Waiting for the three in the helicopter
Walking down into the canyon on Bright Angel Trail down to one-and-half mile lookout
Rain and wind on way back up
Hail as entered the art gallery first used as base to photograph the canyon
More hail as moved to the art studio which had a balcony for great views of the foggy canyon
Fog began to roll in as we stopped at the Bright Angle Lodge and Hoki House
Finished at Vermont's store as the hail and rain receded
As walked to catch bus we passed the old railway station where a herd of deer were eating by the tracks
Hail and rain began again so rather than cook outside we went for Mexican food. Mmm, Chimichanga
Evening by a very warm fire with some massive logs we got for free to burn, and a guide from next door delivering Jim Bean Bourbon to warm us up some more
Distance:
Total Distance:
I'm not much of a one for flying over stuff. It's great and I'm sure others get much more out of it than I do. Yet for the significant cost and the feeling that I might as well be watching a video mean that it's just not for me. I'd rather walk it, drive around it, climb it, maybe even kayak down it. So when the other 3 from the group opted to fly I was going to go for a wee hike. As it was though they got an earlier flight that booked, as there was a space. This was lucky given the later weather conditions. And given the short time they'd be I just hung out chatting with our American tour guide. Once they'd returned we were off to see some of the park properly.
With the rules that govern the park our tour guide wasn't allowed to accompany us in the park. Go figure. He could give us advice and a plan though. Free shuttle bus, part of a trail into the canyon, then the rim.
The trail we took down was Bright Angel Trail, one of the oldest and most popular. It is possible to go right down to he river at the bottom. However this is requires an overnight stop by the river. The canyon is that deep- ascent takes a whole day. One can also join a mule train, hiring out a mule for the two day trip down into the canyon and back. Provided you can plan a year in advance, as that's how long the waiting list is.
Easier, less time consuming options include all of the various lookouts along the route. There are several of these points and they are advised places to turn around. Most have toilets, a shelter for rest and to eat, plus you can always tell people afterwards exactly how far you made it!
We began just before lunch time. The weather was a little cold but sunny. As we went down though thunder could be heard over the horizon and we got a couple of slight spattering of rain. This worried me slightly. There had been some discussion of going down to the Three Mile Shelter. We stopped for lunch at the One-and-Half Mile shelter for lunch. From here we could see cloud coming in as we got some great pictures and video of the worryingly tame chipmunks that had been trying to steal our sandwiches. Afterward we decided to just go back up. Which was a great decision.
One of the major issues they have with people hiking in the Grand Canyon is the inversion from normal hiking. On the hills and mountains people are forced to go up energy zapping slopes, either getting to the top or as far as they can before coming down, which can require more thought but far less energy.
A canyon on the other hand allows people to descend first. Many keep going down until they are tired. Then they try to go back up. But they're tired. And going up requires so much energy. And they have none. So 500 people a year call the park authorities to be rescued.
We probably wouldn't have joined that statistic, yet once we did make it back to the rim the rain began to set in. Then became hail! We watched from the windows of an art gallery as the canyon disappeared in the cloud and the landscape became covered in hailstones. We made a dash for the art studio next door. After a few moments by the heater we ventured out onto the balcony. Here we could watch more of the canyon disappear as hail built up.
We carried on around this tourist village along the rim. Cloud built and receded, the hail hit in waves, and the air got colder. The historic Bright Angel Lodge is a large, old, establishment, with hotel rooms, a museum, bar, restaurant, and gift shop. It was very warm and filled with people like ourselves, sheltering from the elements. Needing to get a move on a the day wore on though we went over to the Hoki House. This was built a long time ago for tourists to look like an authentic Indian style house. Inside it is filled with things for tourists to buy, mostly made by local Native Americans. We were kind of hoping for a little history in here too, and didn't find much in the way of novelties we wanted, so went back out into the cold for one last stop. Vermont's is half museum half store. We had a quick look around their history of the Canyon timeline, but we were all becoming tired.
We went to the shuttle bus via the old railway station. By this point the weather was muggy but improving. Hence we had a little time to take photos of the mule deer foraging in the bushes along the track. Later on the bus our driver would point out three elk by the road, and stop for a moment as we took photos. Finally though we made it back to our tour guide and bus- where the heating was turned up as the cold evening drew in.
A couple of minutes in the cold, wet, campsite it was decided tonight was a good night to go get Mexican food! We had a mix of foods, myself having a Chimichanga. It was the first thing I saw on the menu and my choice had absolutely nothing to do with the Deadpool movie, honest.
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