Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
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Kaibab Trail Grand Canyon NP, Arizona |
October 12, 2017
For Day-4 of my Fall Bucket List Tour, I will tackle the big trail at the North Rim. Despite several previous visits to this park, I never actually have done any hiking here.
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A nifty water fountain ⇔
The drive here from Kanab was somewhat depressing, because most of the forest outside the park boundary has been devastated by fire.
Getting started
The route is laid out before me
The trail surface is very dusty due to stock usage, and of course
one must watch for puddles and piles of you-know-what.
The cliff is colorful enough
Less than a mile down is the first scheduled overlook, Coconino Point.
Those "rays" are the result of a dirty lens, not a heavenly message
They are at the overlook
The views are nice enough, but the sun is mostly in an unfriendly position today
The first mule train passes by
That's more like it
After 1.8 miles of walking and 1,300 feet of descent, I reach the watering hole. There is a nice spring nearby.
Last chance to refill water bottles for quite a while
Most of the tourist mule trips stop here, then return. Perhaps that means that the trail will be in better condition below.
Yes, it is quite warm
Right next to the drinking fountain is the only tunnel on this trail.
Supai Tunnel
The scenery is improving
How far down will I go?
Hikers are supposed to be informed that it becomes ever hotter as one descends, that it is all uphill going back, and that one be aware of one's limitations. So far, however, I have not been strained in the slightest; so there is no cause for concern just yet.
That bridge below is an inviting target
Yes, I'll head down there
The switchbacks below Supai Tunnel
That spring apparently supplies the facilities below
I don't care what they say; I wouldn't want to be riding a mule here
Actually, the trails are in much better condition below the tunnel, as was hoped.
The bridge is farther down than I thought
I wonder what these tall guys are
Getting closer
Made it!
Well, I seem to have dropped another 700 feet, which means that
it's a 2,000-foot climb back to the top. This could
be a good place to stop for lunch, then head back.
I cannot see very far ahead
Another one of those crazy plants
At the far end of the bridge a young backpacker greets me.
When I mention that I might stop here, she says, "Just ahead,
around the bend, the view is awesome — if you're up
for it".
Of course, in the face of that challenge I cannot very well
wimp-out now. Besides, the trail looks relatively flat
for a while, and I did come here for the views.
Just a little farther, I hope
I'm glad I came over here
Neat stuff
What colors
Just a little bit farther
Nearing the views?
I'm not going any farther than this
Three-quarters of a mile from the bridge:
End of the line for me
The views are better from here, and I'm glad I made
the effort; but this will be the turn-around point.
The trail is heading down
Starting back
Beautiful
There's the bridge
Now I can start upward again
It's goodbye to the bridge
A fit young woman passes me almost as if I were standing still. She is using a lumbar pack much like mine, which means that she knows her stuff!
Ah, to be young again
I was over there somewhere
Making progress
Many such hooks and holds are around to facilitate construction
and rescue efforts
Back at the Supai Tunnel
My favorite photo of the day
Cars need water, too!
The birdy and the chipmunk have similar markings
Many folk are hanging out at the watering hole now, including the woman who told me that the great view is "just around the corner". A man from Phoenix is trying to add some red powder to his water supply.
Mark's bottle is threatening to explode
I cannot hang around forever, though; for I have climbed only
one-third of the way back.
One step at a time
The lighting is better now
I guess I won't lose the trail
At some point, I catch up with Mark, who had passed me earlier. We chat some more; then I extract a calling card from my wallet, hand it to him, and am on my way.
Looking back
The mules are back
The woman leading one of the groups exclaims, "I saw you before;
I recognize the shirt!" I suppose that my bright
emerald-green Death Ride T-shirt does make its presence
known.
See the woman at the edge of the rock?
Unbeknownst to me at the time, she will figure very prominently in my near future (see Addendum).
It isn't far now
I hiker coming down proclaims, "200 yards to go". Well, I mentally triple that number, which works out just about right.
A necessary evil on this trail
§: Today's trail was just about what I expected.
It is busy, and dusty, and dirty at the higher levels; moreover,
one must be tolerant of the outpourings of diarrhetic mules.
The farther down the canyon one travels, the better the scenery
gets, which means that day-hikers cannot experience the full
benefits of a trek here. This 2300-foot foray got me a
good taste of the Grand Canyon, though, and I am pleased finally to
have done it; but once is enough.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty | |
| Personality |  |
| Solitude |  |
ADDENDUM — THE REST OF THE STORY
When I reached the car, my world temporarily came to an end; for I was missing my wallet. After giving Mark that card, I must not have zipped up the pocket on my pack. What now?
For the moment, all I could think of was to return to the trailhead and query hikers as they emerged. Almost immediately, however, a woman standing at a car on the road above meandered down toward me. She had figured it out!
Querying me about my full name, the gracious German tourist then proceeded to hand me my wallet, which she had intended to turn in to the rangers. She was the one who was sitting at Coconino Point; and not only had she recognized me from the trail, but apparently she had peeked at my I.D. as well.
This amazingly lucky exchange was made possible only because the woman had been waiting for her husband return from somewhere; otherwise, it could have taken some time to locate and retrieve my wallet from the authorities.
Well, at least it wasn't picked up and kept by someone going downhill. My life would effectively have ended. Realistically, all that I could have done would have been to drive straight home, after somehow getting some gas money wired to me. Even at that, I would have had no driver's license.
I hope to have learned something today; for this scenario violated
my standards for preparation, self-sufficiency, and common
sense. In simpler terms: how stupid is it possible to be?
If one is going to traipse around the country solo, additional
precautions must be taken.
My Good Samaritan
In retrospect, the only emergency preparation needed would be to
stash an exra credit card in the car. There already is a
$20 bill in my daypack, and another $20 mad money in
the glove compartment (and I always can open and use my car, even if
I have lost the key). That would be sufficient to get me
somewhere, provided that I not be stopped for a traffic violation.
