And We're Off

Final preparations are winding down. Packing is almost finished. Something new for the hike, too. This is the first time I've tried dehydrating various fruits for hiking snacks. Pleasantly surprised at how they turned out. The mangos and bananas are good, the apples are great. Strawberry and kiwi are a little more tart. Now to figuring out the rest of the snacks and the water.

The packs are almost complete. Just waiting for my hiking partner to arrive soon to review the supplies and make final adjustments. It won't be long now.

Appreciate your prayers and thoughts as we embark on this amazing trek!

Adventure Week

In March, we experienced the "pre" adventure week. My grandson and I hiked, kayaked, and tested ourselves to make sure we were ready for this week in May. Now the big test.

I started this week with a solo kayak trip. When the two of us went in March, we went just over a mile. Today, I challenged myself to go two miles. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. No congestion at the launch beach. The water looked like glass, so smooth. 

That didn't last long. The wind came up and the waters became choppy. It was the first time I felt like I was going over rumble strips on the water. That made paddling a bit harder. The head winds were even more challenging. I felt like I was standing still in some areas, which shows up on the map. There is more red/slow on the route than usual.

Overall it was a great ride. I went further away from the beach area, accomplishing my goal of two miles. There is still a cove another half mile beyond where I went today that is on my bucket list. I might even venture out to other nearby lakes in the future. It is such a peaceful exercise. I didn't even listen to music today. Just the sounds of the water and nature.

Today went smoothly overall. In fact, I finished over an hour earlier than expected. That gives me encouragement that our hike later this week will also go well. I cannot wait.

So Excited!

The time has come. After a year of anticipation, my grandson and I will attempt a rim-to-river-to-rim hike. 

A little history. Our original/first plan was to hike rim-to-rim, meaning down North Kaibab and out Bright Angel. After considering the needs of all involved, we went with the second plan, rim-to-river-to-rim, meaning down South Kaibab and out Bright Angel.

A couple months ago, we discovered the Bright Angel trail closure for the water project, which raised a red flag. The website said the project would be completed May 15, 2025. No problem, right? Well, is a project deadline always right? No. The Bright Angel trail is expected to be completed but the River Trail that connects Bright Angel to Phantom Ranch/Silver Bridge will now be completed in September/October. So...

Plan #3. We will still visit Phantom Ranch, and join the rest of the hikers detoured onto South Kaibab. Down and up the same trail. The good news is we can go and the weather forecast looks about perfect. Here's our plan:

TRAIL POINT	ELEV	DIST	GRADE	DOWN	UP
South Kaibab Trail Head	7,260	0		5:00a	4:00p
Oh-Ah Point	6,575	0.9 mi.	14%	5:40a	3:00p
Cedar Ridge	6,060	0.6 mi.	16%	6:00a	2:30p
Skeleton Point	5,200	1.5 mi.	10%	6:45a	1:30p
Tonto Trail Junction	4,010	1.4 mi.	16%	7:40a	12:15p
The Tipoff	3,870	0.2 mi.	13%	7:50a	12:00
South Kaibab Bridge	2,600	2.1 mi.	11%	9:00a	10:30a
Phantom Ranch	2,480	0.9 mi.	.03%	9:30a	10:00a