have liked more time, just to drink it all in. We really, really didn’t want to leave when we had to. We’ll just have to go back! 

8. As you hike, take time to enjoy the scenery around you. And bring lots of memory cards and batteries. You will want to take lots of pictures. If you get tired or sore, just think about where you are—it will rejuvenate you!!

9. One more thing: if you buy a Phantom Ranch T-shirt (I think you can only get them at the bottom of the canyon)—I had the experience that ours shrunk in the dryer more than we thought they would (they’re kind of long and narrow to begin with).

. . . FINAL SECTION COMING UP NEXT!

caligirl56

DAY 5 (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30)
A WHIRLWIND VISIT TO SEDONA:

After breakfast we checked out of El Tovar, went to the mule barn to pick up our duffels and drove on to Sedona. It was an extremely windy day (apparently this is common during the spring)—huge gusts. We drove through the Oak Creek Canyon and as we passed the Slide Rock State Park we got our first glimpses of the red rocks that make Sedona famous. We drove on to Bell Rock—this would be the one vortex we could visit on this trip. We had lunch there. Not sure I felt the “masculine energy” that it was supposed to send out—hhmmm . . . . On the other hand, it was an absolutely exquisite place to eat lunch!!!

Then we drove back into town for our 2:00 p.m. Broken Arrow Pink Jeep tour. I had reserved this in advance, as we’d heard that they can sell out. We had lots of fun on this tour. We aren’t really “tour people”—but it was definitely worthwhile to hear all the interesting facts and trivia from the driver. And the drive was just plain fun. They take the jeeps over the most amazing rocks. Very impressive!

Finally we went on to the Enchantment Resort where we had booked a Junior Suite. This place was beautiful. And very deluxe! We had decided to “spoil ourselves” for one night—which was certainly easy to do here! We immediately went to the spa and got in the hot tub. The setting was perfect—the spa—the blue swimming pool beyond, and lots of greenery framing the red rocks in the distance. After this, we went to the bar, and sat outside to watch the sun set on the nearby cliffs. Beautiful. After showering we had a lovely dinner at the Yavapai Restaurant. It was wonderful—but next time we visit, we will definitely go out and try some of the other restaurants in Sedona.

DAY 6 (THURSDAY, MAY 1):

We decided to sleep a bit later this morning, so we finally got to breakfast at about 9:30 a.m. It was very good, but sometimes I prefer a buffet in the morning. It’s nice to have the option to eat more simply at breakfast. But what a setting!!! As we ate, we gazed at a huge red rock cliff—and at its base, we could see hikers starting the Boynton Canyon Trail. We definitely wished we had time to do this walk. Well—next time! I would love to come back and spend some real time in this beautiful town and its surroundings.

After packing up and checking out, we decided we had time to go up and visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross. We are so glad we did. The chapel looks as though it is somehow growing out of the red rock. And the views from the chapel itself are amazing. You can see what seems like all of Sedona. It’s a very peaceful and beautiful place. A lovely way to end our trip. Our ride to Phoenix was uneventful and our only regret was that our vacation couldn’t have lasted longer!

I guess if I could have figured out how to make this trip report any longer, I would have. But, I don’t think that would have been humanly possible. Thank you again to everyone who gave me advice and helped us plan this trip. We couldn’t have done this without you. And we had a wonderful time!

THE END

LizQ

What a wonderful trip report. This type of trip (Grand Canyan and Sedona combo) is on my "definite vacation to do" list. I've saved your report for future reference, for when I plan this trip. Thanks again.

Liz

caligirl56

Liz--Glad you enjoyed it!

selkiecm

I just loved your report -visiting the Grand Canyon and Sedona for the first time next month, same age as as yourself and wished I could just sit down with you and hear more about it! You've made it so vivid.
Thank you!

FainaAgain

What a wonderful description of the canyon, and of condors. When I was there, they just released 20 condors in the canyon, and our group tried to spot them


I want to go back