J June – Grand Canyon melt down hike.

My Yellowstone trip was postponed due to a late spring in Wyoming, snow in mid June, so I decided to push the Grand Canyon trip forward, first mistake. I did need to finish the final images for Attu’s Grand Canyon book so this sounded like a completely rational and logical plan. Spending the first few days on the south rim was very pleasant, cool temperatures, light winds and crystal clear blue skies. What a pleasant week to pick to visit Grand Canyon and enter the inner canyon.

Once I was finished with Attu’s photography on the rim I obtained my wilderness permit and got ready to cruise down the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch. I was carrying about 60 pounds as I was going to stay at the Bright Angel Campground for two nights. I carried extra weight as I wanted this to be a training hike for Yellowstone and the ambitious trip I would take into the backcountry of the Thorofare. Second mistake! I can attest that this trail is steep, very steep in many sections. I think I saw Wiley Coyote get whacked on this trail. A 6 mile hike is usually very easy for me. These 6 miles makes a 21 mile forced march in the Marines look like a picnic party at the beach. I can only say, take the mules! Not only is this trail steep but the trail is composed of steps, many steps with some as high as 18 inches or more and it is extremely hot, even in early summer and offers little shade. On the positive side, the South Kaibab offers unbelievable views of the inner canyon and is very much worth the hike. Actually, magnificently gorgeous! Hint one; let the mules carry your packs!

Up until Cedar ridge I did quite well and was proceeding at a good pace. The steps were bothersome but acceptable. The problem with steps is no pace can be attained. It is just one pounding action after the next, no rest as when hiking on a trail. Once on the steep and heavily stepped Skeleton section the pounding took its toll on my calves, thighs and hamstrings. I believe that this section of the trail was designed by a crazed and insane wanna –be long range hiker, probably the same knucklehead that designed the Kearsarge Pass Trail in the Sierra’s of California. Way too many high steps with not enough trail to get a pace going on. Between the constant pounding and the increasing heat I decided that a half hour break would be a great idea. At the bottom of the Skeleton there is some shade provided by a section of the sheer wall. I did welcome this shade. Why do they call it the Skeleton? Whoa, go figure that one! Easy, you feel like a skeleton at the bottom and your personal skeleton is beaten and pounded into mush and submission. Without weight this trail would be much more enjoyable and would not pound your knees and muscles as seriously. Hint two, let the mules carry you pack!

After a nice break, water and a little lunch I staggered down the rest of the trail to the river and finally to my new home for the next two days. My campsite was nice, near the creek and also running potable water. My hike down took about 8 hours, almost twice the amount of time on a normal 6 mile hike. My legs were pretty eaten up, cramping a bit but actually not as bad as they could have felt. My feet though were a different matter. I developed blisters on each foot and the constant pounding downhill bruised my toes. I ended up losing 3 toenails on each foot. These feet were not looking great for a day at the beach. I know how the Brits felt on the march through Burma on the Bridge over the river Kwai. Only difference was that I did not have a bunch of barbarians beating me when I wanted a break. My next decision was to soak in Bright Angel Creek; this was the best idea of the day. Ah, cool water in a fabulous place. A few other campers were by this time in camp and more were coming into camp. I guess I did not do to bad as I thought as I had passed some of these groups on the trail. But for now the plan was to relax in the cool waters of this wonderful creek. I talked with some of the hikers and they said about the same as I said, tough trail we just past over. I just pushed deeper into the cool water to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, rejoicing in this beautiful canyon. On a walk I did see a thermometer in the sun that read over 110 degrees late in the afternoon. That really did not register with me at the time but would later.

After many hours of resting, relaxing and even taking a small nap I decided to visit the rest of the little valley I was occupying. Phantom Ranch was just upstream a few thousand feet, along with a ranger station and small store. Small is the operative word here. I am glad that I carried most of what I needed on my back. As I walked around in sandals my feet and thighs hurt a bit but these were manageable. I visited with the mules and some horses in a corral that others, smarter than I, rode down on. Then I explored the Phantom Ranch. What a cool place. I would love to stay here for a day or two. Very rustic and quaint! I bought a candy bar and some gator aid and sauntered back to my campsite. I did notice a thermometer that was hovering near 100 degrees at 6pm. It must have been quite a bit warmer on the trail I surmised. Rhoades scholar I am not, duh!

Back at camp I broke open the squirrel proof boxes you are required to keep your food in. That’s right, no bear boxes here. It is the squirrels that seem to attack everything that is called food. Lots of squirrels and chipmunks! Squirrels in the trees, on the ground, sitting on the tables watching me! Just about everywhere, except in my squirrel proof ammo box. Now though it was to be my dinner time. Squirrel could be on the menu if these guys were a bit slower.

One of the reasons I was heavy coming down was all my food was composed of MRE’s. They are tasty with a good calorie balance but they are not light. After cooking and munching my dinner I did camp chores and cleanup. After that I walked around a bit and relaxed near the creek again. I was walking a bit more than normal to keep my muscle stretched out and supple. This would pay dividends on the hike out.

