It’s a Small World

The best laid plans of mice and men, oft go awry. – Robert Burns

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“Wait for the Hikers Express just down the street at the Blue Line bus stop” they said when we checked the evening before. We wanted it all to go like clockwork cause we really wanted an early start to beat the heat. The Flex was parked at the Bright Angel trail head and there we stood in the early morning light, shivering like crazy while we waited. And waited. And waited for the South Kaibab trail head bus. Several phone calls later, we realized we had been misinformed, the Hikers Express was so not stopping there, so there was nothing to do but wait for the next bus that would transport us the few miles we needed to go.

It was after 7:30am by the time we were done using the reeky trail head toilets and filling our water bottles. Adjusting our packs one last time, we headed down.

It was an easy descent, and the trail wasn’t too crowded. The first few miles had some day hikers, but after that it was largely just us. It’s truly astonishing seeing some of the folks that are out “enjoying nature” on a hike. Some were awfully tippy and out of breath, even falling on the path, but on they descended. Part way down we passed a long mule train, hauling something up from the canyon. The path was so narrow i wasn’t sure we’d be able to squeeze by, but they (and we) were well behaved and no one was forced over the edge.

There is no potable water on that trail, so anyone who thought I was packing down a ridiculous amount soon was happy for it. And I was thrilled to share, since it made the pack lighter! We stopped for a rest halfway and tore into our snacks. Talk about a wide range of tastes. We all packed our own food, since no one could really agree on what was good hiking food, and it was a real swap meet. I believe I am the only one who hiked with Pringles. YUM! Zach had a large amount of bagels and peanut butter, which somehow must have kept multiplying. He was always eating them, and every time I looked the bag seemed as full as ever! Seth’s chocolate covered peanut butter balls were reduced to a melted wad within an hour, and he didn’t seem to think squishing them into his mouth was very cool. Vast amounts of electrolytes were consumed as well, and when we were rested and fueled we trotted on.

It got hotter and hotter the lower we got, and when we finally saw the river I think we all felt like horses heading to water. It was still a long way down, but at least the goal was in sight. Jared was seriously hoping to see a snake, but none were in evidence. There was a pretty spotted lizard with neon underthings that was intriguing, and copious amounts of normal brown lizards, but no snakes.

Helicopters kept coming and going to a construction site near the Black Bridge and we watched them drop their loads with great interest. There were excavators and everything down there so I guess they dropped them in by chopper too.

Walking over the Black Bridge was so exciting, and so was the Heat. It was 107* down there, but there were a few clouds to give us relief from the relentless sun. Carla was heard wondering if Rees B. Griffiths’ grave near the trail would perhaps be hers too. I am happy to say she’s not a prophetess.

We had two adjoining campsites, and it was with thankful hearts we hung our packs on the pack tree and sank gratefully onto the picnic table. Our smorgasbord of lunch was laid out, with Spam and Tuna being the most prevalent and we dined like royalty.

Sweaty, filthy and totally stoked that we had made it! It’s absolutely an unbelievable feeling, being in the bottom of the Canyon. It’s also warm.