The Heat is On

We left Bright Angel camp at 0600, got to Indian Gardens (our destination for today) at 1030 in time to beat the afternoon heat.

No problems, but now we're discovering "uphill muscles". Packs are supposed to be getting lighter but I can't tell. Maybe Tom has been secretly loading me up!

Hot this afternoon, glad we're off the trail.


Added Later:

This evening we hiked out to Plateau Point to watch the sunset and get even more astounding views of the Canyon....you can't see this from the South Rim.


Later we saw the International Space Station pass directly overhead. And of course you can see a hundred times more stars at nite with no city lights to interfere.

Up, Up, and Away

Now the hard part...a two day climb back out. Each day is about 4.5 miles, and as you can see from the map we're going from around 2500 ft altitude to nearly 7000 ft! We'll camp at Indian Garden Monday nite, then gaasp our way to the rim on Tuesday. Looking forward to shower and a steak dinner.

Kodachrome

If this were "Survivor" I would have been voted off the hike yesterday. I took at least 85 pictures, and would have taken twice that many if Mr. Joe and Tom hadn’t been constantly urging me to “keep moving.” They even tried to trade me to another group of hikers that liked to take pictures! But since today was a rest day there was no timetable and no destination and they told me that I could take all the pictures I wanted.

After breakfast at Phantom Ranch—scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and great coffee- we hiked north about a mile and a half or so along the Bright Angel Creek and we got back to the Phantom Ranch around midday had a nice cold lemonade then took it easy during the afternoon (the thermometer says it's 110 in the sun).

We’ll be hiking down to the river this evening, then hit the sack so we can get an early start tomorrow. We hope to be on the trail by 6 am to beat the heat.

One Fine Day

We made it!





I knew when I got my first glimpse of the Canyon while riding the bus to the trailhead that this trip was going to be unforgettable.
It's simply indescribable.
It took six hours total; that included a couple of long (20 minute) rest breaks and lunch breaks.

The scenery is breathtaking, it changes as you move down the trail, so there is a constant thrill. . . well until the last hour or so. By then, the end is in sight, all sorts of new muscles are making themselves felt, and it's getting hot.


No matter....our camp is next to a wide, swift, cold, creek and ten minutes of soaking our feet wipes out that last mile.

Extra bonus the camp is not so primitive, there are bathrooms and drinking water too.

Tomorrow we will eat breakfast at Phantom Ranch and have easy hikes in the canyon.






Comments from Mr. Joe:
It was so cold this morning that Josh was wearing a coat.
Dad thinks that it is more of a tourist site not a seven mile hike.
Dad had to stop every five minutes to take a picture.
Tonight they will be resting their feet for tomorrow.

Editor's Note:
Dad dictated this to me over the phone this evening, and everyone is in great spirits. The word "indescribable" was used many times in the description of the hike. He mentioned the weather was warm but there is an occasional wind that cools you off. I expect to be speaking to him sometime tomorrow evening.

Beginnings

This is what the first day looks like--all downhill. The total distance is 7.3 miles, the altitude drop about 4800 ft, and of course the temperature will go from around 70 at the rim to possibly 100 in the canyon.

We'll spend two nights at the Bright Angel Campground.

By the Time We Get To Phoenix

We successfully got thru the most tense moment of the entire trip ---

All the luggage made it!


We had a great flight to Phoenix, with only a little turbulence over Kansas…we saw this house with a little girl and a small black dog fly by…OK, not really, but we arrived on time, had a bite to eat and headed north.

Gorgeous scenery as we drove up to Flagstaff, about 120 miles and 5000 ft later. We’re staying overnite in Williams Arizona, along a little stretch of old Route 66. What a place, it’s like jumping back in time 30 or 40 years.

Tonite, we get the packs ready, have a light dinner, then hit the sack for a 6 AM departure.

Having fun with the GPS on the plane.



Wow, that's fast!

Packed and ready to head out to BWI. Our backpacks are in the laundry bags.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

We are about to take off. Check-n and security screening was a breeze, so we had plenty of time to grab some coffee and breakfast.

The flight is pretty full, but we had "A" boarding passes, so we have seats together.  (They did announce that the middle seats are the most comfortable since they are sat in the least.)

Closing the door....we're on the way.....

Stormy

So, off they go into the woods of Patapsco State park...but nobody checks the weather forecast about thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. By the time I notice darkening skies outside my office and call to warn them to seek shelter and I'll come and get them, they're already caught in a real downpour...lightning, 40 kt wind gusts, the whole bit. They were in the middle of preparing lunch (one of those dehydrated meals) when the weather hit.

After some confusion about the rendezvous point, I pick them up about a half hour later soaked to the bone, but give them credit...they had rain gear, pack covers, and a dry change of clothes...they would have done well on their own. I think there's more to their adventure than has been revealed, Josh even shot some video which I can't wait to see......anybody hear banjo music?

Meanwhile, in what has become, literally, yesterday's news...Tom's knee looks great, no pain, no swelling.

Oh, and they never did get to eat the lunch.

Good Vibrations

Tom has been cleared to make the trip!

The Doc twisted his knee and leg in all sorts of unnatural directions....it actually hurt me to WATCH....and there is no pain at all.

Josh and Tom are going to make a full-pack test hike this afternoon to confirm that everything is OK, meanwhile, I'm off to work to wrap up things there.

Thursday we'll get things around the house in order....have to cut the grass or it will be a jungle when we get back....drop JoJo at the doggie hotel, and pack up for Friday's departure.

Anticipation

Tomorrow morning we go to the orthopedic specialist.....stay tuned.