Retiring to my tent I watched the stars and listen to the divine sounds of running creek water until sleep overtook me. Also watched the squirrels playing in the trees! Lots of playing squirrels! Boy, this place would be like heaven for the Clampets and Mccoys. Lots of stew running around on those 4 short legs! Sleep happened in about 7 minutes flat it seemed. Guess I was a tad tired. After a very pleasant sleep, I awoke to the sound of the creek, songbirds and squirrels a chattering. I also saw some deer walking through camps as people were still sleeping at this late 6am hour. Lazy slobs!

Breakfast was MRE’s! Wonderful huh! After this I relaxed for a bit and then grabbed a camera to shoot some images of the local area. I worked down to the river first and took pictures of both black and silver bridges, the river, rafts, mountains and ruins. Great morning and incredibly interesting and fun! No people yet as many were either still sleeping or contemplating death by pounded legs.

After my 2 hour long exploration I returned to camp for some relaxation time and also time to visit with my beat-up feet. I could figure that the hike out on injured feet was not going to be pleasant.. Mole skin and some pain killers were going to be the order of the day plus some slower paced hiking out. Today though I was going to photograph more, explore more and relax more in this wonderfully cool creek. Plus I wanted to eat down all my food so I was carrying nothing out.

Well, I accomplished all that I wanted to do on this great relaxation day. I ate all my extra food, relaxed in the creek for many hours and explored more of the area. My feet were doing as well as could be expected and the squirrels and I had come to an accommodation. Sleep came fast again to me in the calming hands of a babbling creek.

Morning came up early as I wanted to be on the trail before 5am. It was getting hotter each day and I wanted to get to the Indian Gardens before it became oppressive with heat. I had about 10 uphill miles to hike today. Leaving in the coolness was fine. I mole skinned my blisters and padded my toes as best as I could. In boots bruised toes are a tough thing to help out. I just figured that this day would be tough so just put one foot after the next and carry on. I said my good byes to my squirrel friends to. Bitter parting it was!

The hike to Indian Garden was fine. Not to hot, it stayed below 130 and really not that steep. My toes were aching a bit but that was expected. I was slow as most of the trail was uphill but with fewer steps and more trail I could get into a pace with rest steps. That was so nice and so much easier than the steps and steepness on the South Kaibab. Approaching the Gardens I decided I should have lunch in the shade trees plus I could completely refill with water. The heat was really cranking up now. I saw a chicken explode into flames and barbeque itself next to the trail. Awesome dude! A thermometer that was located in the sun registered 130 degrees or so. I knew I was in for a tough hike the remaining 6 miles or so, but I have hiked in ovens before. Hint three, let the mules take your pack!

After over hydrating myself I started up to the south rim. The heat was brutal and the trail is steep. A great combination when the sun is sitting in your pack. At 3 mile house I took a break and resupplied with water. I was cramping in the thighs and hammies, it was just miserably hot. I will never cook a lobster again I promised myself. The heat was also affecting my feet, sopping wet and removing my mole skin. I cannot ever remember being this hot and miserable and I still had 3 more miles to the rim. Fortunately, the heat did not affect my small brain. Water kept it cool and operational. That is a must, seriously. Trudging on to the next goal, 1.5 mile house was incredible miserable. With very little shade, the steep trail, heat, weight and sore muscle all combined to make for a very slow hike. I rested as if I was at altitude, move a hundred feet and try to cool down. Move another 200 feet and try to cool down. I progressed the 1.5 miles at this pace. This was one tough hike with the heat making it very difficult. I also met Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner on the trail. We had a nice talk I believe! Or was I hallucinating! Not sure!

When hiking in these extreme conditions sometimes it is better to find water, shade and a place to relax for a couple of hours. This is exactly what I did. At 1.5 mile house my pack went to the ground and I found a rock in the shade to be with. I drank water and relaxed for a couple hours. Best decision of the day. My feet relaxed a bit, the cramps backed off and I was able to resume hiking at a faster pace without literally beating myself into the ground. At about 5 pm I topped out and found my truck.

Literally throwing the pack off my tired sweat stained body was the best feeling of the day. Ah, some relaxing driving to the TenX forest service campground after a huge burger at Wendy’s. Talk about a treat after a long hot day on the trail. Sleep would be a wonderful place to visit tonight.

I will admit that this hike tore me up even though it was only about 16 miles. Steep trails are one thing but constant steps really do bad things for your legs and feet. Another problem is that I have short legs. The cause of this is not a deformity but a 5’7” frame. Pigmy hikers of America unite! The weight does not help either. I think the hardest part was the heat. It was oppressive. Cooling oneself was near to impossible. I can understand why there are so many heat related injuries each year. If I had just pushed hard to get out I could have injured myself. Fortunately, I am patient and willing to adjust to conditions. I guess that is why I am still alive and hiking in seriously challenging conditions. When I was editing film the 130 degree temperature sign really hit me. I have worked construction projects at 124 degrees in Borrego Springs but 130 in the sun really did impress me with how tough it was. Not a place that I would like to be again in that type of heat.

I learned a few lessons about hiking in Grand Canyon. Really do listen to the rangers about the dangers of heat. When I go down there again I will have the mules carry most of my weight and I will go down the Bright Angel trail even though it is longer. The steps really do bother my hiking style. If my weights were less the heat would not have bothered me as much. That is about all that I can say about the lessons learned. Would I go back? In a heartbeat! The breathtaking beauty is more than worth the pain and discomfort.