Adventure 2010 #1 of 3

This adventure was planned over the last thirteen months; a goal for years. With that much anticipation, it would be easy for the actual adventure to fall short of the mounting expectations. Not at all! All our expectations were far surpassed!

The greatest challenge was packing: 10 days, seven different locations, extreme diverse situations and, for a few days, no "back up" shopping available. I can usually pack for a week long trip in about an hour. Not the case this time. The attention to the packing worked out well and we survived with only a couple minor adaptions required!

DAY ONE

We headed from work to L'Auberge Resort along Oak Creek in Sedona. Typically it can take days to purge the body of stress enabling one to finally enjoy the vacation. Not this time. This place was soothing, relaxing and seemed to pull the stress from our muscles. The food was unbelievably fabulous. Within a couple hours we felt as if we'd be on vacation for days. An absolute perfect start for our week.

DAY TWO

Thankfully we were very relaxed because this was a busy, yet resulted in a low key day. We drove to the South Rim, dropped an overnight bag at El Tovar for when we emerged from the Canyon (positive thinking), we dropped our duffel at the livery barn for the mules to take down to Phantom Ranch, and we stopped at Bright Angel Lodge to confirm our reservations.

From the South Rim we drove to the North Rim. It's about 11 miles across the Canyon as the "crow flies" but it's about a 200 mile drive. We took our time, stopped at Cameron near the painted desert, then at Navajo Bridge (Lee's Ferry/Marble Canyon). This was a good stop to get out and stretch, walk the old Navajo Bridge and read about the history on the posted plaques. This area is where the rafting adventures begin on the Colorado River. It's also thought of as the start of the Grand Canyon or so we were told by our very knowledgeable shuttle driver a few days later.

The highlight of the drive was a stop at a little corner "inn" at the junction of highways 89 and 67 called Jacob Lake. This little old building isn't much to look at from the outside but, thanks to a great tip from a friend, we stopped for the cookies. These are no ordinary cookies. We picked up four (4 for $5.75) and saved them for later.

The drive into the park from Jacob Lake was sobering. We learned a few days later (yes from our shuttle driver) that the damage to the forest was the result of a large forest fire along the North Rim in 2008. Over 100,000 acres of this beautiful area was destroyed. Ironically the National Forest Service was unable to remove the damaged timber because of a lawsuit intended to protect the forest. Now the rotting trunks create a spookey "dead" forest that threatens the ability for the forest to regenerate in the future. A terrible disaster compounded by a well-intentioned but devastating reaction. We have great respect for the NFS and their knowledge of how to best protect our land.

Also on the way to the Rim we noticed snow, especially at the North Kaibab Trailhead. We learned days later that it had last snowed in the area the previous Sunday, less than a week before. Meanwhile, in the Phoenix area, temperatures were approaching triple digits. Arizona is a state with diverse weather conditions!

After checking into our cabin for the night, we walked to the main lodge and enjoyed an early dinner. We shivered on the patio of the lodge as we watched the sunset and the lights gradually appear in the distance on the South Rim.

During our watch, we enjoyed a cold glass of milk and a couple of those cookies purchased at Jacob Lake, especially one lemon zucchini cookie that Judy, my friend, recommended. Judy hiked the Canyon R2R for fifteen years. She provided much encouragement, advice and motivation for me. Judy also loved to ride her bike, another passion we shared. Judy passed away just two days before our trip. The milk and cookies were our tribute to her, a most beautiful, gracious lady.

DAY THREE

We planned this day last September (blog entry). Like a kid at Christmas, I couldn't sleep and Papa didn't sleep well either. In the morning my stomach was a little upset. The excitement, the anticipation was so great. Oh, but no worries.  There was not one disappointment. It was more beautiful than expected, went better than planned, and our dreams came true!

• Started at 4:30 am at North Kaibab trailhead.  45 degrees.  Full moon.  
• Supai Tunnel reached by 5:30 am.  1.7 miles. Sun coming up.
  The view of the canyon after passing through the tunnel was stunning, invigorating (above).
• Roaring Springs reached by 7 am.  5 miles.  Thunderous, beautiful.
• The forest changed to a more desert landscape. We hiked next to the rushing Bright Angel Creek that bathed our minds with the relaxing sound. Very therapeutic. 
• Cottonwood Campgrounds. Restrooms! The halfway point and still early. We did better than we thought both in time and physically handling the hike.
• Just passed Cottonwood, we found a little ledge along the trail with the loudly rushing Bright Angel Creek below and shade from the canyon wall. Perfect place to take a break and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
• We are nearly two hours ahead of schedule so we got the reward of taking the side trip to Ribbon Falls. What a fun trip! We hiked up behind the falls, a first time for being behind any waterfall.
• The major milestones accomplished, we now focused on getting through "The Box".  We remembered to drink plenty of water and continued at a steady pace through the narrow canyon. Fortunately it was still morning and we had cooling shade from the canyon walls and the refreshing sound of the flowing creek provided mental relief. We passed through The Box without incident.
• Just before noon we reached Phantom Ranch. We checked in at the canteen to get our dorm assignment and grabbed a much appreciated cold glass of lemmy (lemonade). Then we headed to the dorm for an even more appreciated shower and enjoyed the cool interior of the building thanks to evaporative cooling.

Our first day of hiking was fantastic! We hiked 17 miles in 7.5 hours, two hours better than our "best case" scenario. We each had a blister on a toe and, by the time dinner came, we did the "hiker hobble" up the steps to the canteen along with fellow hikers. Despite that, we felt better and more alive than ever. Our dream became real and it was beautiful; we savored it.

For all the pictures from Adventure 2010, click here.

Watch the descent down North Kaibab.  The video is in two parts:  Part 1 and then Part 2.
Remember to change to 720P resolution in the lower right for better quality.