Take It Easy

Tom has been going to physical therapy three days a week, and is off the crutches, but the final verdict comes when he sees the orthopedic doc on Wednesday. Since he has been ordered to take it easy, we have not done an overnite "shakedown" hike, but I think we'll be OK. As I have mentioned before, Josh and Joe are experienced backpackers, they have prepared us well this far, and I think they will keep us squared away on the trail.

We're taking care of all the final details...making sure the first aid kit is complete, test-packing gear and clothes (and maybe pick up an extra pair of socks!). I really should try carrying the full pack around the block a couple times to make sure I can really handle this! The first day will be all downhill, so how bad can it be?

Up On Cripple Creek

Tom is on CRUTCHES!!!!
(Ed. note---as of 5/28, he's walking without them, just in time for graduation)
He hurt his knee playing "ultimate frisbee" and it swelled up so much that you couldn't tell there is a knee in there.

Doctor says there's a 30% chance it will heal in time for the trip. He's undergoing pretty intense physical therapy, so we'll see. Meanwhile we are moving forward with the planning.

We met with Josh and Joe to go over final packing lists and discuss menu selections for meals. The guys are going to try some dehydrated meals to see what they like, then we'll make the final purchases a few days before we leave.

We have all the major equipment items, just have to pick up some miscellaneous things....like more water bottles...they tell you to carry at least 4 litres of water when you start out every day. As those who have visited recently know, this stuff has taken over most of the family room, it will be amazing to see if it all can actually fit in two packs!

Walk, Don't Run

We did some real hiking in Patapsco State Park today...about two and a half miles...on the trails, up and down, rocks, stream-crossings, a little mud. Not at all like walking on a roadway or thru the mall. Everybody carried their packs too, although I'm still practicing at the lower level with a day pack.

In addition to the exercise and the fresh air, we got an important lesson out of our trek today. Tom and Josh, being faster, tend to get ahead of Joe and I. Eventually they stop and wait for us, but by the time we catch up, they have had a nice litltle rest and are ready to blast off again. After a couple cycles of this...with no rest for the weary...we have decided that from now on, the old, slow guys will lead and set the pace.

Grazing in the Grass

So I got this new piece of exercise equipment today. At least, that's the way Rose sees it. She believes grass-cutting is a recreational activity.

The first cut is always the most painful...drag the mower out of the shed and pray that it will start, even though I never do the pre-winter maintenance, like draining the gas tank. Prayers are not answered, so after several hours of cleaning fuel lines and carburetor, trips to two garden stores for new spark plug, assorted imaginative vocabulary, I finally go to Home Depot and buy a new mower.

Selection is aided by a newly-trained saleswoman ("I reallllly enjoyed my lawn mower class!"), who helps me read the signs on the different models. It comes down to a choice between Toro and Cub. Toro engine looks exactly like the one at home that doesn't run, so I settle on the Cub.

Perky salesperson actually helps me load the mower onto a cart (but not into the Jeep), as well as offering various accessories, such as hearing protectors. I'm thinking that the hearing protectors would have been needed for my family yesterday while I was trying to get the old mower to start. No thanx, I say, the only thing I need now is somebody to walk this thing around my yard for the next couple hours. She smiles, pats my arm and says she could use somebody like that too. I am outta there!

These Boots Are Made for Walking

We bought new hiking boots Sunday, and immediately started breaking them in with a 5-mile walk. (I had a pair I bought a couple years ago and wore them for a week or so until I gave up--they were killing my feet.) Now that we're having better weather and more daylite, I am also making my target of 20 miles per week.

One day last week I took another stroll along the Catonsville Short Line. If you're familiar with the area, you know the trail passes through the grounds of the Spring Grove Mental Hospital..or whatever the politically correct name is for such institutions. So, here I am, walking along, hoping I look like I DON'T belong there. Suddenly I'm imagining a couple of guys in white coats escorting me into one of the buildings. Walking around inside the mall doesn't seem so bad after all!

Saturday in the Park

Hershey Park, that is.
What a great day, the weather was unbelievable.
Tom and my niece Elizabeth and I rode all the wooden 'coasters; Elizabeth didn't "qualify" for the Great Bear, but Tom and I took two "spins" on that as well.
I give myself credit for about 3 miles walking...offset unfortunately by a ton of junk food, so the scale will not be my friend Monday.

Alice's Restaurant

You can get anything you want...at Alice's Restaurant....

Arlo Guthrie's 1960's antiwar narrative that revolved around a Thanksgiving Day littering incident came to mind today when I was walking along the old Catonsville Short Line right-of-way.

Here, off the side of a side road, at the bottom of a fifteen foot cliff, was a big pile of garbage. Household garbage, dirty diapers, empty food containers...not the usual remains of a six-pack or a Mickey-D carryout.

Since I had my camera, I took some pictures, ending up with 27 eight-by-ten color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against the perpetrators.

Now this isn't about Alice, or the restaurant, it's just a rant. Who would dump garbage along a neighborhood walking trail anyway? In this case, I'm afraid that justice will be more blind than usual, and nobody will have to pay for this crime except people like me who had their walk spoiled.

Day Tripper

We went for an extended walk in Patapsco State Park today, covering a little over six miles. Didn't really qualify as a hike since the trails were very muddy so we stayed on the asphalt and gravel paths. Even though it was chilly and damp we got a good workout and did some exploring along the river. Lots of memories for me from the days when my best friend Harry and I used to hike in the area.

I carried a backpack with some bottles of water, a radio to listen to the O's game, some snacks, couple of ponchos, and one of those survival knife gizmos with pliers and scissors and what not --maybe 8 or 9 pounds total. Speaking of that, some friends offered to let us borrow their backpacks for the Canyon trip, so there's another equipment item checked off.